The uncle of a man on trial for allegedly stabbing two women with a screwdriver was reprimanded Tuesday for allegedly speaking to and trying to sway jurors in the case.
Roberto Maciel Navarro was called before Judge Johnetta Anderson for allegedly speaking to at least two jurors hearing trial against his nephew, Erick Maciel.
Speaking through a translator, Navarro claimed he had “just been talking about jail… somebody in jail” with the jurors, and that he “didn’t know they were jurors” in his nephew’s case.
Anderson ordered Navarro not to speak with jurors again, and threatened to hold Navarro in contempt of court if he continued to do so.
Navarro agreed not to come back to court. Deputy District Attorney Gypsy Yeager asked that Navarro’s conversations with jurors to be noted on the trial record, and Anderson granted the request.
Maciel, 33, is charged with attempted murder, torture, aggravated mayhem, domestic violence and assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly attacking the women, identified only as Jane and Mary Doe in court documents, on March 4, 2017. Maciel allegedly stabbed both women several times in the face and neck with multiple screwdrivers at a home in the 81500 block of Santa Barbara Court.
Indio police responded at 12:26 p.m. that day to the home, where the victims were found and taken to a hospital.
Maciel allegedly barricaded himself inside the home after the women were removed from the scene, leading officers to establish a perimeter around the residence out of fear that Maciel might be armed with a shotgun, Indio Sgt. Daniel Marshall said. The standoff ended peacefully about 3 p.m., with Maciel surrendering.
Also in court Tuesday, Anderson granted a request by Maciel’s attorney, Shaun Sullivan, to suppress evidence found on Maciel’s phone. Sullivan claimed evidence about Google searches using keywords “murder,” “girlfriend” and “steroids” should not be presented to the jury, because the information was outside the narrow scope of an original search warrant that only covered the hours between 11 a.m. and 7:25 p.m. on March 4, 2017.