SVSP inmate gets life in prison for murder of cellmate

A Salinas Valley State Prison inmate was sentenced to life in prison for the brutal murder of his cellmate.

According to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office, while serving a 25 year prison sentence at SVSP, Brandon Keen, 34, was found in his cell unharmed after he alerted correctional officers that his cell mate was “down.”

The incident happened on Oct. 4, 2013.

The victim, Dimitris Kalatzakis, 31, was found lying face up in a large pool of his own blood and the cell walls were covered in blood splatter. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

An autopsy revealed Kalatzakis had suffered six stab wounds by an inmate manufactured weapon. He was beaten so badly that there was blunt force injury with broken bones throughout his face and he had ultimately been strangled to death.

Kalatzakis was to be released on Oct. 15, 2015.

Keen was found guilty of his murder on Jan. 16, 2019. He was sentenced to 141 years to life in prison.

As the judge handed down the sentence, the DA’s office said Keen yelled out in open court and in front of the victim’s family members, that he had “no regrets” that he “loves it” and “wants more of it.”