VENTURA : Trial Set in Stabbing of Veterinarian
A Dec. 19 trial date was set Thursday for a Ventura woman accused of attempting to kill her ex-fiance by stabbing him 22 times.
Jeanette Smith, 32, pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted murder at her Superior Court arraignment, and to charges that she inflicted great bodily injury on Ventura veterinarian Jeffrey K. Saur and battered the motorist who stopped the attack.
She remains in custody with bail set at $250,000.
At a preliminary hearing last month, Saur testified that Smith began stabbing him after he got out of his car when she suddenly kissed him and blocked his view of the road.
After stabbing Saur once, Smith cut herself and then resumed her attack on the 41-year-old veterinarian, stabbing him 21 more times before a passing motorist pulled over and stopped the attack.
At the preliminary hearing, Smith’s attorney argued unsuccessfully to have the attempted-murder charge reduced to assault with a deadly weapon. Deputy Public Defender Donna Forry said Smith was suicidal at the time of the attack and was trying to win Saur back, not kill him.
An allegation that the attempted murder was premeditated was dismissed at the preliminary hearing, and prosecutors chose not to refile it when the case went to Superior Court.
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