Bryan Stow beating suspects plead not guilty
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The two men accused of brutally beating a San Francisco Giants fan outside Dodger Stadium pleaded not guilty on Wednesday.
The judge ordered Marvin Norwood, 30, and Louie Sanchez, 29, held in lieu of $500,000 bail each, pending a preliminary hearing on Sept. 30. Defense attorney Gilbert Quinones, who represents Sanchez, withdrew a scheduled bail-reduction motion for his client.
Prosecutors say the suspects severely beat up
Bryan Stowon opening day in the Dodger Stadium parking lot. Norwood and Sanchez were charged with one count each of mayhem, assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury and battery with serious bodily injury, all of which are felonies. Police have portrayed Sanchez as leading the assault on March 31 after they said he and Norwood randomly lashed out at Giants fans.
Stow, a 42-year-old Santa Cruz paramedic and a father of two, is recovering from severe brain injuries and remains in serious condition in a San Francisco hospital.
Prosecutors feel strongly that they have a case against the two suspects, even though it was revealed Wednesday that out of 20 witnesses only one of them could positively identify Sanchez in a line up and none were able to identify Norwood.
Deputy District Attorney Frank Santoro said in court that the case was not based on witness identifications but on admissions by both men, claiming both defendants have made incriminating statements while in lockup and in police interviews.
Prosecutors say Sanchez's sister, Dorene, who has been arrested as an accessory in the case, testified in front of a grand jury. But those transcripts have been sealed.
In their second court appearance, Sanchez and Norwood remained handcuffed and kept separated. They did not look at each other and spoke only through their lawyers.
Sanchez faces a maximum of nine years in prison if convicted, while Norwood would face up to eight years behind bars, according to prosecutors.