State v. Salazar

GORDON, Vice Chief Justice.

A jury convicted defendant, Ivan Jean Salazar, of dangerous or deadly assault by a prisoner. A.R.S. § 13-1206. Pursuant to the version of A.R.S. § 13-1206 in effect at the time of the crime, the trial court sentenced defendant to life imprisonment without possibility of any release for twenty-five years. See State v. Gonzales, 141 Ariz. 512, 687 P.2d 1267 (1984).

Defendant and Daniel Eastman were cellmates at the Maricopa County Jail. They were housed in an area of the jail reserved primarily for prisoners with emotional problems. Around 4:30 a.m. June 25, 1983,…