Anila Baby, 32, has been charged with murder after allegedly running down her friend with an SUV in a Milpitas apartment complex parking lot, with a second close friend found stabbed to death less than two hours later in a case that has stunned the Bay Area’s Malayalee community.
Baby remains held without bail at the Santa Clara County Jail following the death of 35-year-old Anjana Hari, who was struck by Baby’s blue Toyota Highlander around noon last Friday at the Mill Creek Apartments, according to a criminal complaint and police affidavit.
A witness told investigators that Hari had approached the vehicle carrying a bag and appeared relaxed, smiling and friendly, with no apparent fight or confrontation beforehand. The SUV then allegedly surged forward suddenly, striking Hari before Baby kept driving, smashing into three parked vehicles and fleeing the complex.
Hari suffered severe head injuries and was pronounced dead at approximately 12:12 p.m. Police initially treated the case as a hit-and-run before evidence pointed to a deliberate act.
“This is a very unsettling incident for the city of Milpitas,” Milpitas Police Department Capt. Jason Speckenheuer told KTVU. “It was initially reported as a hit-and-run, but after further investigation and elements, it appeared that it was an intentional act on her part.”
Officers located Baby roughly a mile away in a Walgreens parking lot. Detective Tailor Goods noted in a court report that “she appeared incoherent and was unable to answer questions. She had visible injuries in her hand and legs.”
The case took another devastating turn at 1:53 p.m., when San Jose police responded to a residence on the 700 block of Linda Vista Street. Inside, they discovered 40-year-old Ann Mary Mathew with at least one stab wound. Her death was ruled a homicide.
Mathew and Hari were reportedly close friends of Baby, deepening the mystery surrounding the two deaths. The killings occurred at separate locations, and contrary to earlier reports, the three women did not all reside in the same Milpitas complex.
Allegations have surfaced that Baby was responsible for both deaths, though police have not publicly confirmed that connection in available material. Investigators have reportedly found forensic evidence, but authorities have not disclosed what it shows.
Friends and community members have pushed back against speculation that job loss or depression motivated the killings, saying they knew of no tensions between the women.
The shocking sequence has left the Bay Area’s tight-knit Malayalee community reeling as they grapple with the loss of two members in rapid succession.
Baby is scheduled to return to court in Santa Clara County.