Huckaby pleads not guilty
Jun 12, 2009 | 7936 views | 42 
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STOCKTON — Melissa Huckaby, the single mom suspected of murdering 8-year-old Tracy girl Sandra Cantu, pleaded not guilty today to the charges.
The 28-year-old Tracy woman denied all enhancements of rape, kidnapping and lewd and lascivious acts on a child. It was her fourth court appearance since her April 10 arrest.
San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Linda Lofthus set the preliminary hearing date for Sept. 24.
Huckaby’s plea came after prosecutors asked Lofthus to move the case along and pressure Huckaby’s lawyer to enter a plea rather than be granted more time to review evidence. Today, Huckaby said “yes” when Lofthus asked if she agreed to waive that right and to have the preliminary hearing held on Thursdays and Fridays for three consecutive weeks, beginning in late September.
Huckaby also faces charges that she furnished a harmful substance to a 36-year-old Hayward man named Daniel Plowman and to a 7-year-old girl.
Huckaby appeared calm during the 10-minute arraignment. She smiled weakly at her family as she shuffled toward her seat. She looked around at reporters and stared at the judge. Her hair was pulled back, and her wrists and ankles were shackled.
Sandra’s aunt, uncle, grandparents and mother attended the hearing, along with other friends and relatives. On Huckaby’s side, her grandmother and father were there, among other friends and family.
San Joaquin County Deputy District Attorney Thomas Testa said he plans to keep all the evidence, except for a fax machine that belongs to Huckaby’s grandparents. They can have it back, he said.
Other evidence he referred to belongs to Debbie and David Slayter, along with their relative, Jeff Barringer, and Frank Wohler. Wohler and the Slayters live in Orchard Estates Mobile Home Park, the same neighborhood Huckaby and Sandra called home.
At the arraignment, Lofthus told the attorneys she had been compiling a list of all news stories related to the Huckaby case and would give them each a hard copy of the 500 Google Alerts she collected. She said she learned that like a jury, a judge isn’t allowed to read stories in the media about a pending case.
“I won’t be looking at them anymore,” she said.
September’s preliminary hearing will give the public a chance to hear more details about the case. Both prosecution and defense will lay out their arguments and as much evidence as necessary before trial to make their case.
Sandra used to play with Huckaby’s 5-year-old daughter. Sandra went missing on March 27. Farmworkers found her lifeless body stuffed into a suitcase 10 days later. Huckaby was arrested later that week, and police still insist she acted alone.
A sweeping gag order prevents anyone officially involved from talking to reporters about the case.
Huckaby remains at San Joaquin County Jail. If convicted, she could face the death penalty or life behind bars.
• Contact Tracy Press reporter Jennifer Wadsworth at 830-4225 or jwadsworth@tracypress.com.
The 28-year-old Tracy woman denied all enhancements of rape, kidnapping and lewd and lascivious acts on a child. It was her fourth court appearance since her April 10 arrest.
San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Linda Lofthus set the preliminary hearing date for Sept. 24.
Huckaby’s plea came after prosecutors asked Lofthus to move the case along and pressure Huckaby’s lawyer to enter a plea rather than be granted more time to review evidence. Today, Huckaby said “yes” when Lofthus asked if she agreed to waive that right and to have the preliminary hearing held on Thursdays and Fridays for three consecutive weeks, beginning in late September.
Huckaby also faces charges that she furnished a harmful substance to a 36-year-old Hayward man named Daniel Plowman and to a 7-year-old girl.
Huckaby appeared calm during the 10-minute arraignment. She smiled weakly at her family as she shuffled toward her seat. She looked around at reporters and stared at the judge. Her hair was pulled back, and her wrists and ankles were shackled.
Sandra’s aunt, uncle, grandparents and mother attended the hearing, along with other friends and relatives. On Huckaby’s side, her grandmother and father were there, among other friends and family.
San Joaquin County Deputy District Attorney Thomas Testa said he plans to keep all the evidence, except for a fax machine that belongs to Huckaby’s grandparents. They can have it back, he said.
Other evidence he referred to belongs to Debbie and David Slayter, along with their relative, Jeff Barringer, and Frank Wohler. Wohler and the Slayters live in Orchard Estates Mobile Home Park, the same neighborhood Huckaby and Sandra called home.
At the arraignment, Lofthus told the attorneys she had been compiling a list of all news stories related to the Huckaby case and would give them each a hard copy of the 500 Google Alerts she collected. She said she learned that like a jury, a judge isn’t allowed to read stories in the media about a pending case.
