California’s Attorney General has dropped charges against the five remaining defendants among the pro-Palestine protesters who broke into the Stanford president’s office on June 5, 2024. Maya Burke ’18 M.A. ’19, Taylor McCann ’14, Hunter Taylor Black ’24, German Gonzalez ’27 and Amy Zhai ’25 were previously charged with felony conspiracy and vandalism on Oct. 2, 2025.
The decision marks the conclusion of a trial that began in 2024, when a group of Stanford students barricaded themselves inside Building 10. Graffiti
An initial trial in February 2026 resulted in a hung jury. The subsequent retrial was derailed after lead prosecutor Jeff Rosen was removed from the case over conflict-of-interest concerns in May, with Attorney General Rob Bonta taking over the case after Rosen’s removal.
“The attorney made it very, very clear that proceeding with the case in the same way that the [District Attorney] had would be unjust,” Gonzalez told The Daily.
As part of the resolution, the defendants will be required to pay over $50,000 in collective restitution, a significant decrease from the $300,000 they would have had to pay if convicted. They will also be required to complete 100 hours of community service each.
“This resolution requires the defendants to make amends to the community for their actions through extensive community service and ensures they fully reimburse Stanford for all repairs,” a spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office wrote to the Palo Alto Daily Post.
The Daily has reached out to the California Attorney General’s Office and the defense for comment.
Several of the defendants publicly expressed frustration with a perceived effort by “Stanford and Rosen…to criminalize and silence speech in support of Palestinians.”
“People still very much care about Palestine but I think they are afraid,” Zhai told The Guardian. “It takes victories like this one to encourage people to turn their beliefs into action.”
González is the only protester still currently enrolled at Stanford. He told KQED that he was “super relieved” to complete his degree “without this hanging over my head.”
In an interview with The Daily, González alleged that he had been targeted by University security following the break-in, including once being followed by a guard from Green Library to White Plaza.
The Daily has reached out to the University for comment.
González told The Daily that he hopes to dedicate the rest of his time on campus to supporting Palestine. He described his personal conviction for organizing against a conflict “that [Stanford], frankly has helped and developed.”