Teen found not responsible in Montgomery High School fatal stabbing

A former Montgomery High School freshman was not responsible for the fatal stabbing death of a fellow student during an altercation in a classroom earlier this year, a juvenile court judge ruled Monday.

Judge Ken Gnoss issued his ruling just before 2 p.m. amid tight security in Sonoma County Juvenile Court in Santa Rosa, where Daniel Pulido was charged in the March 1 death of 16-year-old junior Jayden Pienta.

Pulido, now 16, was charged by the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office with voluntary manslaughter and having a weapon on campus. He was found not responsible for manslaughter but was found responsible for the weapons charge.

Gnoss issued his ruling before a packed courtroom, where Pulido and Pienta each had about 20 friends, family and supporters in attendance, with several standing for the proceedings and at least one person sitting in another’s lap.

He described the circumstances of the case as “extremely difficult and tragic.”

“This has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make,” Gnoss said.

If he had been convicted as charged, Pulido could have been committed to a secure youth treatment facility for at least three to five years. His maximum confinement time would have been seven years and eight months, according to the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office.

Pulido’s defense attorney, Jonathan Steele, said his client now faces up to two to four years in custody on the weapons charge, but the decision will ultimately be up to Gnoss.

Santa Rosa police said Pienta and another 16-year-old, Juan Cruz, walked into an art class that was not theirs March 1 and started a fight with Pulido, who was accused of using a 4- to 5-inch folding knife to stab Pienta in his chest and back.

A forensic pathologist testified during the 15-day trial that the fatal blow was a chest wound that was 1½ inches deep. She added Pienta suffered two other wounds to his back, including one more than 4 inches deep.

The knife was never recovered. Deputy District Attorney Jason Riehl argued during the trial that Pulido handed it to another student after fleeing the school.

Pienta died from his wounds at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. Cruz also suffered injuries, but his wounds were not considered serious.

Pulido, who was 15 at the time, fled campus before officers arrested him in a wooded area at Farmers Lane and Montgomery Drive.

“It shows that just, in a very short matter of seconds, multiple families can be affected forever and it’s a real chilling and sobering thought,” Steele told The Press Democrat after the judge’s ruling.

One of Pienta’s supporters let out an expletive immediately after Gnoss issued his ruling and others began leaving the courtroom before the judge concluded proceedings.

Michael Henderson, an attorney representing Pienta’s parents in a wrongful death lawsuit against Santa Rosa City Schools, was present but said he would withhold comment until Pulido’s Dec. 14 disposition hearing for the weapon charge.

Pulido’s family stayed for the duration of proceedings before gathering outside the courtroom where they hugged each other and shed tears.

The defendant’s father, Jesus Pulido, told The Press Democrat the family was “very grateful” for Gnoss before deferring to Steele.

Sonoma County District Attorney Carla Rodriguez said she stands by her office’s decision to file charges in the case.

“Criminal trials are the place where we try to determine what happened, a search for the truth. I’m 100% confident that we presented all of the facts and relevant evidence to the judge and I respect the judge’s decision,” Rodriguez said.

The judge’s decision

Proceedings began Nov. 2. The prosecution’s argument focused on the timeline of events from March 1 and whether the classroom attack rose to a level that required a lethal response.

The defense presented testimony indicating Pulido was concerned for his safety, after a Feb. 7 fight with Cruz. He had also suffered a concussion in a South Lake Tahoe sledding crash Feb. 11.

Steele maintained Pulido was concerned about head injuries following the concussion, but Riehl referenced a Feb. 21 locker room fight instigated by the defendant.

That same day, Pienta discovered someone had slashed the tires on his Chevrolet Suburban, which was parked east of campus on Franquette Avenue. He suspected Pulido was responsible but couldn’t do anything about it because Pulido had been suspended for the locker room fight.

A friend warned Pulido via text message that someone may jump him and he responded, “(expletive) it, I’m wit it. Let em try and jump me.”

On Monday, Gnoss reflected on the events leading up to March 1 and ultimately concluded Pienta was the “aggressor” in the fight and, with Cruz, came up with an “orchestrated plan” to attack the defendant.

The judge said injuries from the Feb. 7 fight were exaggerated, but there was no doubt Pulido suffered a concussion and PTSD.

