Footage shows Santa Rosa high school student followed before fatal stabbing

Nov. 8 — A Montgomery High School freshman, who is accused of fatally stabbing a 16-year-old junior during a March 1 fight in an art class, was followed to the class by a group of students before the fight occurred. Prosecutors on Wednesday afternoon presented video captured by a surveillance camera posted on campus during the fifth day of Daniel Pulido’s trial in Sonoma County Juvenile Court.

Pulido, 15, is charged with one count each of voluntary manslaughter and having a weapon on campus in the killing of 16-year-old junior, Jayden Pienta. Pulido has denied responsibility for Pienta’s death and his trial, which began Nov. 2, is expected to last through next week.

Wednesday’s presentation reflected testimony that revolved around the immediate moments surrounding the classroom stabbing and arrest of Pulido. Footage from 11:07 a. m.

March 1 shows Pulido as he walked across the school basketball courts with three other students. They are followed by a group of four boys, one of whom was Pienta. Pulido broke off from the group and walked toward art class with the four boys following.

Shortly after, footage shows Pienta running from the classroom and lifting his shirt. “He appears to have blood on his abdomen,” Santa Rosa police Detective Jason Jucutan testified Wednesday as he watched the video footage. Santa Rosa police said Pienta and another 16-year-old boy walked into an art class that was not theirs and started a fight with Pulido, who is accused of using a 4- to 5-inch folding knife to stab Pienta once in his chest and twice in his back.

Cell phone footage of the altercation was also played Wednesday. Santa Rosa police Detective Gino Rantissi testified he acquired a copy of the video from the 16-year-old’s mother, but it had otherwise gone viral. Pienta later died from his wounds at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

The other 16-year-old boy with Pienta also suffered injuries, but his wounds were not considered serious. The knife used to stab Pienta has never been recovered, officials have said. In a wrongful death lawsuit filed in September, Pienta’s family referred to the proximity between the two groups on March 1.

They argue school leaders, who were riding in a golf cart, passed by the two sets of boys and should have stepped in since they knew of prior altercations involving the two groups. A moving golf cart is visible in the surveillance footage but it wasn’t singled out by prosecutors Wednesday. Instead, they zeroed in on footage showing Pulido leaving campus while followed by his art teacher, Stephanie Hsu.

Also in the footage’s background are two other students who, according to Hsu’s testimony last week, appeared to be running in the same direction as Pulido. Investigators say Pulido met with two people north of campus following the stabbing and appeared to have handed them something. The prosecution has implied it was the knife used in the stabbing.

Less than an hour after the stabbing, police arrested Pulido after finding him in a wooded area along Montgomery Drive, east of Farmers Lane. On Wednesday, Santa Rosa police Officer David Lamb reiterated previous statements from investigators that Pulido had blood on his hand. The source hasn’t been identified in court.

Testimony is scheduled to resume Thursday afternoon. Pulido’s defense attorney, Jonathan Steele, is expected to begin calling witnesses as early as Monday. .