A Napa man has been indicted by a grand jury and will face trial in the killing of his pregnant fiancee and her unborn twins, prosecutors announced Friday. Ernie Victor Solis, 41, is charged with three counts of murder in the June 8 death of 33-year-old Hailey Privett and her unborn children. Prosecutors initially filed one murder charge, then added two more to reflect the deaths of the twins, who were due in December. In most criminal cases, a judge reviews evidence during what’s known as a preliminary hearing to decide whether a case should go to trial. Instead, prosecutors presented this case to a grand jury a confidential legal process in which a group of residents reviews evidence and decides whether charges should move forward. After hearing testimony over three days, the grand jury indicted Solis on Wednesday. Carlos Villatoro, a spokesperson for the Napa County District Attorney’s Office, said he couldn’t discuss why prosecutors chose the grand jury process. He said the approach is sometimes used in complex or sensitive cases or those receiving widespread public attention. Solis is set to enter a plea Nov. 25. If convicted as charged, he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. According to court records, the killing is believed to have occurred hours before police were notified. Surveillance footage shows Privett’s GMC Acadia leaving her Dale Drive home around 2: 15 a. m. June 8. A short time later, a California Highway Patrol officer spotted the SUV on Highway 29 and attempted a traffic stop. The driver accelerated, reaching 130 mph, and the officer ended the chase for safety reasons, according to court documents. License-plate cameras detected the vehicle in Vallejo shortly before 3 a. m. It wasn’t until about 10: 30 that morning that family members discovered Privett in a bedroom and called police. Officers found an 8-inch kitchen knife stained with blood inside the bedroom, and court filings say Privett’s youngest child was asleep nearby when she was killed. Officers found Privett’s SUV abandoned just before 1 p. m. in Vallejo. The vehicle was covered in blood, and Solis’ wallet and driver’s license were inside, according to investigators. Detectives tracked Solis to Fairfield, where they arrested him the night of June 9. During the drive back to Napa, officers noted injuries to his hands and reported that he made comments about the earlier pursuit. Court records also reference a text Solis allegedly sent to a relative before the killing in which he discussed the pregnancy. In it, he wrote: “I’m really thinking about saying that we need to have an abortion and just wait for a better time to have kids. That should wise her up.”.
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/2025/11/21/napa-man-indicted-on-triple-murder-charges-in-death-of-pregnant-fiancee/