Battery Case Against Alvarez Dismissed
Granting a request by state prosecutors, Ventura County Judge Steven Hintz dismissed a misdemeanor spousal battery charge Monday against murder suspect David Alvarez.
Alvarez, 22, charged in the slaying of Kali Manley of Oak View, was scheduled to stand trial on a single count of battery for allegedly assaulting his 20-year-old wife last summer.
Brooke Alvarez accused her husband of trying to force her into having sex at her mother’s Ojai home Aug. 14. She said he shoved her face into a bathroom mirror when she refused.
In court Monday, Deputy Atty. Gen. Michael Katz asked the judge to dismiss the battery case. He did not give a reason for the request, but last week a spokesman for the attorney general’s office said prosecutors want to focus on the more serious charges against Alvarez.
The Ojai man was charged March 25 with murder and attempted rape in the December slaying of Manley, 14. A preliminary hearing is set for May 25.
In addition to the murder charge, Alvarez faces an allegation that he killed Manley during or after attempting to force sex with her, making him eligible for the death penalty if convicted.
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