Murderer serving life sentence gets more prison time for stabbing inmate in Sacramento jail

A man serving life in prison for killing one person and shooting three others was sentenced to additional years in prison for stabbing an inmate multiple times at Sacramento County Main Jail, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office said on Monday.

Christopher Manuel Berger, 27, was sentenced in December 2023 to 133 years and four months to life in prison for a drive-by shooting that targeted rival gang members, authorities have said. Alex Cardona, a 27-year-old Citrus Heights man, died in that incident reported on Aug. 24, 2020.

Berger was among at least two other inmates accused of stabbing an inmate in the downtown Sacramento jail five to six times with a shank, authorities said. Berger attacked an inmate during “recreation time” in January 2024, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.

The victim suffered severe injuries after he was stabbed in the head, shoulder and hands, prosecutors said in a news release. Berger was convicted Feb. 5 of assault with a deadly weapon, and allegations that he used a deadly weapon and caused great bodily injury.

Court records show three others were charged in the incident. Two of the inmates did not have future hearings in their cases, according to court records, while another person is due back in Sacramento Superior Court April 11 for a hearing about their probation status.

Berger was sentenced to eight years in prison consecutive to his murder sentence, prosecutors said.

This story was originally published March 3, 2025 at 7:22 PM.