Man Convicted For Fatally Stabbing Shannon Collins in Santa Cruz

A San Francisco man accused of fatally stabbing a woman in Santa Cruz in 2012 was found guilty by a jury Wednesday of first-degree murder, according to the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office.

Shannon Collins, 38, was found with multiple stab wounds on May 7, 2012, after being attacked while walking on Broadway in Santa Cruz. Collins, who died at the scene, was described as a well-respected downtown business owner and member of the Santa Cruz community.

Charles Edwards, who was 43 at the time of his arrest, pleaded not guilty to the murder charge by reason of insanity.

[Previous: Mental Patient Charged With Stabbing Shannon Collins to Death Had Blood on Shoes and Head.]

At the time, police called the crime “senseless, unprovoked and random.”

Anthony Robinson, Edwards’ defense attorney, said the next phase of the trial will determine whether or not Edwards was legally sane when the crime was committed.

“When we started the first phase, my opening statement was that I think he did it,” Robinson said. “There was no real question about that. It was more a question of his sanity at the time.”

The sanity phase of the trial is scheduled to continue Monday.

Assistant District Attorney Celia Rowland said in a statement Wednesday that the verdict against Edwards was “just,” saying she was grateful that the jury weighed and considered all of the evidence.

[Previous: Will the Shannon Collins Murder Bring a New Era of Crime Prevention or Spark Intolerance and Loss of Freedom?]

--Bay City News

--Patch file photos

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