Napa Man Accused Of Killing Fiancée Pregnant With Twins Faces New Indictment

NAPA VALLEY, CA — A Napa County criminal grand jury indicted Ernie Victor Solis in connection with the June killing of his pregnant fiancée carrying twins.

A Napa County criminal grand jury indicted Solis, 41, in connection with the murder of Hailey Privett, 33, and her unborn twins, the Napa County District Attorney's Office announced this morning.

Solis is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday for further arraignment and to enter a plea.

The grand jury reached its decision Wednesday at the end of a three-day hearing, District Attorney Allison Haley said in a statement Friday. Criminal grand juries, reserved for particularly serious and complex cases, are relatively rare in Napa County, according to the district attorney's office.

County prosecutors said the 33-year-old Privett, who was raising two adopted girls ages 10 and 6, learned she was pregnant with Solis’ twins about a month before she was stabbed to death at her Dale Drive home on June 8.

Wednesday's indictment includes the three murder counts, in addition to special allegations of multiple murders and the use of a deadly weapon, a knife.

Solis faces allegations that the crimes are serious and violent felonies; involved
the use of a deadly weapon, great bodily injury, violence, cruelty, viciousness or callousness. They also include the use of a weapon, vulnerable victims, violent conduct, that he was in a position of trust, that the crimes increase in seriousness from past crimes, that he had a prior prison term, a prior strike, and prior poor performance on probation or parole.

A conviction could result in lifetime imprisonment without parole or the death penalty.

In August, Solis’ public defender, Kris Keeley, entered denials of special allegations against him, including using a deadly weapon, acting with violence or cruelty, targeting a vulnerable victim, and abusing a position of trust.Solis also faces a new felony charge of evading police officers before his arrest.

Police found Privett June 8 when officers called to the 4300 block of Dale Drive. Privett was the mother of two young girls she had adopted and was in the process of adopting a boy when she died.

“Hailey was a source of strength, love, and laughter. She worked tirelessly to provide a safe, loving home for her children and gave them everything she could, even on her hardest days,” according to a GoFundMe started to collect donations to pay for the cost of Privett’s funeral and support her children. “Her loss is not only a heartbreak to all who knew her, but also a life-changing shift for her kids who must now navigate the world without their mother’s care and guidance.”

Solis was arrested June 9 in Fairfield and booked into the Napa County Department of Corrections. In August, he entered not-guilty pleas in Napa County Superior Court to three counts of first-degree murder in the June slaying of Privett.

According to Napa County court documents and reports, Solis was charged with attempted murder after he was arrested in connection with an October 2013 stabbing. He pleaded no contest in July 2014 felony assault and mayhem, with the latter charge tied to facial wounds the victim suffered. In all, Solis was arrested 10 times between 2004 and 2013 on charges ranging from burglary to receiving stolen property to drunken driving.

The death penalty is still on California's books, but the last execution was in 2006. Although prosecutors still pursue the death penalty, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order instituting a moratorium in the form of a reprieve for all people sentenced to death, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations.

More: Pregnant Mom Was Killed By Fiancé, Leaves Behind Young Children: Reports