The Alameda County District Attorney on Monday said it will not seek the death penalty against a man accused of fatally stabbing 18-year-old Nia Wilson at the MacArthur BART station in Oakland.
John Lee Cowell is charged with murder and attempted murder for allegedly stabbing Wilson and her sister, 26-year-old Letifah Wilson, on the platform at the MacArthur station at 9:36 p.m. on July 22, 2018.
He's also charged with a special circumstance allegation that he killed Wilson while lying in wait. Cowell is being held at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin without bail.
A judge ruled this past July that Cowell is mentally competent to stand trial.
The trial is set for January 6.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
