Man sentenced for murder of Sacramento County jail cellmate
A man convicted of killing his cellmate at the Sacramento County Main Jail has been sentenced to 55 years to life in prison.
A jury in September found 37-year-old Khot Panyanouvong guilty of first-degree murder in the death of 68-year-old Choi Ian Saeteurn. He was sentenced Friday in Sacramento Superior Court.
Panyanouvong was arrested Jan. 15, 2015, for a parole violation and resisting arrest. He was in custody at the Sacramento County Main Jail and shared a cell with Saeteurn. On Jan. 16, 2015, he beat Saeteurn to death while the two were in the cell, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office news release.
Prosecutors said Panyanouvong had a prior 2005 strike conviction under California’s “three strikes” law for first-degree burglary.
Cathy Locke: 916-321-5287, @lockecathy
This story was originally published October 21, 2016 at 3:24 PM with the headline "Man sentenced for murder of Sacramento County jail cellmate."