Six students seek plea deals in Stanford vandalism case

Six of the 11 Stanford University students who broke into the university president’s office last year to protest the war in Gaza intend to take plea deals, one of the students said Monday as the group’s felony vandalism trial kicked off in San Jose.

Three students accepted misdemeanor plea deals, another three accepted alternative paths that may include community service rather than jail time, and the remaining five will proceed to trial by jury, said Kaiden Wang, a student who is being prosecuted. 

“We made these decisions together, and we are in solidarity with one another,” he said outside of the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice in San Jose on Monday morning. “We have nothing but respect for those who have decided to continue to fight against this unjust prosecution at trial.”

While the six students are seeking to avoid felony convictions, the District Attorney’s Office indicated Monday that the plea deals are not set in stone. 

“It would be premature and unethical for us to say any defendants intend to plead,” District Attorney spokesperson Sean Webby wrote in a message to this publication. “We look forward to presenting this case to a jury.”

The District Attorney’s Office filed the original complaint in April and the trial has been slowly moving through the court system, with multiple delays and two arraignments. The DA secured an indictment from a grand jury on Sept. 29, skipping over a scheduled preliminary hearing that would’ve given the defense an opportunity to question the evidence and witnesses in the case, including protester John Thomas Richardson, who began working with the prosecution. 

Attorneys for defense said they were shocked by the sudden indictment and contended that the felony charges that could result in jail time are “extreme.” They are an attempt to make an example out of the student-protestors, said another defense attorney Emily Rose Johns.

“I think that they’re scared to be held accountable for these outrageous allegations and overcharging of this case,” Defense attorney Jeff Wozniak said in a previous interview. 

According to the District Attorney’s Office, Richardson, Cameron Michael Pennington, German Gonzalez, Wang, Amy Jing Zhai, Eliana Lindsay Fuchs, Gretchen Rose Giumarin, Hunter Taylor-Black, Isabella Terrazas, Maya Burke, Taylor McCann and Zoe Georgia Edelman entered the president’s office building on the morning of June 5, 2024. 

One person entered by breaking a window, then opened doors to let the remaining group members inside, according to police investigation records. The group then allegedly spilled fake blood made from corn syrup, ransacked office drawers and barricaded themselves inside the building. 

The institution originally estimated $700,000 in repairs, but a more detailed investigation revealed that $300,000 in damage could be attributed to the protesters, Baker wrote. 

According to a statement from Richardson, there was no clear plan for vandalism and conversations encouraged minimizing damage, which is corroborated by police reports.

The action, which the defense believes was political rather than criminal, came after students and faculty organized various peaceful campus protests since October 2023, demanding the university engage in conversations with students and divest from companies that supply military support to Israel, according to court documents. But activists said that their efforts were met with minimal engagement. 

Only two 2024 cases related to pro-Palestine protests at Stanford University have resulted in criminal charges, according to court documents filed by the District Attorney.  

“The current case, involving thousands of dollars in damage to private property and disrupted Stanford University operations, is one of them,” the documents read. 

Despite the ongoing felony trial, students asked the public not to divert their attention from the war and continual crisis in Gaza. 

“The reality is that Palestine continues to face a genocide, the worst crisis, some of the worst conditions that human beings have ever faced, complete militarized, mechanized obliteration,” Gonzalez said on Monday. “It’s horrible, and most of our universities are invested in it.”

Nearly a hundred people showed up to support the students, filling out the San Jose courtroom well before the trial started, and gathering outside of the court after the trial was paused. Many attendees, who held signs that read phrases like “Free Gaza” and “Drop the charges,” have attended every court update since the original complaint was filed. 

“[The District Attorney’s Office] likes to diminish and demean and make small what these courageous people did that day,” Defense attorney Leah Gillis said to the crowd. “So please continue to be a part of the voice. We thank you so much for being here.”

The trial will continue on Nov. 24 and may continue for approximately four weeks, Gillis said. 

Editor’s Note: The photo caption in this story was modified to be more specific about the charges the students are facing.

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