33-year-old Paso Robles resident Janine Laurice Cesena was convicted of assault and several related charges on Thursday in connection to an attack in San Miguel last year.
According to District Attorney Dan Dow, the woman was convicted by a San Luis Obispo County jury of assault with a deadly weapon and causing great bodily injury to her victim.
On the evening of Oct. 12, 2023, officials say defendant Cesena hit the male victim with a baseball bat in the chest and on his head in the parking lot of San Miguel’s Dollar General store.
The assault reportedly caused the victim to experience a brain bleed, hearing and vision loss, and an inability to concentrate.
Officials add that the attack was unprovoked, and that video surveillance taken outside of the Dollar General indicated that the defendant was lying in wait in the parking lot to surprise the victim with her attack.
The District Attorney says the defendant was under the mistaken belief that the victim had cheated with the defendant’s girlfriend.
After the assault, Cesena allegedly fled and stayed with a friend until her arrest on Oct. 15, 2023.
In addition to the assault charge, officials say the jury also found true several aggravating factors in the attack.
The factors include the fact that Cesena personally inflicted great bodily injury to the victim, that the crimes involved great violence or a high degree of cruelty or viciousness, and that the victim was particularly vulnerable.
“This unprovoked violent crime was shocking, and our hearts go out to the victim who sustained serious injuries and whose testimony was heard loud and clear by the jury," District Attorney Dan Dow said in a press release.
Cesena is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 15 at 8:30 a.m. at the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court.
The woman reportedly faces a possible maximum sentence of seven years in state prison.
