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Sergeant

Jere Patrick Graham

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation — Sacramento, CA

Felonious

End of Watch August 21, 1971

Age 39

Tour of Duty 11 yrs

The Vigil Panel 108 ›

Gender Male

Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Department 41

Incident

Sergeant Jere Graham, Correctional Officer Paul Krasenes, and Correctional Officer Frank DeLeon were shot and slashed to death during a prison uprising when a civil rights lawyer smuggled a 9 mm pistol and two magazines of ammunition to a prisoner at San Quentin Prison. The prisoner hid the pistol and magazines in his afro wig. When one of the guards became suspicious of the wig, the prisoner ripped it off, loaded the handgun, and then held the guards at bay. The prisoner forced the guards to free 26 inmates, who then proceeded to attack the guards. They slashed the throats of six guards and also shot three of them to death. All of the guards' bodies were then stacked in the cell of the inmate who started the disturbance. The prisoners also murdered two jail trustees. The prisoner who started the uprising was shot and killed by responding officers. He was awaiting trial for the murder of Correctional Officer John V. Mills at Soledad Prison on January 16, 1970. Six prisoners were charged with the officer's murders. After a 16-month trial, only one was convicted of murder. He was paroled in 1988. Three were acquitted, and the other two were found guilty of assault. Only one remained in prison. He murdered Correctional Officer Robert J. McCarthy on March 4, 1971. He was stabbed to death during a prison riot at Folsom Penitentiary on August 12, 2015. Sergeant Graham had served with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for 11 years and previously served with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, four children, and one grandchild.

In Our Keeping

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Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Sergeant Graham gave the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation 11 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of California. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Graham.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Type Corrections

Location Sacramento, CA

Platform Identity cdcrcorr.sacramento.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 21, 1971

Tour of Duty 11 yrs

Age 39

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Handgun

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Jere is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,551 remembered there.

33,917 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

Compare against

Time

In 1971, 168 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 18th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States

Who

Jere was 39. Of the 14,220 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Jere had served 11 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death

Where he stood among them

Age by years of service

III

When

August holds 8.9% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Saturdays: 16.3%.

By month

By day of the week

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was handgun, in 23.4% of these deaths.

Every cause

Weapons recorded