Mar 29, 2016 2 min read

WAYNESBURG – An inmate at SCI-Greene with a history of assaults while serving his sentence for third-degree murder nearly 20 years ago is accused of slashing a corrections officer trainee with a razor blade at the state prison last week.

Angel Muniz, 37, was charged Monday with aggravated assault and simple assault in the Thursday morning attack on the officer at the state prison.

Police said the trainee was working as a “pod officer” when he went to retrieve a food tray from Muniz’s cell and the inmate “reached through the feed apparatus” area and cut the officer with a razor blade. Investigators did not elaborate on how Muniz allegedly came in possession of the razor blade.

The officer, whose full identity was not released, suffered a five-inch “superficial” cut to his forearm, police said.

“He was treated and released,” state police Sgt. Steven Dowlin said.

Muniz is serving 19 ½ to 39 years in jail for his 1998 conviction for third-degree murder and aggravated assault in Philadelphia. He is eligible to seek parole in December, state Department of Corrections Sue McNaughton said. However, his history of assaults while serving his sentence makes his release unlikely.

Muniz was charged with aggravated assault by a prisoner and simple assault for a November 2007 incident at SCI-Frackville in Schuylkill County. He pleaded guilty but mentally ill to the aggravated assault charge and was sentenced to three to six years in prison to be served consecutively to his murder sentence.

He was also charged in three separate assaults between October 2008 and January 2009 while serving time in SCI-Cresson in Cambria County. Aggravated assault charges in all three cases were withdrawn in exchange for guilty pleas of simple assault for the Dec. 1, 2008 and Jan. 15, 2009 incidents, and harassment Oct. 13, 2008. He received an additional 9 to 18 months in jail for the simple assaults.

Dowlin said investigators were aware of Muniz’s history of assaults while serving time at other state prison. He was transferred to SCI-Greene last March, McNaughton said.

The attack on the corrections officer comes four months after a prisoner stabbed a corrections officer nearly a dozen times Nov. 19 in a general population section at SCI-Greene. The officer was treated and released for his wounds, but had not returned to work as of February. The inmate, who was not identified, was not charged in the incident because, investigators said, he was already serving a life sentence for murder.