Two women accused of stabbing three men in a July 7 altercation in downtown Morgan Hill will remain in jail at least until their next hearing, despite their attorneys’ pleas to reduce their bail from $175,000.
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Alexandria Campos, 23, of Morgan Hill, and Tori Sanchez, 22, of Freedom, appeared at South County Courthouse July 20 for a plea hearing. Neither suspect entered a plea, but Judge Kenneth Shapero scheduled formal bail hearings for both women for Aug. 13 at the Morgan Hill
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courthouse. Both suspects are also set for a plea hearing Aug. 17.
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Campos and Sanchez are each charged with three felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon. The charges stem from an early morning incident in which they allegedly stabbed three men in the area of Monterey Road and Third Street July 7. The altercation followed a late night of drinking alcohol at area bars.
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Campos’ attorney, Jennifer Redding of the Santa Clara County Public Defender’s Office, argued adamantly for the woman’s bail to be reduced to an affordable amount, or to allow her release on “supervised own recognizance.” Redding presented several letters written by community members, attesting to Campos’ character and supporting the request to release her until trial. A Community Solutions advocate and church leader are among the writers of these letters, which show “overwhelming support” for Campos, as well as her “extremely strong ties to the community,” Redding said.
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“These allegations are completely outside her character,” Redding told the judge.
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Furthermore, the current bail of $175,000 is not affordable for Campos, Redding said. She recently qualified for Section 8 housing and was living with her sister, who depends on Campos, before the July 7 arrest.
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Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Patricia Henley argued against reducing Campos’ bail. She said the evidence related to the July 7 incident shows Campos and Sanchez “pursued the victims into the street” and stabbed them, “producing great bodily harm.” The three male victims were “backing away from” the suspects as they allegedly attacked them.
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“No evidence supports the claim of self defense,” Henley said.
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Campos and Sanchez told police in a statement after their arrest that they stabbed the men in self defense after being harassed by them earlier in the evening.
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Shapero left both Campos’ and Sanchez’ bail unchanged at $175,000.
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When Redding asked for a formal bail hearing for Campos, Shapero became frustrated because he thought the suspect has received the “required reviews” for consideration of bail. Redding argued the July 20 request was in accordance with a law that allows automatic review of a suspect’s bail within five days after bail was originally set.
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Campos’ bail on the July 7 charges was first set by the judge on July 11. Shapero agreed to schedule a formal bail hearing for Aug. 13.
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Sanchez’ attorney, Al Lopez of the county’s Alternate Defender’s Office, did not argue for reduced bail at the July 20 hearing. He requested a formal bail hearing for Aug. 13, which the judge granted.
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Morgan Hill Police arrested Campos and Sanchez in the area of Monterey Road and Dunne Avenue while they were walking away from the early morning July 7 incident, and perhaps hiding, according to police reports. They were both covered in blood when officers contacted them, and a bloody knife was found in Sanchez’ pocket.
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The incident was reported about 2:15am. One of the victims suffered a stab wound to the groin area, another was stabbed in the stomach, and one suffered deep cuts to his lower back and forearm, according to police. The victims had begun to walk away from the area where the altercation began—near Monterey Road and Third Street—before officers arrived.
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The victims told officers the attack was unprovoked, and witnesses said it appeared Campos and Sanchez were pursuing them during the altercation. Police determined the two women were the aggressors.
