Inmate Killed In Banning Jail Was Accused Of Child Molestation

BANNING, CA — An inmate fatally beaten by fellow prisoners at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning was identified Thursday as a 29-year-old Cathedral City man facing several child molestation charges.

The attack that killed Rosendo Echevarria happened about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday in an undisclosed wing of the jail complex, located in the 1600 block of Hargrave Street, according to Riverside County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Rick Espinoza.

He said correctional deputies were alerted to a "suspicious circumstance" and discovered the victim "suffering from injuries sustained during an attack by other inmates."

Deputies and jail medical personnel attempted resuscitative measures, but Echevarria died at the scene.

No suspects were identified, and it was unclear whether arrests were imminent.

A possible motive for the attack also was not provided.

Echevarria was charged with three counts of engaging in oral copulation or sexual penetration of a child under 10 years old, two counts of committing lewd acts on a child under 14 years old and one count of engaging in sexual intercourse on a child under 10 years old.

The alleged crimes date back to 2013.

According to jail records, Echevarria was arrested in January 2018 at Porterville Developmental Center in Porterville, California. The facility serves people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. According to the state-run facility's personnel office, Echevarria was never an employee at the center.

—City News Service and Patch editor Toni McAllister contributed to this report.