By Roxanna Jarvis and Ramneet Singh
SACRAMENTO – Officials are investigating the death of 25-year-old inmate Braydon Lesseos at California State Prison, Sacramento (CSP-SAC) after the victim’s cellmate is suspected of stabbing and killing him.
On Christmas Day, Dec. 25, at approximately 1:10 p.m., prison staff conducting a security check discovered the body of Braydon Lesseos inside his cell, unresponsive and with multiple stab wounds. Officers immediately called 911 and removed 26-year-old Jordan Greendahl, Lesseos’ cellmate, from the scene.
Medical staff and paramedics who arrived shortly after attempted to revive and save Lesseos but were unsuccessful. Lesseos was pronounced dead by authorities at 1:45 p.m.
CSP-SAC’s Investigative Services Unit is looking into the case and has recovered an inmate manufactured weapon from the crime scene. Authorities at CDCR suspect Greendahl to be the perpetrator of the homicide and have moved him to segregated housing during the pending investigation.
Greendahl was transferred from Sacramento County in December 2018 after being sentenced to eight years in prison. His charges were arson of a structure or forest land, arson of property, and 
vehicle theft.
According to an interview by ABC10 with Lesseos’ mother, Shanna Bianchi, Lesseos and Greendahl had only been sharing a cell for six months. She had no reason to believe that Greendahl was a danger to her son.
“My son had just recently asked me if I would send him a birthday book from Amazon and I did,” shared Bianchi with ABC10. “I had no reason to believe – I believed in my son that there [wasn’t] any problem.”
Bianchi couldn’t believe that her son was killed on Christmas, which also happened to be her birthday. “I want answers about why he murdered my son,” she said.
On March 16, 2018, Lesseos was arrested for a shooting that occurred earlier that week. West Sacramento police officers stated that they “…spotted a yellow van similar to the one involved in Wednesday’s shooting…” and they confiscated a firearm during a traffic stop.
Specifically, the shooting was reported to have occurred around 4 a.m. on Limewood Road. From surveillance footage, police reported that Lesseos was seen “…getting into his mid 80’s white Econoline van after firing a gun while trying to steal things from a vehicle early Wednesday morning.” This source seemed to provide a different description of the vehicle. No one was injured.
Lesseos pleaded no contest and was sentenced to six years in prison for assault with a firearm. An additional four years was added as an enhancement because of the use of a firearm in the act of a felony.
Another year was added to his sentence because he was in possession of a controlled substance while in possession of a loaded firearm. On July 12, 2018, Lesseos was sentenced to an aggregate total of 11 years.
In her statement with ABC10, Lesseos’ mother was distraught by the death of her only son. “We said we loved each other and said we’d talk later that night or the next day.” She described how he “suffered from addiction and was working to turn his life around after being sentenced to prison for drug-related charges.”
By the end of her statement, Bianchi positively reflected on the life of her late son, noting, “He was a gifted athlete. He was a stepfather to a wonderful little boy that he loved so much.”
Ramneet Singh is a third-year student at the University of California, Davis. He is a Political Science major and is pursuing a History minor. He is from Livingston, California.
Roxanna Jarvis is a fourth-year student at UC Berkeley, currently majoring in Political Science with a minor in Public Policy. She is from Sacramento, California.
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