Santa Barbara Woman to Undergo Psychiatric Treatment After Attempted Murder Conviction

In a recent ruling, Cora Vides, a 21-year-old woman from Santa Barbara, has been sentenced to six months in a state psychiatric facility after being found guilty of attempted murder. The conviction stems from an incident where she stabbed a former classmate using a meditation ruse.

During the trial, a Santa Barbara jury determined in August that Vides was guilty of the crime but likely legally insane at the time of the attack. This past week the court mandated an initial six-month psychiatric treatment as an inpatient, where her mental health could be closely monitored and treated.

Details emerged that in the early hours at Vides’ residence, she lured the victim, a former classmate from Laguna Blanca, into her bedroom under the pretense of demonstrating a meditation technique, only to attack her by stabbing her in the neck.

The trial was bifurcated into two segments due to Vides pleading not guilty by reason of insanity. Initially, prosecutors from the District Attorney’s Office, Kevin Weichbrod and Sarah Barkley, were tasked with proving Vides’ deliberate intent to kill. Following the compelling testimonies from the victim, acquaintances, law enforcement, and several psychologists, the jury returned a guilty verdict.

The second phase of the trial focused on Vides’ mental state, where defense attorneys Robert Sanger and Todd Maybrown argued her actions were the result of a dissociative state coupled with major depressive disorder. The jury concurred that Vides was more likely than not legally insane when she committed the attack.

As per the conditions of her sentencing, the medical director of the psychiatric facility must submit bi-annual reports on Vides’ progress to the Santa Barbara Superior Court and the community program director.

These reviews will determine whether Vides should continue treatment within the state system, transfer to another approved facility, or potentially petition for a release upon full restoration of her sanity. Failure to establish restored sanity could see Vides facing additional time in psychiatric care.

The specific state hospital where Vides will serve her sentence has not yet been announced.

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