Articles Tagged With ‘Santa Maria Superior Court’




Killer who dumped body in Nipomo sentenced to 35 years to life

By JOSH FRIEDMAN A Santa Barbara County judge on Wednesday sentenced a Santa Maria woman to 35 years to life in prison for murdering a man whose remains were found on a Nipomo golf course in 2020.  Following a trial... (Continue reading)

Nipomo man arrested for Santa Maria courthouse arson

By JOSH FRIEDMAN A Nipomo man allegedly broke into the Santa Maria courthouse Saturday night and started a fire that led to more than $500,000 worth of water damage. Eric Spies, 31, had been ordered to appear at a court... (Continue reading)

Former coach gets probation for disputed act of child molestation

A former Santa Maria youth basketball coach, who was accused of molesting a teenage girl over multiple years, received a five-year probation sentence and was set free from jail on Monday. The alleged victim in the case had recanted her... (Continue reading)

Santa Maria teen who killed her baby sentenced to group home

A Santa Maria teen convicted of killing her newborn will go to a group home, rather than spending time at a state juvenile facility. [KCOY] Last January, the teen, who is referred to in court as Maribel S., gave birth... (Continue reading)

Teen allegedly stabbed her baby, dumped it in a bag

A 15-year-old Santa Maria girl cut her newborn infant multiple times with a knife and dumped it in a plastic bag in the bathroom of her home, according to court testimony. The teen is charged with murder with the use... (Continue reading)

Two men convicted of pimping teen in Santa Maria

A Santa Barbara County jury convicted two men of pimping a 16-year-old girl whom they advertised on Craigslist as a 20-year-old. The victim had sex with customers, as well as with both of the defendants. Humberto Carranza, 24, met the... (Continue reading)

Solvang woman acquitted of murdering her daughter

Less than a month after declaring a mistrial, a Santa Maria judge reversed his ruling, freeing a 90-year-old Solvang woman who was accused of murdering her terminally ill daughter. In 2013, Solvang resident Heidi Good died at the age of... (Continue reading)

Mistrial declared in murder case of elderly Solvang woman

A Santa Maria judge declared a mistrial Tuesday in the case of a 90-year-old Solvang woman who is accused of murdering her terminally ill daughter. The mistrial occurred, in part, because jurors watched media coverage of a separate verdict in... (Continue reading)

Santa Maria judge dies in middle of murder trial

Santa Maria Superior Court Judge Edward Bullard died Sunday in the midst of presiding over a three-defendant murder trial. [Santa Maria Times] Bullard died at the age of 59 of complications from emergency heart surgery he had last week. Following... (Continue reading)