CANOGA PARK : Manslaughter Charge Dismissed
A judge on Friday dismissed a charge of manslaughter against a U.S. Navy medical corpsman accused of handing a loaded pistol to his suicidal wife, who fatally shot herself.
Julius C. Herrara, 30, of Canoga Park had faced up to 11 years in prison on the charge.
The district attorney’s office based its case on the theory that Herrara had been reckless in giving the weapon to his wife, who had tried to commit suicide once before.
Jami Herrera, a 27-year-old sales representative for a sex-video distributor, died July 7 of a single bullet in her stomach.
After a preliminary hearing Friday, Van Nuys Municipal Judge Jessica Perrin Silvers dismissed the manslaughter charge, ruling that the circumstances did not support it.
Prosecutors said no decision had been made on whether to refile the case in Superior Court.
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