The two women accused of stabbing a Watsonville woman in San
Juan Bautista were in San Benito County court Wednesday.
HOLLISTER
The two women accused of stabbing a Watsonville woman and leaving her in a San Juan Bautista field were in San Benito County court Wednesday.
Lynda J. Hernandez, 39, and Sadie Stephens, 18, both of Castroville, each are charged on suspicion of attempted murder and two counts of kidnapping stemming from a June 13 incident in San Juan Bautista.
The suspects had also been previously charged with special allegations for all the counts accusing involvement in violent street-gang activity, but court documents noted that the enhancements against both have been stricken.
The two suspects are scheduled to be in court again at 2 p.m. Nov. 17 for a preliminary conference hearing with Judge Steven Sanders.
Hernandez and Stephens are accused of stabbing a 34-year-old woman in San Juan Bautista and leaving her in field along Highway 156. Local sheriff’s office detectives arrested the two women, who were roommates at the time, with cooperation from the Watsonville Police Department. The arrests were made possible by information given from the victim.
The victim alleged she was together with the Hernandez and Stephens in Watsonville in the early evening. The three drove to the San Juan area, where the victim was stabbed “all over her body” and left near the intersection of Highway 156 and Monterey Street overnight. She was found the next day and airlifted to a Bay area hospital, where she recovered.
Court records also indicate that both Hernandez and Stephens will be in court at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 23 for a half-day preliminary examination for the case. The accused remain in custody at the San Benito County jail with bail set at $500,000 each.
