Preliminary Examination of 2011 Stabbing Death to Begin Monday

Evidence that will be considered when determining whether a Newark man should stand trial for the murder of his girlfriend could be introduced in court as early as this afternoon.

The preliminary examination for Jason Otis Monroe, 33, begins at 2 p.m. at the Fremont Hall of Justice.

Monroe, who was arrested April 2011, is facing one count of murder for the stabbing . He to that charge on Nov. 4.

There have been no preliminary testimonies yet, and Monroe’s first pre-trial hearing on Jan. 20 was delayed after his attorney Deputy Public Defender Sam Yun confirmed that at that time. John George is a psychiatric hospital associated with Alameda County Medical Center.

Neither Yun nor Deputy District Attorney Lindsay Walsh have commented on the state of Monroe’s medical condition but Monroe mentioned in one of his early court hearings that .

Monroe was arrested April 27 after police responded the 36600 block of Cherry Street and found Monroe covered in blood and Contillo inside of the home.

Relatives said the pair lived inside the one-story home on Cherry Street with their two children and Monroe’s mother at the time of the murder.

Other court appearances are as follows (chronological order):

• April 29, 2011: Monroe appeared in court for an arraignment, but it was pushed to May 2.
• May 2, 2011: Judge Dennis McLaughlin ordered a mental evaluation after Monroe stated he had been taking a variety of antipsychotic drugs. It was also learned that Contillo had a restraining order against him at the time of her murder.
• May 4, 2011: Monroe appeared in court with Public Defender Kristen McCannon and after making dramatic statements in which he claimed his children were “caught in the middle of something horrific.”
• May 6, 2011: Monroe himself and McLaughlin accepted Monroe’s request to be represented by a public defender.
• May 18, 2011: Monroe , and a plea was scheduled for June.
• June 24, 2011: Monroe’s
• Sept. 1, 2011: Monroe’s
• Nov. 24, 2011:Monroe to one count of murder.
• Jan. 20, 2012: Monroe’s and states that Monroe is at John George.
• Feb. 17, 2012: Monroe’s and scheduled for March 15 and his preliminary examination is set for May 21-24.
• March 15, 2012: Monroe’s is continued to May.