Preliminary hearing set for Woodland man facing murder charge

A Woodland man charged with attempted murder of an elderly man nine months ago in rural Fairfield will return to Judge E. Bradley Nelson’s courtroom for a readiness conference and  and to set a preliminary hearing in the coming months.

Brandon Clark Foster appeared in court for a held-to-answer arraignment with his attorney, Solano County Deputy Public Defender Jeannette, at his side.

Nelson set Foster’s next court time and date for 8:30 a.m. Dec. 19.

The defendant is charged in the machete attack of Bobby R. Watson, 74, which left him with life-threatening injuries and the near-amputation of a thumb, alleged crimes that came to vivid light during a preliminary hearing in mid-October.

During the hearing, Deputy District Attorney Mary Nguyen, besides calling Watson to the witness stand, called three others, some of whom saw Foster slash at Watson several times on or near Abernathy Road .

Foster, who is in his mid-40s and has pleaded not guilty to charges of premeditated attempted murder, aggravated mayhem, and cruelty to an elder with risk of great bodily injury, remains in Solano County Jail on $1 million bail. If convicted, he faces the possibility of life in prison.

Watson said he did not recognize the man at the door on the January day of the attack, did not open it, and returned to watching TV and making a cup of chai tea. Some 20 minutes passed, he said, when the electricity to his home went out and Watson went outside to the breaker box to investigate. The box was open and he noticed an estimated 35 to 40 switches were in the off position, leading him to believe they had been tampered with.

At that point, Watson turned to see Foster behind him, standing with a length of chain and a machete, a heavy, broad-bladed, sword-like knife in his hands. Foster, he alleged, attacked him first with the chain, by turns striking his head and pulling it back forcefully enough during one blow to nearly sever the thumb on his left hand.

Watson, nearly out of breath, then ran toward Abernathy, yelled to his wife that someone was trying to kill him, with Foster following behind.

“I thought I was dying,” said Watson, describing Foster’s alleged repeated strikes — “five or six times,” he recalled — with the machete. By that time, Watson said he was on his knees in the driveway near Abernathy, while Foster continued to slash at him, sometimes missing, at others striking him on the head and arms.

Nguyen questioned Watson about his subsequent medical problems stemming from the attack, which include nerve damage, continued suffering from headaches, occasional dizziness and loss of consciousness. Watson said he takes pain medication daily.

Court records indicate Solano County Sheriff deputies arrived in the area of Abernathy and Rockville roads shortly before 10 a.m. after receiving a report of an assault with a deadly weapon. First responders found Watson suffering from major cuts over his entire body. By that time, Foster allegedly had fled the scene.

The victim and witnesses then gave authorities a description of the defendant. Around 10:30 a.m., deputies found Foster hiding in a nearby orchard.

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