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This week, four high-profile Pasadena criminal cases will move forward in the Pasadena Courthouse of the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Here’s a background on these cases.
Monday, August 30, 8:30 a.m.: Trial for Jose Antonio Santiago
Jose Antonio Santiago, 66, of Pasadena, is charged with fatally stabbing one man and injuring another man in Pasadena in the early morning of September 12, 2018.
The complaint alleged that the accused personally used a knife and inflicted great bodily injury on the victim, identified as Jerry Chan, who was stabbed at about 1:30 a.m. in the 2600 block of Colorado Blvd.
Santiago pleaded not guilty to the charges on October 18, 2018. He is currently in custody, with bail set at $3.02 million.
The trial will be at Department B of the Pasadena Courthouse.
Thursday, September 2, 8:30 a.m.: Arraignment for Christopher Paul Hall
Christopher Paul Hall, 21, of Pasadena, is charged with the shooting deaths of two men at a Pasadena park in the afternoon of December 1, 2020. He is facing two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court records.
Christino Medellin Avila, 51, and Aaron Perez Flores, 40, both of Pasadena, were killed in the attack. A third man was badly wounded by gunfire but survived his injuries.
Hall is in custody, with bail set at $5 million.
The arraignment will be held at Department D of the Pasadena Courthouse.
Thursday, September 2, 8:30 a.m.: Preliminary Hearing Date Setting for Steve Carlos Williams
Steve Carlos Williams, 43, of Duarte, is charged in an alleged robbery and armed assault at Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles in Pasadena on February 3 that police say was sparked by a demand that he wear a face covering. He faces two counts of robbery, two counts of assault with a firearm, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
A Pasadena Police Department statement said Williams was accosted by a restaurant employee for not wearing a face covering. Instead, he reportedly produced a handgun and threatened employees at the business, and demanded food. The statement said Williams took several other orders waiting to be picked up and drove off in a car.
Williams was arrested on September 17, 2020, in Irwindale by LA County Sheriff’s detectives who were investigating the murder of an Irwindale woman. He remains in custody.
Thursday’s hearing will be at Department J of the Pasadena Courthouse.
Thursday, September 2, 8:30 a.m.: Further Proceedings for Mary Jean O’Connor
Mary Jean O’Connor, 43, homeless, is charged with killing a 75-year-old Pasadena woman in the victim’s condominium. The incident occurred on December 17, 2018.
Police said county authorities earlier placed O’Connor’s son in the care of the victim, Jeri Douglas, after O’Connor was deemed an unfit mother. Douglas’s daughter Tanya Juhasz later adopted the boy.
On the day of the crime, O’Connor allegedly went into the victim’s residence after she reportedly obtained confidential information about Douglas’s whereabouts from the LA County Department of Children and Family Services. Once inside the residence, the accused allegedly choked Douglas to death.
O’Connor is currently in custody, with bail set at $2 million.
The proceedings will be at Department J.
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