Jaime Osuna

About

California inmate and murderer whose crime and macabre public posture in court made him one of the most notorious killers from Kern County in the 2010s. He first became infamous for the torture and murder of Yvette Peña in a Bakersfield motel and became more infamous after he murdered and dismembered his cellmate Luis Romero inside prison. 

Before Fame

His record begins with the killing of Yvette Peña in November 2011. He was arrested, charged, and entered a plea to avoid the death penalty. He was sentenced in May 2017 to life without parole, with additional time for related counts. He was received by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in May 2017. He was put into the spotlight again after murdering his cellmate Luis Romero in March 2019. 

Trivia

His appearance and demeanor were compared to being "The Joker" from Batman in real life. He was a central figure in the 2019 podcast The Man With a Thousand Faces by reporter Olivia LaVoice.

Family Life

He was born and raised in Bakerfield, California.

Associated With

His killing of Luis Romero in 2019 sparked conversations about the CDCR's responsibility for inmate oversight, a department which was overseen by Gavin Newsom's administration.