Jeremiah Leo Hernandez
A Grover Beach man has been found guilty in the knife attack of another fellow in Pismo Beach back in January, and could face a life sentence for the dastardly deed.
According to a news release, Jeremiah Leo Hernandez, 43, was convicted on July 1 of aggravated mayhem and assault with a knife involving a single victim. Both crimes are violent felonies under California’s “Three Strikes Law,” the D.A.’s Office said.
The jury also found that Hernandez “personally inflicted great bodily injury on the victim during the knife assault. Finally, jurors made additional findings that nine factors in aggravation were true.”
Those additional findings could put Hernandez away for life. “The findings include: the attack was violent and indicates a serious danger to society; Hernandez’s prior convictions are numerous and of increasing seriousness; that he has served a prior prison term; and that he was lying in wait when he attacked his victim,” the D.A. said.
During the trial it was revealed that just after 1 a.m. on Jan. 24, 2022 in the 200 block of Five Cities Dr., in Pismo Beach, Hernandez attacked the victim with a knife, severely slashing his face from the hairline to the lower jaw.
The injury required extensive reconstructive surgery to stitch the man’s face back together again. The D.A. was understandably angered by the vicious attack.
“This vicious and senseless crime,” D.A. Dan Dow said, “will result in the permanent disfigurement of the victim and very well could have ended his life. Individuals committing violent crimes in our community will be met by aggressive prosecution and personal accountability.”
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 28 in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court, before Judge Timothy S. Covello. Hernandez faces a potential sentence of life in prison for his crimes.
The Pismo Beach Police Department and the District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. PBPD Detective Sgt. Anthony Hernandez and the D.A.’s Senior Investigator Michael Hoier were the primary investigators. The case was prosecuted by Deputy D.A. Lindsey Bittner.