Jesus Pulido testified during the trial he met Feb. 28 with former Montgomery High School Principal Adam Paulson to discuss his family’s concerns. Paulson, who no longer works for Santa Rosa City Schools, testified he could not recall much of their conversation.

Gnoss said Monday that Paulson’s statement was “difficult to believe and troublesome.”

He added that no one had verified Pulido was responsible for the tire slashing — it’s only relevant that Pienta thought he was.

“It really doesn’t matter to the court if he did or didn’t slash the tires,” Gnoss said, also referencing a text conversation where Pienta said he wanted to confront Pulido.

Gnoss said he anticipated his ruling would be “scrutinized” by the public and some in attendance Monday.

He closed by noting Pienta “entered the sanctity of a school classroom where Daniel was told he would be safe.”

Steele said Gnoss “showed courage” in doing the right thing and making a difficult decision.

“It’s a tough job to be a judge, especially to be a judge in Gnoss’ position,” Steele said after the ruling. “But he’s always taken that position very solemnly and with a lot of reflection and thought, and this was just another example of that.”

Moving forward

Rodriguez told The Press Democrat on Monday she’s “very sad” for Pienta’s family.

“The hardest part of our jobs is when we feel like we let down the victims’ family and I hope they know that we worked really hard on this case,” she said. “It’s just hard and it’s just sad.

“I hope that they can find solace and move forward from this.”

Steele said the case brought necessary attention to the school district as it pertains to student safety.

“I hope out of all this that there can be some real positive changes made in the school system and at Montgomery High School in particular. Because certainly this has emphasized and underscored that need,” he said.

In the immediate aftermath of the stabbing, students rallied and held walkouts demanding improvements and a leadership response to improve conditions.

Board members of the Santa Rosa City Schools district, which includes Montgomery High School, have since been inundated with demands for change from students and parents.

Among them were calls for school resource officers to be brought back to campuses after they were discontinued in 2020.

Santa Rosa City Schools officials declined to comment Monday on the judge’s decision.

Most students were unaware of the judge’s verdict as they shuffled out of Montgomery High School on Monday afternoon. Some, who had heard, had a look of surprise.

“I was not expecting that,” said Brayden, a 16-year-old junior whose last name was withheld because of his age. “Once word gets out, it’s not gonna look good.”

He widened his eyes and added, “It’s ridiculous. So many bad things happened that shouldn’t have.”

Another junior, who wished to remain anonymous, remarked to a Press Democrat reporter that the death was a mistake that shouldn’t have happened. They suggested the school could have done more to intervene.

“I’m surprised, but I understand because (Pulido’s) just a freshman up against two older, bigger kids,” the junior said.

Emily, a 15-year-old sophomore whose last name was also withheld because of her age, said she was shocked by the news, though she understood the perspective on either side.

She, too, wished more had been done by students and staff to prevent the fight.

“I understand it was self-defense but it’s not the right way to stop bullying,” she said. “(Pulido) could have gotten help in different ways.”

The weekend after the stabbing, Paulson and Assistant Principal Tyler Ahlborn were placed on leave for unspecified reasons. Only Ahlborn would return to work.

Laurie Fong, who had previously served for 10 years as Montgomery’s principal, resigned from her trustee position on the school board and stepped in as interim principal after Paulson resigned.

Paulson and Ahlborn both are named as defendants in a wrongful death lawsuit Pienta’s family has filed against Santa Rosa City Schools and Montgomery High School in Sonoma County Superior Court.

Pointing to March 1, when Pienta and his friends followed the group including Pulido, the family argues school officials were aware of the bad blood between the two factions.

School officials had passed them on a golf cart and should have known to step in and separate the groups, the family alleges.

The Pienta family also contends he did not receive proper treatment after being stabbed, and a better response may have saved him.

Many of the students felt sorry for both Pulido and Pienta, along with their families. Some placed blame on the school administration for failing to prevent the violence in the first place.

“The school, in general, they talk about how important our safety is and how important we are, but then they go ahead and take away our officer on campus,” Brayden said.

Press Democrat Staff Writer Andrew Graham contributed to this story.

You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @colin_atagi