Santa Rosa Man Sentenced to 7 Years Prison for Stabbing Assault of Local Woman

Defendant Jessie James Graham, 41 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced today by the Honorable Bradford Demeo to the maximum term of seven years in prison after a Sonoma County jury found him guilty in May of this year. Following the six day trial the jury found the defendant guilty as charged of committing felony assault with a deadly weapon and causing great bodily injury.

The charge resulted from a stabbing that occurred on November 20, 2018 around 11:30 p.m. outside the Arroyo Point Apartments located at 1090 Jennings in Santa Rosa. During the attack Graham stabbed a female victim, with whom he had no prior relationship, in the back with a knife while she attempted to enter her residence. The victim’s daughters later discovered her bleeding outside her residence. Medical responders transported the victim to a local hospital for treatment of serious injuries.

After the incident, Santa Rosa Police officers recovered surveillance footage from the apartments that showed Graham at the scene wearing a hat with a bandana covering his numerous facial tattoos. A search of Graham’s apartment yielded a knife resembling that used in the stabbing. Extensive review of the surveillance revealed momentary glimpses of Graham’s distinctive leg tattoos that ultimately aided in the identification of Graham.

The Honorable Judge Bradford Demeo called the crime “dangerous and predatory” and a “nightmare situation for the victim,” and called Graham a “risk to others in the community.”

The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Robert M. Rasp, assisted by District Attorney Investigator Ken Pistorio and Victim Advocate Rocio Torres-Murphy. Detective Ryan Cogbill of the Santa Rosa Police Department Violent Crimes Division headed the investigation.