A California woman accused of killing her two “best friends” allegedly stabbed and strangled one of the women before separately targeting the other in a deadly attack, according to prosecutors.
Anila Baby, 33, of Milpitas, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Ann Mary Mathew and Anjana Hari, KGO-TV reported.
The separate murders were said to have occurred within hours the afternoon of August 28.
Baby allegedly killed Mathew, 39, by strangling and stabbing her at Mathew’s San Jose home, where Mathew’s husband discovered her surrounded by a pool of blood, according to investigators.
About 90 minutes later, Baby is accused of driving to Hari’s Milpitas apartment complex and ramming into Hari, 35, with her car, resulting in her death, per court documents obtained by KGO-TV.
Baby was arrested that same day, according to San Jose police.
She didn’t enter a plea at her arraignment on Thursday, September 11, The Mercury News reported.
“The number one question that investigators are working on right now is why would a woman kill her two best friends in the middle of the morning in cold blood?” San Jose Deputy District Attorney Marisa McKeown said, according to the newspaper.
“Both women were mothers,” McKeown added of the victims. “They are residents of our community and they and their families are suffering terribly from the ultimate question of why would someone do this?”
The San Jose Police Department, which responded to Mathew’s murder, said in a Thursday news release that “the motive and circumstances surrounding the event are still under investigation.”
Friends of Mathew and Hari have created GoFundMe pages to support the women’s husbands and loved ones in the wake of their deaths.
The page for Mathew’s husband, Jacob Andrews, states his wife “was lost to a violent crime.”
“He is now facing an unimaginable loss while trying to care for his two children through this heartbreaking time,” the page continued.
The GoFundMe for Hari’s husband, Vijesh Vijayan, states Hari “was tragically killed as the victim of a hit and run.”
On Thursday, Baby’s attorney Shawn George did not provide a comment to The Mercury News and said he needed to review his client’s case.
“Really, the biggest heartbreak of this case is these families were best friends and want answers as to why someone could do this to their friend,” McKeown said, per KGO-TV. “So, I hope we can provide answers as we investigate this case.”
