 The night before his death, Cadena had received multiple death threats and knew that when he left his cell in the morning, he would be leaving it permanently.On the morning of December 17, 1972, Cadena was asked if he wanted to leave his cell with the rest of the prisoners; rather than avoiding his fate and staying in his cell, he stepped onto the tier of his cell in "Palm Hall" at the Chino Reception center.He was stabbed repeatedly with shanks, and beat with a pipe by Nuestra Familia assassins.