UPDATE: Woman killed in 'random' Salinas stabbing was pregnant, police say

A memorial for Mariana Jurado remains near the apartments where she was fatally stabbed Nov. 19, 2019.

A pregnant woman died after she was stabbed in a "random act of violence" just outside her South Salinas home Tuesday morning, police say.

Police said they arrested a suspect in the stabbing shortly afterwards. 

Salinas police and firefighters were called at about 9:15 a.m. to the 100 block of Clay Street for a stabbing, initial dispatch reports indicate. 

There, they found Mariana Jurado, 26. She was taken to a local hospital, where she died a short time later, police said. 

She suffered several stab wounds, said Cmdr. John Murray, who called the attack "a tragic and senseless crime," in an email seeking comment. 

Police said she'd been leaving her home for work when she was stabbed outside. They identified the suspect as Garrett Christopher Scheff, 43, who was arrested a block away after the attack. 

Garrett Scheff

"Jurado did not know Scheff, and by all accounts this was a random act of violence," police said in the press release. 

Scheff didn't give a statement to detectives. On Wednesday, Murray confirmed Jurado was pregnant. 

Additional charges could be added. Murray said the Salinas Police Department's hearts go out to her family. 

Scheff's last criminal case involved him being declared mentally unfit to stand trial in 2015, online Monterey County Superior Court records show. 

Salinas Police investigate an attack reported Nov. 19, 2019, on Clay Street in Salinas.

Scheff has a lengthy criminal record that goes back into the mid-90s. Over the years, he has pleaded guilty or no contest to charges including second degree burglary, possession of a controlled substance, obstructing or resisting an officer, buying and receiving stolen property, petty theft, evading a peace officer, vandalism, grand theft and defacing public property. 

A neighbor, Maria Bejar, said she saw paramedics carry someone away in an ambulance as well as a person detained near the library.

Salinas police shut down Clay Street between Church and Cayuga streets during the investigation. Police collected evidence and examined a knife that was found under a bush on Church Street. 

Garrett Scheff appears in court Nov. 21, 2019.

Scheff was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder and taken to the Monterey County Jail. His bail is listed at $1 million.

He appeared in court Thursday for an arraignment but it was continued to Tuesday while it's determined who will represent him. Prosecutors intend to file an amended complaint to include a prior strike for residential burglary. 

A large group of Jurado's loved ones came to the arraignment, some quietly wiping away tears during the proceedings. 

Just outside the apartment where the stabbing occurred, a small memorial has been set up with candles and flowers.

A small memorial was placed outside Mariana Jurado's apartment on Nov. 20, 2019. Jurado, died after she was stabbed in a "random act of violence just outside her South Salinas home Tuesday morning, police say.

Anyone with information is asked to call (831) 758-7137 or email byrong@ci.salinas.ca.us. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling (831) 775-4222.  

This story was updated with additional information from authorities. 

Chelcey Adami contributed to this report.

Joe Szydlowski and David Rodriguez are multimedia journalists for the Salinas Californian. Help support The Californian's work: https://bit.ly/2Qo298J