Santa Barbara County District Attorney John Savrnoch announced today that 24-year-old Elvis Alberto Lopez of Santa Barbara has been charged with the murder of 3-year-old Jane Doe. The Defendant is charged in Count 1 with Murder, in violation of Penal Code section 187, and in Count 2 with Assault on a Child Causing Death, in violation of Penal Code section 273ab(a), for an incident that occurred on or about February 4, 2023. In Count 3 the Defendant is charged with child abuse, in violation of Penal Code section 273(d), for an incident that occurred on or about February 2, 2023, and in Counts 4 through 6, the Defendant is charged with three separate incidents of child abuse that allegedly occurred between September 1, 2022, and February 1, 2023. The Defendant is also charged with having been previously convicted of a serious and violent felony, or “strike” offense.
The Defendant was arraigned today, February 15, 2023, before the Honorable Judge Raimondo Montes de Oca. The Defendant entered pleas of not guilty and denied all special allegations. Bail was set at $4,000,000.00. The case is scheduled for a preliminary hearing setting on March 2, 2023, in Department 6 of the Santa Barbara Superior Court and will be assigned to Judge Pauline Maxwell.
