A California inmate allegedly attacked Graciela Bustamante — the woman recently charged with torturing and killing her 8-year-old stepdaughter — while in jail. After the attack, the public sent money to the inmate to show support for her actions.
Anita Doran, 36, reportedly assaulted Bustamante, 27, inside the Lerdo Correctional Facility in Bakersfield, Calif., on Aug. 8, according to KBAK, citing the Kern County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO).
Bustamante was taken to the hospital after the alleged attack but has since returned to jail, authorities told the outlet.
PEOPLE reached out to the KCSO for comment on Saturday, Aug. 16, but did not get an immediate response.
Bustamante and her husband, Ray Mata Jr., were charged with the murder of Mata’s young daughter, Genesis Ariah Mata, after she was found dead in a hotel bathtub in Bakersfield on Aug. 2, according to Fox 10, KBTX and KBAK.
The girl was allegedly burned with hot water, beaten, and whipped, the outlets reported, citing probable cause documents from local police.
Police said the couple repeatedly slammed the girl’s fingers in a door frame, crushing her hand and causing her fingernails to separate from her fingers. Genesis was found with severe burns and blisters on her face and body, according to Fox 10.
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“When you’re faced with someone gross who has no remorse, you kind of don’t want to deal with it because you don’t want to take it to where you want to take it,” Doran said to KBAK after the alleged jail assault. “I would definitely do this again.”
Doran said she and other inmates knew about Bustamante’s charges and usually kept their distance. “No one really wanted to deal with her,” she said. “Some of the girls had seen her not taking it seriously. She had come back from court laughing and giggling, and they were just like, ‘Why, what’s funny?’ ”
In a video interview with ABC 23 after the incident, Doran said Bustamante’s charges hit close to home. “I have a cousin named Genesis. A little cousin — she’s 10,” she said.
Doran’s jail account received a flood of donations after her name became public following the alleged assault on Bustamante, according to KGET. As of Friday, Aug. 15, the account could no longer accept funds because it had “reached the maximum number of transactions allowed,” the outlet said.
Officials said charges are pending against Doran for the alleged assault, according to KGET. Doran is currently in jail on charges related to evading an officer and stealing a vehicle, according to public records.
