Woman Charged After Friend Killed in Apartment Lot

By Dana Whitfield. Sep 8, 2026

A Friendship Became the Center of a Murder Case

Anjana Hari was seen smiling as she approached a friend’s SUV in the parking lot of the Milpitas apartment complex where both women lived. Police now say what was first reported as a hit-and-run was intentional, and 32-year-old Anila Baby has been charged with murder.

Officers were called to the Mill Creek Apartments on Dixon Landing Road shortly after noon on Aug. 28. They found Hari, 35, in the parking lot, where she was pronounced dead, according to CBS Bay Area.

Investigators later determined that Hari and Baby knew each other, lived in the same complex and were good friends. That relationship is one of the facts that made the case especially difficult for people who knew Hari.

Investigators Reclassified the Incident

The first calls described a blue SUV striking a pedestrian and leaving the scene. Police later said evidence and witness accounts changed their understanding of what happened.

A witness told investigators that Hari appeared friendly toward the driver before the SUV moved toward her. Milpitas police said the evidence supported an intentional act rather than an accidental collision, according to CBS Bay Area and KTVU.

Baby has been charged with one count of murder. The allegation has not been proven, and authorities have not publicly established a motive in the approved reporting reviewed for this article.

Police Located the SUV About a Mile Away

As officers investigated the apartment complex, they received reports of a blue Toyota SUV being driven nearby. Police located the vehicle in a Walgreens parking lot roughly a mile away, CBS Bay Area reported.

Investigators said the SUV had heavy front-end damage and that Baby was with it. She was taken into custody as detectives continued collecting witness statements and vehicle evidence.

CBS reported that three other vehicles in the apartment lot were also damaged. Those details became part of the evidence cited by investigators as they moved the case from a hit-and-run investigation to an alleged homicide.

Court Records Describe a Sudden Acceleration

KTVU reported that a witness saw Hari walk toward the Toyota Highlander while appearing to smile at the driver. Court records cited by the station say the SUV then accelerated and struck Hari without an attempt to brake.

Police said the vehicle continued through the lot, hitting parked cars before leaving the complex. That sequence was one reason investigators no longer treated the death as an ordinary hit-and-run.

The account remains part of the prosecution’s case rather than a final judicial finding. Santa Clara County prosecutors filed the murder charge after police collected witness statements and vehicle evidence from the Milpitas complex. Investigators have said they do not know why the encounter between two friends allegedly became fatal, and the available court reporting does not establish a motive.

Hari Leaves a Family Behind

People reported that Hari had moved to the United States in 2021 and is survived by her husband and a young daughter. Friends and relatives have organized support for the family after her death.

The daughter has not been identified in the reporting used for this article, and no details about her are necessary to understand the case. The central human fact is that a mother and friend died in the parking lot of the place she called home.

Baby is being held without bail, according to CBS Bay Area. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 10.

The court process will determine whether prosecutors can prove that the collision was intentional murder. Until then, the charge remains an allegation and Baby retains the presumption of innocence.

References: Milpitas woman charged with murder after police say she intentionally ran over friend | Milpitas woman accused of intentionally running over, killing friend: court docs | Woman Charged with Murder After Allegedly Running Over Her Friend with SUV