Murder charges were quickly dropped in the State Street stabbing case from Fiesta weekend. Only a month passed between the original charges’ filing and their dismissal, as new video evidence arose in the time between, according to the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s Office.
It was a surprising development in what has proved to be a complex case. It started on State Street’s 500 block in the early hours of August 1 with a fight that left multiple victims with stab wounds and killed 30-year-old Anthony Bisquera Hartley. While rumors circulate about what prompted the fight, concrete details have not been made public.
The three men arrested and charged in connection with the incident had their charges amended last week and underwent a new arraignment this Monday in Judge Stephen Foley’s courtroom. In terms of the remaining charges, all three entered pleas of not guilty and denied all allegations. Family and friends of Bisquera Hartley and the defendants attended the hearing, which was overall quiet and slow, like any other day in court.
Originally, the DA filed charges based on the initial finding that Bisquera Hartley, who lost his life in the incident, was unarmed and fatally stabbed by Sergio Rivas, 30, and Juan Fernando Rios, 28…