Corona man killed in cell at Byrd jail

Inmate who's already accused of murder is suspected. Death is 14th this year in county lockups.

A Corona man awaiting sentencing was killed in his jail cell at the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center in French Valley on Thursday, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said. A man already accused of murder was identified as the suspect.

Ulyses Muñoz Ayala, 39, is the 14th inmate to die in a Riverside County jail in 2022. Sheriff Chad Bianco recently said the annual average is about nine. Muñoz Ayala is the second to die by homicide this year. Five inmates have died from fentanyl overdoses, five have died from medical issues and two committed suicide, Bianco said.

Families of deceased inmates, their attorneys and the ACLU have called for better oversight of the inmates.

ACLU policy advocate Luis Nolasco said in a recent interview that he plans to lobby the county Board of Supervisors for changes. Families, he said, would like to see jail employees respond more quickly to overdoses. He wants to make sure they are trained in CPR and administering Narcan, which can revive people suffering from fentanyl poisoning.

Nolasco said buttons that inmates can press to summon help in an emergency don’t always work — particularly at Byrd. And he wants to see more safety checks on inmates and faster responses to emergencies.

Bianco has said the department works hard to ensure the safety of inmates.

Thursday at about 4:20 p.m., deputies were told an inmate was unresponsive. Jail staff found Muñoz Ayala injured and tried to revive him, but paramedics pronounced him dead, a sheriff’s news release said. The investigation determined that Muñoz Ayala had been in an “altercation” with 30-year-old Erik Darryl Martinez. There was no description of any weapon.

Muñoz Ayala was scheduled to be sentenced Friday after pleading guilty Tuesday to assault with a deadly weapon and battery in a Riverside case this year, and guilty to assault with a deadly weapon and assault causing serious injury in a 2021 Corona case, Superior Court records show.

Martinez had not been charged in the jail homicide as of Friday morning, said John Hall, a

spokesman for the District Attorney's Office, which was reviewing the evidence. Martinez's attorney, Darryl Exum, said Friday that he had just learned about the new accusation and declined to comment.

Martinez already faces a Nov. 8 preliminary hearing in a case in which he is charged with murder and carjacking during a murder, court records show. Authorities said that in August 2021, Martinez carjacked and killed Juan Manuel Ramirez in the 9000 block of Mission Avenue in Jurupa Valley.

Martinez has numerous convictions including felony assault, grand theft auto, resisting arrest and having contraband in jail, according to court records.

The Sheriff's Department asked anyone with information on the jail slaying to call Investigator Adams at 951-9552777.

COURTESY PHOTO Ulyses Muñoz Ayala was killed in his cell at Cois M. Byrd Detention Center in French Valley on Thursday, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said. Erik Darryl Martinez, already a suspect in a murder case, was accused of killing him.