Quick Take
A Santa Cruz County Superior Court judge scheduled a November trial date for Leif Ames, who faces murder charges in the killing of his friend Hubert Cross in Live Oak in 2020. The trial has been delayed on at least eight occasions.
Following years of delays, Leif Ames is scheduled to go on trial in November on charges that he killed his best friend, Hubert Cross, in Live Oak in March 2020.
The jury trial is scheduled for Nov. 2, with a hearing to confirm the date on Oct. 21 in Santa Cruz County Superior Court.
Over the years, Ames changed defense attorneys, who sometimes requested delays, and his current attorney, Jamyrson Pittori, took on other jury trials. As a result, the court has on at least eight occasions moved trial dates further down the calendar. Ames has been out on bail since May 2022.
Pittori wasn’t present at a Thursday morning hearing to set the trial, but attorney Marsanne Weese appeared virtually and said Pittori will be done with her current trial in the first week of September. Weese and prosecutors agreed to the October and November dates.
Throughout the years, Cross’ family, including his wife, Otilia, and sister Rachel, have urged the court to follow through with a trial. In addition to seeking a conclusion to the case, Otilia Cross has other reasons for wanting a trial. Previously, she told Lookout that she and Hubert were married for 10 years and had two children together, and “yet I know so little about how he died. … I’ve asked for details about his death, but I’ve been told I’ll learn more at the time of trial.”
According to court records, on March 21, 2020, Cross went to Ames’ home in Live Oak to do a welfare check at the request of Ames’ brother. When he got there, Ames was on the phone with his brother and Cross went to get a glass of water for Ames, who then grabbed a knife.
Ames stabbed Cross 23 times, court records show. He called the police and told them that he had stabbed his best friend with a knife. A Santa Cruz County sheriff’s deputy who responded said Ames immediately surrendered.
Ames has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
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