Man charged with attempted murder in stabbing of Burlingame hospital employee
BURLINGAME – A 53-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder for the unprovoked stabbing of a hospital employee in Burlingame earlier this week, San Mateo County prosecutors said Friday.
Joseph Alvillar Jr., a transient with a history of mental illness, is accused of the stabbing at Sutter Health's Mills-Peninsula Medical Center around 7 p.m. Wednesday, according to the county District Attorney's Office.
Alvillar allegedly entered the hospital's emergency room and sat down. Witnesses noticed he was acting strangely and talking to himself, saying he was looking for a man dressed in white, prosecutors said.
A hospital employee who had just put on a white surgical gown then approached Alvillar and asked if he could help him and Alvillar allegedly then pulled out a pocket knife and stabbed the victim nine times, prosecutors said.
The victim was in stable condition following the stabbing and Alvillar was arrested at the hospital. He entered a not guilty plea at his arraignment Tuesday and was assigned an attorney from the county's Private Defender Program to represent him. He remains in custody on no bail status and will return to court on Feb. 23 for his preliminary hearing, according to the District Attorney's Office.