High School Student Charged with Attempted Murder

Cora Vides, an 18-year-old senior at Santa Barbara’s Laguna Blanca School, has been charged with attempted murder after police say she viciously stabbed a fellow student last Saturday evening. 

The attack reportedly took place at Vides’s family home on the Mesa while her parents were inside the house. Authorities have released few details about the case, other than to say it was an “isolated incident.”

The female victim sustained severe injuries to her throat and neck but is expected to survive. She has been transferred to a Los Angeles–area hospital for continued medical care. 

Vides was booked in County Jail, where she is being held on $1 million bail. She pled not guilty to the attempted murder charge during her arraignment Wednesday morning and is due back in court March 8. The charging documents described the stabbing as “willful, deliberate, and premeditated.”

The private K-12 school is grappling with the shock and brutality of the crime. Questions abound as Vides had reportedly not exhibited any warning signs. Court records reveal no previous arrests. 

Crisis counselors were dispatched to the campus Tuesday, the day after the President’s Day holiday, as instruction was temporarily suspended.

In a press statement, school officials said their “hearts and thoughts” are with both families and that all possible resources will be made available to “provide the support and care needed for our community to process this difficult information.”

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