For the second time, eleven people accused of vandalizing Stanford University’s executive offices during a June protest were arraigned Monday in San Jose after a Santa Clara County grand jury indicted them on felony vandalism and conspiracy charges.
Judge Elizabeth Peterson set a trial date for Nov. 17. Because prosecutors secured an indictment, the defendants will skip a preliminary hearing — a public court proceeding typically used to determine whether there is enough evidence to move forward to trial.
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The indictment returned last week charges each defendant with one felony count of conspiracy to trespass and vandalism in the June 5, 2024 protest, when demonstrators barricaded themselves inside Stanford’s executive building to demand the university divest from companies tied to Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
Twelve people were initially charged, and first arraigned in a Palo Alto Court last May, but one has since accepted a plea deal.
Most are current or former Stanford students and alumni. Prosecutors say the group caused between $360,000 and $1 million in damage during the takeover — a figure student activists have described as “an exaggeration.”
On Monday, Defense attorney Emily Rose Johns criticized District Attorney Jeff Rosen’s decision to pursue a criminal grand jury, describing it as an attempt to avoid public scrutiny.
“We were not intending to be arraigned on an indictment last week when we went into court,” Johns said. “We were expecting to have a public preliminary hearing that could be attended by members of the press, supporters, and others interested in the case that Stanford and the district attorney have against these activists.”
She said prosecutors “went through this secret process to avoid public accountability.”
Another defense attorney, Jeff Wozniak, echoed that criticism.
“Grand juries are secret proceedings where no defendants or defense attorneys can defend themselves,” Wozniak said. “Using one for a protest case avoids public transparency.”
Eight defendants entered not-guilty pleas and appeared either in person or virtually: Maya Burke, 29; German Gonzalez, 21; Gretchen Guimarin, 24; Taylor McCann, 33; Cameron Pennington, 24; Hunter Taylor-Black, 25; Isabella Terrazas, 24; and Kaiden Wang, 23.
Three others, Amy Zhai, 22, Zoe Edelman, 22, and Eliana Fuchs, 26 ,deferred their pleas until next week, when they are expected to appear in person.
Last month, John Richardson, 21, pleaded no contest under a deferred entry of judgment agreement available to young defendants. If he completes probation without further legal trouble, the case could be dismissed. The indictment shows Richardson was among three witnesses who testified before the grand jury.
In earlier remarks, Rosen said the activists’ actions crossed a line when they broke into and damaged the office.
“Speech is protected by the First Amendment. Vandalism is prosecuted under the penal code,” Rosen said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
