New hearing ordered for woman accused of killing man after sexual assault in Victorville
An appeals court ordered a new bail hearing last week amid the ongoing trial for a Victorville woman charged with murder after fatally stabbing a man who had sexually assaulted her while she was taking a bath last year.
Christina Gloria Correa, 38, was arrested following the Dec. 11, 2023 stabbing death of 63-year-old Charles Malone of Victorville, according to San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department officials and booking records.
Malone was found about 6:25 p.m. suffering from a stab wound in the driver’s seat of a car parked outside of Rite-Aid, 14515 Mojave Drive, sheriff’s officials said at the time. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.
It was later determined that Malone had been stabbed at a home in the 15800 block of Papago Place. The sheriff’s department released no details regarding the circumstances of the stabbing.
But a ruling filed Thursday by a three-judge panel from the 4th Appellate District, in which judges vacated Correa’s previous bail hearing and ordered a new one, revealed insight into the events that took place.
More: Woman suspected of fatally stabbing 63-year-old man in Victorville
Evidence presented during a preliminary hearing showed Correa and Malone had been drinking alcohol prior to the violence, Judge Art McKinster wrote in his findings, which were approved by two fellow judges.
Correa was taking a bath when Malone barged into the bathroom.
“Correa got out of the bathtub and began hitting, kicking, and throwing items at Malone to get him to leave,” McKinster said. “Malone hit Correa in the head, put her on the ground, and began straddling and choking her. He also nibbled on her breast. Correa yelled at Malone to stop.”
Correa’s father then interrupted the attack and began yelling at Malone, according to the ruling. Correa then ran into the kitchen and retrieved a knife.
“When Correa returned from the kitchen, her father was standing between her and Malone, still yelling at Malone to leave,” McKinster wrote. “Correa stabbed the couch and an armchair, and then stabbed Malone once in the chest.”
The woman’s father took Malone outside, at which point he got into a car and drove to the Rite-Aid store where he was later found by deputies, officials said.
Correa ran to a neighbor’s house and called 911, according to the judge.
She was booked into jail on suspicion of murder on Dec. 12, according to county booking records. Bail was set at $1 million.
After the trial court rejected Correa's previous request for lowered bail, the appellate panel ruled Thursday that the trial court had made errors and ordered the court to hold a new bail hearing.
The bail hearing was scheduled Tuesday in the Victorville courthouse, court records show. Correa's trial began last month in the Rancho Cucamonga courthouse.
"We agree with Correa that the trial court did not make the necessary findings," McKinster found. "A remand is necessary because the record does not allow for meaningful review, and we cannot say there was overwhelming evidence to support a conclusion that less restrictive alternatives to detention could not reasonably protect the government’s interests in public or victim safety."
San Bernardino County prosecutors requested that Correa be held without bail, as well as against reducing bail, saying that she had committed "the most serious crime that involves violence to an individual," according to court filings. Prosecutors also argued that Correa had failed to show she could not afford the $1 million bail.
"Addressing the facts of the offense, the prosecutor emphasized that Correa was no longer in danger when she grabbed the knife, yet she continued to yell at Malone, then she stabbed a couch and an armchair, and despite her father being in between them, stabbed Malone in the chest," McKinster wrote. "The prosecutor contended Correa’s deliberate decision in choosing the weapon and unnecessarily stabbing Malone provides clear and convincing evidence there are no less restrictive alternatives available to protect the public."
While the appellate judges found the prior bail hearing to be insufficient and ordered a new one, they expressed no opinion on the outcome the new hearing should reach.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: New bail hearing ordered in alleged murder following sexual assault
