Charges dropped in a Salinas case involving siblings in attempted murder case
SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV) -- All charges have been dropped in a case against brother-sister pair Whitney and James Stolich on three felony counts for conspiracy to commit crime, attempted murder and causing injury to an elder adult, according to Monterey County Superior Court.
According to defense lawyer Juliet Peck, a noted food authority from San Francisco, James Stolich, "was the victim of a haphazard investigation by the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department that resulted in his arrest, despite his innocence, of attempting to hasten the death of his terminally ill mother."
Early 2023 the siblings were arrested for the alleged attempted murder of their mother on the 1000 block of Monterey Salinas Highway 68.
"In over 30 years of practice as a defense attorney in Monterey County, this was one of the saddest cases I have ever seen and one of the most incompetent investigations by the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department that I have ever seen," said Peck.
New court documentation was handed to KION reflecting that the case was dropped in 2024 against the Stolichs.
"Fortunately, the Monterey County District Attorney recognized [James'] innocence and finally dismissed the charges against him," said Peck. Peck did not mention Whitney Stolich in her statement.
"James’ mother’s only wish was to die at home without pain, surrounded by her daughter, son, and pets. But, as a result of the Sheriff’s bungling, she was removed from her home and died alone because her children were restrained from being at her bedside in her final hours," said Peck.
Daughter pleads not guilty for attempted murder of mother with pills in Salinas
SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV) Jan. 23, 2023, at 4:34 p.m.- A woman charged with attempting to murder her own mother pled not guilty in court on all charges she faces.
Court documents obtained by KION say that Whitney Stolich, 47, faces three felony accusations from the Monterey County District Attorney's Office. The charges are conspiracy to commit a crime, attempted murder and attempted cause injury to an elder/dependent adult.
On Jan. 19, Stolich attempted to conspire with another person to murder her mother using "crushed up pills with a mallet," according to court documents.
The Monterey County Sheriff's Office also arrested Whitney's brother James Stolich for criminal conspiracy, attempted murder, and elder abuse in this, but the court documents don't name him as the co-conspirator. His name is not on the Monterey County Jail log or the Monterey County Court portal.
When asked about this, the Monterey County District Attorney's Office said this is an ongoing investigation and they cannot comment further.
Court documents also state that Whitney Stolich committed elder abuse "under circumstances and conditions likely to produce great bodily harm and death." They further allege she willfully caused and permitted her 80-year-old dependent mother to suffer.
Whitney Stolich will next be in court on Jan. 26 to see if she can get her bail reduced.
Sister and brother arrested for trying to kill own mother in Salinas
Deputies arrested two siblings for the alleged attempt to murder their own mother on the 1000 block of Monterey Salinas Highway 68 on Jan. 19.
Deputies responded at around 9:30 p.m. for reports of a family disturbance. Investigators on the scene developed probable cause to believe the victim's daughter Whitney Stolich, 47 years old from Topanga, tried to kill her.
She was arrested and booked into Monterey County Jail for attempted murder, said deputies. Deputies then began investigating further into the incident and developed probable cause to believe the victim's son was also involved in the crime, said deputies.
This development was made after a search warrant was given for the residence on the 1000 block of Monterey Salinas Highway 68.
James Stolich, 51, of San Francisco, was arrested for criminal conspiracy, attempted murder and elder abuse. He was also booked into Monterey County Jail, per deputies.
Both their bails were set at $2,000,000.
The Monterey County Sheriff's Office said they are not going to share the age of the mother out of respect for the victim. They will also not release a motive and how she attempted to be murdered so as not to influence a future jury.
