A 32-year-old woman from Kerala has been charged with two counts of murder in the US after allegedly stabbing one friend inside a San Jose house and intentionally running over another with an SUV in nearby Milpitas on the same day.
Anila Baby, a native of Kottayam, is accused of killing 39-year-old Ann Mathew and 35-year-old Anjana Hari on August 28. The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office formally filed murder charges against her on September 8.
According to court records cited by US broadcaster KRON4, Hari was walking through the parking area of the Mill Creek Apartments in Milpitas shortly before noon when a blue Toyota Highlander struck her.
The SUV subsequently hit three parked cars before leaving the area. Hari sustained fatal injuries to her head and was declared dead.
A witness told police that Hari had walked towards the SUV as though she intended to get inside. She reportedly appeared cheerful and friendly while approaching the driver, with no visible disagreement between the two women.
The witness said the SUV suddenly accelerated from a stationary position as Hari moved in front of it. Investigators reportedly found no tyre marks suggesting that the driver had attempted to brake.
Both Hari and Baby lived at the Mill Creek Apartments on Dixon Landing Road. Their friends and family members told investigators that the two were close friends.
Around two hours later, at 1.53 pm, San Jose Police responded to a report of suspicious circumstances at a residence in the 700 block of Linda Vista Street.
Officers discovered Mathew unconscious inside the home with unexplained injuries. She was declared dead at the scene. The San Jose Police homicide unit later determined that she had suffered at least one stab wound.
Investigators said Mathew, who hailed from Thiruvananthapuram, was acquainted with Baby. Hari was from Thrissur.
According to relatives, Mathew, Hari and Baby had attended an Onam celebration and watched a movie together the day before the incidents.
Later on August 28, Milpitas police located Baby inside her damaged SUV near a Walgreens store, less than a mile from the apartment complex.
The police report cited by KRON4 said Baby had blood on her arms and legs and appeared to have sustained injuries herself. She was reportedly incoherent and unable to respond to questions before officers took her into custody.
San Jose Police initially treated Mathew’s death as a separate case and identified Baby as a suspect. After examining the evidence, prosecutors charged her with the murders of both Mathew and Hari.
