Anila Baby, a 32-year-old woman of Indian origin living in California, is accused by authorities of killing two Malayali friends, Ann Mary Mathew and Anjana Hari, in separate incidents on August 28. In San Jose, Mathew was stabbed and strangled at her home; approximately 90 minutes later in Milpitas, Baby allegedly ran over Hari with her car before fleeing the scene. Baby faces two counts of first-degree murder, each carrying a potential sentence of 50 years to life if convicted.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-12,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
An Indian-origin woman has been arrested for killing two of her friends, allegedly stabbing one and running over the other with her car, in separate incidents in California, U.S., authorities said.
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authorities → arrest → California
The 32-year-old Indian-origin woman, Anila Baby, allegedly killed her two friends, Ann Mary Mathew, 35, and Anjana Hari, 35, in separate attacks within about 90 minutes of each other, according to police and media reports.
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woman → kill → reports
The accused and the two victims were friends and trace their roots to Kerala.
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accused → accuse → Kerala
The killings occurred on August 28 in San Jose and Milpitas, two South Bay cities in the U.S. state of California located less than 20 kilometres apart.
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killings → occur → California
Investigators later linked the two killings and identified Baby as the suspect, the ABC7 News reported.
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News → link → suspect
Baby was arrested the same day and initially charged in the Milpitas killing.
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Baby → arrest → killing
However, on September 8, prosecutors also charged her with murder in Mathew's death.
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prosecutors → charge → death
“The motive and circumstances surrounding the event are still under investigation,” the San Jose Police Department (SJPD) said in a statement on Thursday (September 10, 2026).
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Department → surround → Thursday
Baby appeared in Santa Clara County court on Thursday (September 10) for the first time and is scheduled to return on November 17, when she is expected to have an opportunity to enter a plea, the Los Angeles Times reported.
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Times → appear → plea
Baby faces two counts of first-degree murder and a potential sentence of 50 years to life if convicted, ABC 7 news reported.
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news → face → life
According to investigators, the first killing occurred in San Jose on August 28 at Mathew's home on Linda Vista Street, the report said.
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report → accord → Street
Witnesses reported that an unexpected guest arrived at Mathew's door.
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guest → report → door
Prosecutors said Mathew was later found by her husband inside the home.
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Mathew → say → home
Investigators said she had been strangled and stabbed and was left in a pool of blood, according to the report.
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she → say → report
Mathew was found unconscious inside her San Jose home with stab wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene, the SJPD said.
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SJPD → find → scene
Around ninety minutes later, Baby called Hari to the parking lot of her apartment complex in Milpitas.
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Baby → call → Milpitas
Baby and Hari lived in the same apartment complex and were described by friends and family as close friends, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
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Chronicle → live → friends
Witnesses told investigators that Hari appeared relaxed and friendly as she approached Baby’s SUV.
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she → tell → SUV
When she stepped in front of the vehicle, it suddenly accelerated and struck her, the report said.
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report → step → her
After hitting Hari, Baby allegedly fled the apartment complex and hit three other vehicles, according to the report.
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Baby → hit → report
Police later found a blue Toyota SUV parked outside a retail pharmacy store about 1.6 kilometres away, the report said.
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report → find → store
Baby, identified as the driver, appeared incoherent, could not answer officers' questions and had blood on her arms and legs, the newspaper reported.
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newspaper → identify → arms
She was arrested and booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail.
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She → arrest → Jail
Friends and relatives are struggling to understand how a close friendship could have ended in such violence.
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friendship → struggle → violence
There has been speculation that Baby's employment-related issues in the U.S. may have contributed to the incident, but police have not confirmed this.
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police → relate → this
Meanwhile, the Keralam government has stepped up efforts to bring back the mortal remains of Hari and Mathew to India, with state officials assuring their families of help in expediting the legal procedures.
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officials → step → procedures
The Indian Embassy and the Malayali Association in California were also assisting the families.
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Embassy → assist → families
The families were awaiting the completion of the post-mortem and other legal procedures before the bodies could be released and brought back to Keralam for the final rites.
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bodies → await → rites
