photo credit: Noah Abrams/KRCB
Students, parents, and community members
gathered on March 6th, 2023 at Montgomery High
in Santa Rosa to express their grievances and
concerns following the stabbing death of student.

A trial is nearing a conclusion this week for a 16-year-old in custody for the March 1 fatal stabbing of a classmate at Santa Rosa's Montgomery High School.

KRCB News has been reporting from the courtroom at the county's juvenile justice center.

On Tuesday, the lead prosecutor alleged the defendant could’ve asked for help from a teacher, brandished his knife, fled the classroom; there were ways to avoid using deadly force during that fateful morning, he said, but ultimately the defendant “didn’t do any of that, he waited for the contact and then he stabbed him.”

Those were just some of the arguments made by Sonoma County's prosecution team over the past several days. Prosecutors are seeking convictions on two counts, one for possessing a knife on a school campus, the other for voluntary manslaughter.

The defense maintains the defendant acted in self-defense that day.

In closing arguments, the lead prosecutor acknowledged the fight inside a Montgomery High art classroom was arguably started by the now-deceased victim, but he said despite arguments about the defendant’s fear for his safety and testimony about concerns over suffering another concussion, his actions demonstrated otherwise.

The prosecutor argued the stabbing was not about reasonable self-defense, but about winning the fight and guarding his reputation.

The small courtroom gallery was filled just beyond seated capacity Tuesday, with supporters of the defendant and the deceased teen evenly distributed. The victim’s mother wiped away occasional tears during the prosecution’s final remarks; the defendant’s family a exhibited a concerned demeanor throughout.

The defense will present closing arguments starting Wednesday morning, followed by a rebuttal from the prosecution. A verdict is expected after the Thanksgiving holiday.