MILPITAS, CA — A 32-year-old Milpitas woman has been charged with murder after prosecutors say she used her SUV to intentionally run down and kill her close friend and neighbor in an apartment complex parking lot on Aug. 28, leaving a mother of a young child dead at the scene.
The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office charged Anila Baby with one count of murder in connection with the death of Anjana Hari, 35, also of Milpitas. The criminal complaint alleges Baby acted with “malice aforethought” and includes aggravating allegations that the killing involved “great violence, use of a weapon and planning.” What began as a reported hit-and-run quickly became a homicide investigation after witnesses, physical evidence, and a detailed review of the scene led detectives to conclude the act was deliberate. Baby is being held without bail at the Santa Clara County Main Jail, and the case has drawn widespread attention in the Bay Area’s South Asian community.
Police responded to the Mill Creek Apartments at 440 Dixon Landing Road shortly after noon on Aug. 28 following reports that a blue SUV had struck a pedestrian and fled the scene. Officers arriving at the parking lot found Hari suffering from severe head trauma and bleeding. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Witnesses at the complex told investigators that Hari had approached the SUV — a blue Toyota Highlander — appearing relaxed, smiling, and friendly with the driver. One resident said the interaction gave the impression Hari either knew the driver well or was approaching a rideshare vehicle. According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Milpitas police detectives, a witness observed the SUV stopped in the parking lot as Hari walked toward it, and that when Hari moved in front of the vehicle, “the vehicle suddenly accelerated” and struck her. Milpitas Police Department Capt. Jason Speckenheuer later told reporters that what was initially reported as a hit-and-run was reclassified after further investigation. “It was initially reported as a hit-and-run,” Speckenheuer said, “but after further investigation and elements, it appeared that it was an intentional act on her part.”
After striking Hari, Baby’s SUV continued moving forward, crashing into three parked vehicles before leaving the apartment complex at speed, according to court documents. Another resident told police they recognized Baby as she drove out of the lot and had to move out of the way of the accelerating vehicle. Within minutes of those initial calls, officers responding to the scene spotted a blue Toyota SUV driving recklessly past patrol cars. The vehicle abruptly pulled into a Walgreens parking lot on North Milpitas Boulevard, roughly one mile from Mill Creek Apartments. When detectives approached, they found Baby still inside the vehicle. The SUV had sustained heavy front-end damage. Court documents state Baby appeared incoherent, was unable to answer questions, and had visible injuries and blood on her arms and legs. The source of those injuries has not been officially explained by investigators. “We don’t know the motive at this time,” Speckenheuer said. Baby was placed under arrest, and the investigation expanded from there.
A traffic investigator who reviewed the parking lot scene found no tire friction marks or skid marks of any kind near the point of impact, according to the affidavit. The absence of braking evidence led investigators to formally conclude that Baby made no attempt to stop before striking Hari, reinforcing the determination that the collision was intentional rather than accidental. Detectives spoke with friends and family members of both women, who confirmed that Baby and Hari were close friends who lived in the same apartment complex. A separate and potentially connected incident has drawn attention from local media: on the same afternoon, Aug. 28, San Jose police responded to a home on Linda Vista Street around 1:53 p.m., where a 40-year-old woman named Ann Mary Mathew was found dead from at least one stab wound. Mathew had previously lived at Mill Creek Apartments and was known as a close friend of both Hari and Baby. According to reporting by SFist and The Federal, an Indian news outlet, authorities suspect Baby may have been involved in Mathew’s death as well, though Milpitas and San Jose police have not officially linked the two homicides, and Baby has only been charged in connection with Hari’s death. All three women were reportedly from Kerala, a state in southern India, and part of the same close-knit social circle.
Hari moved to the United States in 2021 and is survived by her husband, Vijeesh, and their 6-year-old daughter. Friends and community members have launched a GoFundMe campaign to help the family cover funeral costs and living expenses. Indian government officials have also taken notice: Union Minister Suresh Gopi said he contacted the Indian Consulate General in San Francisco regarding the repatriation of the women’s remains to Kerala. He said the consulate informed him that funeral homes handling the remains had been directed to complete the necessary documentation for the transfer, though the timeline remained uncertain because U.S. authorities may retain the remains for the ongoing investigation. Police activity was still visible at Mill Creek Apartments nearly a week after the incident, according to ABC7, and neighbors told the station off camera that the event had been difficult to process. The Milpitas Police Department has said the investigation remains active and is asking anyone with information to contact the department, noting that anonymous tips are also accepted.
Baby was initially scheduled for arraignment on Sept. 2 in Santa Clara County Superior Court, but that hearing was continued. She is next scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 10. The criminal complaint filed by the district attorney’s office charges her with a single count of murder and includes special allegations tied to the manner of the killing — specifically that it involved planning and sophistication, great violence, and the use of a vehicle as a weapon. Those allegations, if proven, can affect sentencing under California law. No bail has been set. Investigators have not publicly disclosed a motive for the alleged attack. Friends and relatives of both women told police they were unaware of any tension between Hari and Baby, describing them as genuinely close. Indian news outlets have separately reported that Baby had been struggling after a recent job loss and was described by people who knew her as “mentally unwell” in the period leading up to the incident, though no official psychiatric findings have been released and investigators have not cited that as a factor in the case.
As of this report, Anila Baby remains held without bail at the Santa Clara County Main Jail ahead of her Sept. 10 court appearance. Investigators in both Milpitas and San Jose have not confirmed whether the two Aug. 28 deaths are formally connected, and the question of motive in Hari’s killing remains officially unanswered. The Milpitas Police Department continues to seek tips from the public as the homicide investigation proceeds.
