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Josue Quino, 38, was found unresponsive in his cell at the State Correctional Institution at Somerset on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2025, according to Superintendent Kenneth Hollibaugh.
Prison staff and EMS attempted life-saving measures, but Quino was pronounced dead at 11:21 p.m., authorities said.
Quino had been serving a 20-to-40-year sentence for third-degree murder in connection to the fatal stabbing of 35-year-old Juana Us-Perez in Philadelphia’s Olney neighborhood on Christmas morning in 2019.
Investigators said Quino had been drinking heavily at a family gathering when he turned violent, first stabbing Us-Perez’s 14-year-old son in the thigh before chasing the woman outside and stabbing her multiple times in the chest and stomach.
She was found lying in a pool of blood just feet from her home and later died at Einstein Medical Center. Her teenage son was critically injured in the attack. Six other children, ages 8 to 16, were inside the home at the time.
Quino was arrested at the scene and charged with murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, and endangering the welfare of a child.
He was transferred to SCI Somerset on Nov. 7, 2024, following his conviction in Philadelphia County.
The Pennsylvania State Police are investigating Quino’s death, and the official cause will be determined by the Somerset County Coroner’s Office. Authorities confirmed that Quino’s next of kin has been notified.
Us-Perez’s sister, a woman just as hardworking and kind as Juana herself, took in Juana’s five children, according to a GoFundMe. However, funds and space are minimal. She and her husband already care for six children between the ages of 5-15 in their small, three-bedroom home in North Jersey.
A year later in a second GoFundMe friends of the family wrote:
"The Usperez children are doing exceptionally well, enjoying the company of their cousins and learning remotely in the care of their remarkable aunt. Gabi (the youngest of the Usperez children) earned the third grade's Citizen of the Month award at her school this Spring, and both Graciela and Sandra (the eldest Upserez girls) made honor roll!"
Daily Voice has reached out to the family for a statement regarding the news of the death of Juana Us-Perez's killer. Check back here for possible updates.
This is the second inmate death of a convicted murderer that Daily Voice has reported on in less than 24 hours. Click here to read about the death of the death-row inmate, Tam Le.
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