Grand jury indicts Melissa Huckaby in killing of Sandra Cantu/ Melissa Huckaby’s attorney to ask judge to dismiss indictment/ Melissa Huckaby tries to harm herself in jail

July 21, 2009 6:00 AM

STOCKTON - A secret grand jury began meeting Monday to hear evidence in the case of Tracy's Melissa Huckaby, the Sunday school teacher accused in the kidnapping, rape and murder of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu.

The hearing is scheduled to last two weeks.

In the end, the grand jury will decide if Huckaby, 28, should stand trial on the charges in open court.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Grand jury indicts Melissa Huckaby in killing of Sandra Cantu
By Sophia Kazmi
Contra Costa Times
Posted: 08/17/2009 04:07:55 PM PDT


STOCKTON — A San Joaquin County grand jury has returned a five-count indictment against Melissa Huckaby, accused of kidnapping, raping and killing 8-year-old Sandra Cantu, of Tracy.

The indictment, which will send the case to trial, was handed down July 31 but read in court for the first time Monday afternoon. Huckaby, in shackles and with several fresh scratches on her forehead, appeared with her attorney.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Huckaby also appeared to have two cuts above her right eye, but it was not immediately clear how those injuries occurred.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]


[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

this is big news!!! she is going to trial!!!!

BJ in OR wrote:Huckaby also appeared to have two cuts above her right eye, but it was not immediately clear how those injuries occurred.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]


[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

That is really me standing behind her , pushing her head into the brick wall, over and over. I hope this bit@h goes down, forever!

shes a freak.

she only cares about herself at this point.

to hell with her.

STOCKTON — Melissa Huckaby acted strangely and apparently tried to harm herself in the days leading up to her last court appearance, San Joaquin County Court records show.

The 28-year-old Tracy woman is accused of kidnapping, killing and raping Sandra Cantu, her 8-year-old neighbor, and drugging two other people in cases unrelated to Sandra's. Huckaby, whose 5-year-old daughter was Sandra's playmate, is being held without bail at the San Joaquin County Jail.

Jail records in Huckaby's court file said that two days before her most recent court hearing on Aug. 17, Huckaby was found hiding behind the mattress in her cell with a blanket tied around her neck. She was taken to the safety cell, the records said, and later that day she refused to eat dinner.

On Aug. 12, a deputy reported seeing Huckaby sitting next to her bed with a trash can. When asked what was wrong Huckaby replied, "I took pills."

She was taken by ambulance for treatment. That incident took place about an hour and half after she was found lying on the floor in her cell. She told the deputy that she had felt dizzy and passed out. Huckaby was checked by a nurse, and psychiatric staff was called to the scene.

Huckaby had two unexplained scratches on her forehead when she showed up Aug. 17 to hear the five-count indictment against her. Deputy District Attorney Thomas Testa asked the judge during that hearing to order Huckaby to attend all her court hearings.

Huckaby had reportedly tried to hurt herself before. According to court documents filed by her ex-husband seeking the custody of their daughter, Huckaby tried to commit suicide by swallowing three razor blades shortly after Sandra's body was found April 6. The Tracy second-grader was last seen March 27 and her body was found 10 days later in a suitcase in a pond not far from the mobile home park where Huckaby and Sandra lived.

Tracy police arrested Huckaby on April 10 in connection with the girl's death. Before her arrest, Huckaby told a Tracy newspaper that she owned a similar suitcase to the one that Sandra was found in, but it had disappeared March 27, the day Sandra went missing.

On July 31, after more than 70 people testified in secret proceedings, a San Joaquin County grand jury indicted Huckaby on murder with three enhancements: kidnapping, lewd and lascivious acts on child under 14, and rape by instrument. It also issued a second count of a sex crime with a child 10 years or younger.

The grand jury also indicted her on unrelated cases with a count of a child endangerment and furnishing a harmful substance to a 7-year-old girl and an additional count of furnishing a harmful substance to Daniel Plowman, 37, of Hayward.

The indictments were nearly identical to the charges the D.A.'s Office filed against her. The indictment supersedes the D.A.'s charges and the case may be set for trial after Huckaby enters a plea.

Huckaby is scheduled to return to court Sept. 10 in Stockton to enter a plea. A public defender has been assigned to her case, but a gag order prevents parties from speaking to the media.

The District Attorney's Office will decide whether to pursue the death penalty on the case in the next month or two, Testa said at Huckaby's last hearing.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

ok huckaby is starting to make me create this opinion that i never had before.

i'll say specifically, huckabys actions of swallowing razor blades was a completely selfish act. It was her way of trying to escape and not answer to what she had done. i DO not feel sorry for her. i will not allow her to make herself into a martyr. hurting or trying to kill herself is NOT justice. justice is when she publicly apoligizes to sandras family, and answers for what she does by spending her life in prison or spending her life contributing to some kind of postive cause to make up for what she did, although i really dont know what could possibly make up for it.

Juanita wrote:ok huckaby is starting to make me create this opinion that i never had before.

i'll say specifically, huckabys actions of swallowing razor blades was a completely selfish act. It was her way of trying to escape and not answer to what she had done. i DO not feel sorry for her. i will not allow her to make herself into a martyr. hurting or trying to kill herself is NOT justice. justice is when she publicly apoligizes to sandras family, and answers for what she does by spending her life in prison or spending her life contributing to some kind of postive cause to make up for what she did, although i really dont know what could possibly make up for it.

I completely agree with your opinion about this Juanita. AND I don't feel sorry for her either. Self inflicted punishment... nope not getting out of it that easily! I know it's going to be hard to apply an insanity plea, because she disposed of the body. But man... what a craaazzy bitch!

i also want to add, this is not to say that everyone who harms themself is a bad person ok.. some people have troubles, and they need help,this isnt about that. yes at some point melissa needed help however she got screwed up i dont know, but she made her own choices. she wasnt about harming herself as she was about harming others.

The Tracy woman accused of killing 8-year-old Sandra Cantu is expected to return to court today, where her attorney is expected to update the judge on his progress preparing her defense.
The Stockton Record is reporting that Sam Behar, the public defender appointed to represent Melissa Huckaby, is expected to ask the judge to throw out the indictment against her, and has filed court papers criticizing Tracy police investigators who arrested Huckaby.
Behar has also enlisted the help of veteran death penalty attorney Michael Burt, of San Francisco, in the case, the Record reported. Burt has been involved in the defense cases of Lyle Menendez, Charles Ng and Cary Stayner, among others, the newspaper said.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Huckaby judge seals documents

The public won't get even a glimpse into the arguments that Melissa Huckaby's attorneys make to undercut the case against her on charges she kidnapped, raped and murdered 8-year-old Sandra Cantu.

San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Linda Lofthus in a Friday hearing ordered pretrial motions that Huckaby's defense team has filed to be sealed. Lofthus said she wanted to protect the trial's integrity. Lofthus also officially stated her reason for sealing more than 1,000 pages of the grand jury transcripts that resulted with Huckaby's indictment. The charges make Huckaby eligible for a death sentence.

“I do not take that decision lightly,” Lofthus said, adding that she has to balance the public's right to know details of the case with Huckaby's right to a fair trial and the privacy rights of Sandra's family.

Read Saturday's Record for more on this story by staff writer Scott Smith

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]