Richard Angel Gonzales, Stabbing, Colorado 2020

Richard Angel Gonzales, 46, is locked up for another 185 months—over 15 years—after stabbing a fellow inmate at the U.S. Penitentiary in Florence and later head-butting a U.S. Marshal Service contract employee in the face during a courthouse transport. The consecutive sentence, handed down August 20, 2020, by U.S. District Court Judge Raymond P. Moore, ensures Gonzales will serve the time on top of existing prison terms.

The attack on fellow inmate Louis Williams unfolded March 6, 2018, inside the prison’s education building, where Gonzales worked as an orderly. Surveillance and court records show Gonzales approached Williams from behind while he sat at a desk, then launched a sudden, violent stabbing spree with a homemade weapon. Staff intervened within seconds, ordering Gonzales to stop. He didn’t. Two bursts of pepper spray were required before he relented. Williams was left with a punctured lung, multiple stab wounds, and deep lacerations—fighting for his life inside a federal prison meant to keep him secure.

Just eight months later, on November 8, 2018, Gonzales struck again—this time at the Alfred A. Arraj United States Federal Courthouse in Denver. While in custody, he intentionally head-butted a U.S. Marshal Service contract employee in the face, causing injury. The assault was deliberate, unprovoked, and captured on security footage. Federal authorities say it was another demonstration of Gonzales’s complete disregard for law, safety, and human life.

Gonzales was indicted October 24, 2018, for the prison attack and charged again on January 3, 2019, for assaulting the federal contract officer. On September 27, 2019, he pleaded guilty to both assaults. The cases were jointly investigated by the FBI’s Denver Division, which called the violence a direct threat to the integrity of the federal justice system. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Valeria Spencer and Aaron Teitlbaum prosecuted.

“We will not tolerate violence from those in the federal prison system or violence against our colleagues in the Marshal Service,” said U.S. Attorney Jason R. Dunn. “Mr. Gonzales will now have an additional 15 years in prison to realize how serious the justice system takes such crimes.” FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider echoed the sentiment: “Let this serve as a reminder that we will aggressively investigate violent crime no matter where it occurs.”

Court documents and the original press release are available through the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado and on PACER under Case Numbers 18-cr-500 and 19-cr-0027. The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Gonzales remains in federal custody with no early release in sight.

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