“I won’t be looking at them anymore,” she said.
September’s preliminary hearing will give the public a chance to hear more details about the case. Both prosecution and defense will lay out their arguments and as much evidence as necessary before trial to make their case.
Sandra used to play with Huckaby’s 5-year-old daughter. Sandra went missing on March 27. Farmworkers found her lifeless body stuffed into a suitcase 10 days later. Huckaby was arrested later that week, and police still insist she acted alone.
A sweeping gag order prevents anyone officially involved from talking to reporters about the case.
Huckaby remains at San Joaquin County Jail. If convicted, she could face the death penalty or life behind bars.
• Contact Tracy Press reporter Jennifer Wadsworth at 830-4225 or jwadsworth@tracypress.com.
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The cops do not want to get a confession out of her. It would backfire and she would be set free. She needs to plead not guilty so all the evidence can come out against her so it is absolute proof MH committed this crime, allegedly.
I don't think all the hate and anger is what the family wants right now so that is why I seem like I haven't picked sides. I was also involved in dispersal of Sandra Cantu's memorial and I was very saddened by holding all the love that was poured out all over that memorial, so was my partner. It really took a toll on us to realize how many thousands of people left articles, flowers, barbie dolls for Sandra to play with in heaven(this was particularly hard)because the little children were dealing with her loss to.
Those of you that want to be really really angry because of what you have read in the paper may want to do something for Sandra rather then continue to be angry. I have done that already and given to the CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION CENTER. It helped our grieving process to know we could help other children.
Thank you ConcernedNeighbor, I will check that one out too.
She is guilty (of something), no doubt.
Tortured teen testimony released
by Jennifer Wadsworth/ TP staff
perhaps she gave her TOO much of the drug this time and Sandra died from the overdose and MH tried to make it look like a man did it by commiting the rape. WHO KNOWS but anyone who swallows razor blades is capable of killing! Who does that to try and kill themselves! Hanging themselves, slitting their rists, shooting themselves but to swallow razor blades? She is able to do that to HERSELF imagine what she did to that poor little girl!
CN, It sounds like the classic Power trip, MH had all the power if indeed she did this. I will try my best not to become to angry, with these two very major trials coming up, after reading about what may have happened to Kyle.
I have already taken sides and I would not make a good juror in either of these cases.
Santelgk said-She is guilty, guilty, guilty and we all know it. She is a sikc lady who needs to be taken out of our children's reach.
No we all do not
Well, mabenotdumbBcommenT, she did admit it was her suitcase and that she was with the child when she died. So, does this not tell us she is guilty as sin? Her claim is that she killed her accidentally. An
Accident? I don't think so.
Right now we have so many insane homeless people living under bridges, in underground utility tunnels...
It would be insane of the jury not to feel something for the death of Sandra. Who defends Sandra?
I don't think she was alone, look to her family, her grandparents.. they also have spotty reputations? Blinkoncrime did pretty good job covering the family background. Oddball family, if I must describe them.
I don't see her dad showing much remorse for what his daughter had done... that is odd.
I think MH is guilty/acted alone (regardless of seedy characters in the park), mostly because the cops have always said this (they'd know why). MH is very weird, has a long history of mental issues (back to grade school) and I can't see her getting involved with someone else to do this - she was alone with all her other misdeeds (cutting herself, stealing, drugging others), and this crime seems extremely "personal" for MH (still thinking she'd been suppressing some major issue from early in her life and it escalated into Sandra's death).
"police still insist she acted alone."
Sorry, TPD, I don't think she was alone in this crime. She could be one of those people who made a "mistake" of being caught.
Remember those four horrible characters almost got away with it if they succeeded in getting rid of Kyle's body. Poor Kyle, having to listen to them plan on killing him, did Sandra hear the same thing from MH before her demise? I pray not!
No we all do not
There was a dozen law enforcement agencies involved...OJ Simpons case did not have that many people involved...HENCE there is no Mark Furhman involved to set this woman up.
Normally one police officer can lie and put an innocent person in prison. Not an army of law agencies can scheme such injustice for the victim.
MH is psychotic but she must have feeling when she cries. Maybe evil feelings but she knows when she is on the hot plate. Only the devil wants this type of attention!
If you need to always catch a criminal red handed, then the prisons would be empty. If we knew exactly what she did, I think we would of had a public hanging. Good thing there will be a trial and jury to satisfy the public justice system.
I would pray and wish no one does or would do such things and all people are innocent. But I have to have my eyes and ears open...see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil!