In a shocking turn of events, Jason Budrow, a self-proclaimed Satanist and California inmate, is suspected of critically injuring Paul Flores, the convicted murderer of Kristin Smart, in a prison assault.
This incident comes after Budrow reportedly strangled the infamous "I-5 Strangler" to death in his cell.
The assault on Flores allegedly took place on August 23, a week after Flores was transferred to Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga, California, approximately 60 miles southwest of Fresno. "Yard staff saw Flores fall to the ground between the recreational yard and the medical clinic," the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) disclosed in an email to Fox News Digital. Budrow was reportedly found nearby, armed with a makeshift weapon. He surrendered without resistance.
Flores was immediately transported to an external hospital in a serious condition, where he remained for two days before being returned to the prison. The CDCR has refrained from commenting on the specifics of the attack, including how Budrow gained access to Flores and their current housing arrangements. The motive behind the attack remains unclear.
Flores is currently serving a 25-to-life sentence for the murder of 19-year-old Kristin Smart in 1996. Both were students at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, at the time of the crime. Despite Smart's body never being recovered, Flores was convicted earlier this year in the long-standing cold case. Smart was legally declared dead in 2002.
Budrow, on the other hand, is serving a life sentence without parole for the murder of his girlfriend in 2010. In 2021, he killed his cellmate, Roger Reece Kibbe, 81, at Mule Creek State Prison. Kibbe, known as the "I-5 Strangler," was infamous for his crimes in the 1970s and 1980s, where he targeted women along the Interstate 5 corridor between Sacramento and Stockton. He was convicted of raping and strangling at least seven women, and was notorious for cutting his victims' clothing into irregular patterns.
In a letter to the San Jose Mercury News, Budrow claimed that he intentionally sought to share a cell with Kibbe after seeing television coverage of his crimes, and killed him as part of a "mission for avenging" Kibbe's victims.
Following the in-prison murder, Budrow was reportedly placed in restrictive housing at Pleasant Valley State Prison, a facility designated for inmates who "may pose a risk to others or to themselves, or whose behavior disrupts the safe and orderly functioning of the facility," according to the corrections department.
Budrow, who has a "666" tattoo over his right eye, has identified himself as a Satanist in prison interviews. The decision to charge Budrow for the assault on Flores rests with the Fresno County District Attorneys Office. Budrow is currently serving two life sentences.
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