In the trial of an actor accused of stabbing his ex-girlfriend in a jealous rage, a renowned Spanish Flamenco singer and guitarist took the stand Tuesday and described the 2008 attack.
Shelley Malil played a co-worker, Haziz, to comedian Steve Carell's title character in "The 40-Year-Old Virgin." Malil also starred in a Budweiser ad, a spinoff of the "Whassup" spots from 2000.
Malil is accused of stabbing Kendra Beebe 23 times in the backyard of her San Marcos home on August 10, 2008. At the time of the stabbing, Beebe was sitting outside enjoying a glass of wine with David Maldonado, according to court documents.
Prosecutors said Malil came to Beebe's house uninvited, walked up to her with one hand behind his back saying "Kendra, Kendra, Kendra..." It appeared to Maldonado that the pair was hugging when in fact, Malil was stabbing Beebe several times in the chest, prosecutors said.
“I realized it after I tried to pull him off her,” he testified.
Maldonado described Beebe as “panicked and frightened” during the attack but testified during cross examination that he never actually saw Malil stab Beebe.
Maldonado said he grabbed the knife by the blade, twisted it and pulled it away from the defendant. He threw the knife over the fence and ran to his car to call 911. He sustained minor cuts to his finger and palm on his left hand.
In the meantime, Malil went into Beebe's kitchen and grabbed a second knife and started stabbing Beebe again, according to court documents.
After a neighbor intervened, Malil stopped the attack and walked calmly from the scene, investigators said.
Malil has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and burglary. Prosecutors said Malil could face life in prison if convicted of all charges.
