Calaveras County Teen Accused Of Stabbing 8-Year-Old Sister To Death Denied Release
VALLEY SPRINGS (CBS13) — A Calaveras County teen accused of stabbing his 8-year-old sister to death will remain in custody.
Isaiah Fowler, 14, has already spent two birthdays behind bars since he was arrested in the brutal slaying of Leila Fowler. His attorney says Fowler has maintained his innocence since Day 1, saying it was an intruder who actually murdered his sister.
The Fowler Family no longer lives in Valley Springs, but there are still signs that Leila Fowler is not forgotten.
Neighbor Christy Larson remembers Leila's frantic father racing down the road.
"He got out of the car and he had the outline of blood on him, like he held her. And he's screaming, 'Did you see anybody? Did you see anybody?' I'm like, 'No, no , no."
Her brother, the only other person at home at the time was later charged with her murder. The defense argues he maintains an older Hispanic man came into the home and stabbed his sister several times before fleeing. Recently, defense investigators found an unknown male hair on the girl's body.
The news surprised many neighbors who said they were home at the time and didn't see or hear anyone.
"My dog would go crazy," Larson said. "Not even a cat could go by without my dog going crazy."
But other neighbors say it would be easy for someone to hide in the summer's tall grass and sneak back to the highway.
"He's a 12 year-old boy and he didn't have any blood on him. How can he hide something good enough that the FBI can't find?" Jennifer Bradshaw said.
The defense requested his release to his parents' custody while awaiting trial in May, but the judge denied that request on Friday, citing a lack of new evidence.
The prosecution said the boy had inconsistent descriptions of the suspect and his sister's blood was found on his T-shirt in the hamper.
The defense says it was not significant, as there was "blood on a lot of things in the house."
But the judge ruled there's enough evidence to keep him another two months behind bars until trial.