By Demian Bulwa
The San Francisco Chronicle
LOS ANGELES — One of the two men accused of beating a Giants fan nearly to death outside Dodger Stadium told witnesses not to talk to police about what they knew, and both he and his co-defendant have criminal records and had access to guns, prosecutors said Monday in urging a judge to keep them behind bars.
Attorneys for the two countered that their arrests marked the second time Los Angeles police had bungled the case and smeared innocent men.
Louie Sanchez, 29, and Marvin Norwood, 30, who are close friends and neighbors in Rialto San Bernardino County, did not speak during a brief hearing in Los Angeles County Superior Court, their first since being arrested Thursday. Nor did they enter pleas to three felonies - mayhem, assault and battery - in connection with the March 31 beating that left Bryan Stow with a traumatic brain injury.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys, though, sparred over the men’s $500,000 bail amount.
In a written declaration to the court, Deputy District Attorney Gary Hearnsberger said Norwood had a conviction for domestic violence and that a search of his home Thursday had turned up five guns, including a high-powered rifle.
“Both Norwood and Sanchez had access to these weapons,” Hearnsberger wrote.
In addition, the prosecutor said, Sanchez - who has convictions for drunken driving and evading peace officers - “told witnesses not to provide information about the crime.”
In court, Norwood’s attorney, Deputy Alternate Public Defender Lee Rosen, asked for bail to be lowered to $100,000, saying his client landed a full-time carpentry job three months ago, has no prison record and enjoys “lifetime ties” to Southern California.
Judge Shelly Torrealba denied the request, citing “the seriousness of the charges.”
Sanchez’s lawyer, Gilbert Quiñones, asked for a full hearing on bail, which the judge scheduled for Monday. Both men were also ordered to return to court Aug. 10, when they may enter pleas.
Ties to SoCal
Outside court, Quiñones said his client - whose sister is in a long-term relationship with Norwood - shares custody of an 11-year-old son from a past relationship, has a good reputation among friends and neighbors, and holds a steady job supervising the detailing department at an auto auction business.
The attorney said both Sanchez and Norwood were at the Opening Day baseball game, along with Sanchez’s sister and his 11-year-old son, but didn’t attack Stow.
“From what I know,” Quiñones said of Sanchez, “he doesn’t fit the profile of someone who would commit this kind of crime.”
Police have conceded that their first named suspect in the attack, 31-year-old Giovanni Ramirez, did not commit it. Ramirez remains in prison on a parole violation.
Sanchez is also charged with one count of misdemeanor battery stemming from an alleged attack at Dodger Stadium that same night on a woman identified as Kathryn Gillespie. He faces a separate count of misdemeanor assault in connection with a victim identified as “John Doe.”
No family in court
No family members came to the downtown courthouse to see the defendants, their hands shackled at their waists, walk into a holding area behind glass. Sanchez wore a gray T-shirt, Norwood a black one with a gold star.
A few minutes after they entered, both turned away from the court gallery to avoid showing their faces to a sketch artist. Their attorneys asked the judge to order the sketches destroyed so as not to taint future witness identifications, but she refused.
Sanchez faces up to nine years in prison if convicted, and Norwood faces up to eight years.
Authorities said the two men attacked Stow, a 42-year-old paramedic from Santa Cruz, as he walked in his Giants gear toward a taxi stand with friends, knocking him to the ground and beating and kicking him before jumping into a car that was driven by a woman.
Signs of progress
Stow has been hospitalized since the attack. He underwent emergency surgery last week at San Francisco General Hospital after fluid built up in his brain during a seizure.
However, on Friday, the Stow family posted an update on its website saying a nurse practitioner reported that Stow had tried to hold up his thumb or two fingers, then opened and closed his eyes on command. When asked for his last name, he mouthed “Stow,” the family said.
On Monday, the family said that, when Stow does not respond to stimulus, they are reminded of a song by Colin Hay, “Waiting for My Real Life to Begin.”
“Bryan has proved his strength throughout all this,” the family said, “and we know he will continue to amaze us all.”
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