Two young men accused of stabbing and killing Morgan Hill resident Cody Flores in May 2015 are scheduled to stand trial in November.
Chase Benoit, 22, and Spencer Smith, 22—both facing murder charges—appeared for an arraignment Oct. 17 at the Hall of Justice in San Jose. Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Deborah Ryan set a trial date of Nov. 28 for both suspects, who pleaded not guilty. Smith did not waive his right to a speedy trial, but Benoit did. Ryan said she wanted to the two defendants to be tried on the same schedule.
Benoit and Smith have been in custody at the county jail since their arrest shortly after Flores died May 31, 2015. They appeared in court Oct. 17 with shackles on their arms and feet, wearing jail jumpsuits issued to inmates. Both were Morgan Hill residents at the time of Flores’ death.
The two defendants are accused of stabbing Flores to death in a field near the intersection of Diana Avenue and Ringle Drive in east Morgan Hill, according to police.
Flores’ mother attended the Oct. 17 hearing in San Jose. After the hearing, she initially didn’t want to comment when contacted by the press. However, on the way out of the courthouse she approached the Times and said through tears, “Cody was a good person.”
When asked for her name, she replied, “I’m his mom.”
Investigators have revealed few details about the late-night stabbing incident and the suspects’ possible motive. The court file on the case, which is held at the clerk’s office in San Jose, does not contain police reports or other narrative of the incident.
