"SAN JOSE After an emotional bail hearing Friday, a Santa Clara County judge denied pretrial release for the lone adult charged in a notorious gang assault at Santana Row last year that ended with the fatal stabbing of a 15-year-old boy out on a Valentine's Day date. Emanuel Sanchez-Damian's defense attorney lobbied for the 19-year-old to be placed in a faith-based rehab program, citing his troubled and neglected childhood that made him susceptible to gang recruitment."
"According to investigators and witnesses and confirmed largely by security footage, David Gutierrez a sophomore at Sequoia High School in Redwood City was on a date with his girlfriend the evening of Feb. 14, 2025 and were awaiting a dinner reservation along the southern edge of Santana Row when he was approached by Damian-Sanchez, three then-16-year-old boys and one boy who was 13 at the time."
Emanuel Sanchez-Damian was denied pretrial release and ordered held in jail pending trial. His defense urged placement in a faith-based rehabilitation program, citing a troubled, neglected childhood and intellectual, emotional and psychological issues. Superior Court Judge Hector Ramon acknowledged those factors but found the alleged crimes vicious and calculated, noting that Damian-Sanchez and four underage companions wore rivals' gang colors as subterfuge. The group is linked to another unprovoked attack less than an hour earlier at Westfield Valley Fair mall. Investigators and security footage show 15-year-old David Gutierrez, a Sequoia High sophomore, was approached while on a Valentine's Day date by five youths. The youngest teen allegedly threw the first punch.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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