By Khalida Sarwari
A Palo Alto man accused of killing his girlfriend and setting fire to the couple’s home with her body inside was denied bail in Santa Clara County Superior Court this morning.
Superior Court Judge Patricia Lucas decided to hold Bulos “Paul” Zumot, 36, without bail at the conclusion of an hour-long hearing that included testimony by Zumot’s sister, Kholoud Diggs.
Zumot, who owns the Palo Alto smoking lounge Da Hookah Spot, was arrested in October 2009 and charged with murder and arson after investigators examined the home at 969 Addison Ave. he shared with his girlfriend, 29-year-old real estate agent Jennifer Schipsi.
Prosecutor Chuck Gillingham argued that Zumot poses a danger to the public, citing a mutual restraining order between Zumot and a former business partner after the two men apparently made threats against each other.
Gillingham also alluded to an arrest and conviction stemming from a 1994 domestic violence dispute in Washington that involved three other members of Zumot’s family, including his sister.
Taking the stand to explain the dispute, Diggs said her brother’s only role in the incident was to break up a fight between Diggs and two other family members. She also said some family members work for the FBI and Department of Justice and wouldn’t risk losing their jobs “to cover for a fugitive brother.”
When Gillingham questioned her about her brother’s relationship with Schipsi, she answered repeatedly, “They were fine.”
On Feb. 10, Gillingham filed a declaration in Santa Clara Superior Court stating that based upon police reports, Zumot has admitted to Palo Alto police investigators that he used human growth hormone on himself as well as on Schipsi and that vials of the drug were found at his home, along with syringes, on the day of her death.
In the declaration, Gillingham also said he reviewed a “suspicious activity” report from Zumot’s bank indicating that $79,000 had been deposited from the United Arab Emirates to Zumot’s account and that there were suspicious withdrawals by Zumot from his account to avoid currency transaction reports.
Zumot’s attorney Cameron Bowman, however, said his client does not pose a flight risk, referring to the same declaration, which also noted that a friend and distant cousin of Zumot gave him an opportunity to flee the country a day after Schipsi’s death, but that Zumot declined the offer. Bowman appealed to the judge to set the bail at $1 million with electronic
monitoring if he were released from custody.
After the hearing, Jennifer Schipsi’s father, Jim, said, “I had been searching for the right word to describe how I felt and I’ve found it: Hallelujah.”
“I was obviously worried he was going to get bail, but my prayers were answered,” Schipsi said.
Wearing a purple ribbon to symbolize domestic violence and a button bearing his daughter’s name and photo, Schipsi added, “It doesn’t do much to ease my pain, or my family’s pain, but hopefully it leads to justice.”
Zumot faces a maximum sentence of 33 years to life if convicted, district attorney’s office spokeswoman Amy Cornell said.
He is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on April 12.