Two friends dead hours apart: Indian-origin woman from Kerala charged with murder in California
A Kerala woman has been charged with two murders in California after two women known to her died in separate incidents on August 28, according to San José police and prosecutors.
Anila Baby, 32, from Kerala has been charged with two murders in the US. (Photo: San Jose Police Department)
A 32-year-old woman from Kerala has been charged with two counts of murder in California after two acquaintances died in separate incidents on the same day.
Anila Baby, a resident of Milpitas, was identified as a suspect after police found an unconscious and injured woman inside a San José home on August 28. Investigators later determined that the woman, identified as 39-year-old Ann Mathew, had suffered at least one stab wound.
Police said a second woman, 35-year-old Anjana Hari, died earlier that day after being struck by an SUV in a Milpitas apartment complex parking lot. Prosecutors subsequently charged Baby with both deaths.
Mathew, Hari and Baby were reportedly close friends. Relatives and people who knew the women told investigators that the three had attended an Onam celebration and watched a film together the day before the two deaths.
Police respond to San José home
San José police officers went to a home in the 700 block of Linda Vista Street at about 1:53 p.m. on August 28 following a report of suspicious circumstances.
Officers found Mathew unconscious and unresponsive inside the residence. Medical personnel pronounced her dead at the scene.
The police department said its Homicide Unit, along with the Santa Clara County Crime Lab and Medical Examiner’s Office, investigated the death. Evidence collected at the scene indicated that Mathew had suffered at least one stab wound.
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“Preliminary information revealed the victim and suspect were known to each other,” the San José Police Department said in its September 10 update.
Investigators identified Baby as a suspect.
Second death investigated in Milpitas
Earlier the same day, Hari was fatally struck by a blue Toyota Highlander at the Mill Creek Apartments in Milpitas, according to court documents cited in local media reports.
The vehicle reportedly hit several parked cars before leaving the area. Hari suffered fatal injuries.
Witnesses told investigators that Hari appeared to know the driver and approached the SUV without an apparent confrontation. Investigators reportedly found no tire marks suggesting that the vehicle had attempted to stop before hitting her.
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Baby and Hari both lived at the apartment complex, and people who knew them told investigators they were friends.
Baby arrested in Milpitas
Milpitas police located Baby later on August 28 near a Walgreens store, according to police records cited in reports.
She was arrested and booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on a separate matter. San José police continued investigating Mathew’s death and later connected Baby to the homicide investigation.
The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office reviewed the San José police investigation on September 8 and charged Baby with murder.
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Friends had gathered for Onam
Relatives and friends told investigators that Mathew, Hari and Baby had attended an Onam celebration and watched a movie together the day before the deaths.
Mathew was originally from Thiruvananthapuram, while Hari was from Thrissur. Baby is originally from Kottayam, according to reports.
Police have not publicly disclosed a motive. The circumstances surrounding the two deaths remain under investigation.
The San José Police Department said the killing of Mathew marked the city’s 17th homicide of 2026.
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Anila Baby, 32, from Kerala has been charged with two murders in the US. (Photo: San Jose Police Department) 
