A girl on the third-floor balcony of a nearby townhouse was holding a butcher's knife and threatening to jump. Sheriff's deputies were trying to talk to her, but every time deputies tried to get near her, she cut herself with the knife.

Warlow quickly locked her two yellow Labradors inside her house and grabbed a pair of binoculars. She was horrified by what she saw.

"She had dark hair. The girl was covered in blood and was dangling her legs from the balcony. She had cut her neck and arms," Warlow said.

Warlow was not the only one witnessing the unfolding drama in the 14000 block of Fieldstone Drive in Saratoga on the morning of March 15. Several of her neighbors at Saratoga Oaks, a quiet and genteel community of about 110 condominiums and townhouses less than a mile from downtown Saratoga, had been drawn to their balconies and windows by the commotion outside.

The girl on the balcony was 27-year-old Nan Yang, who is now being charged with the murder of Birk McCandless, a 57-year-old prominent real estate developer and restaurant owner. As the negotiations continued, deputies who had access to the house from the back found the lifeless body of McCandless inside. He had died of multiple stab wounds. Authorities said later that the two might have been in a dating relationship.

Lt. Luther Pugh of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department said that it was a grisly scene inside. "I have been in this business for 26 years," he said. "The violence of the act was still surprising."

On the balcony, Yang was mumbling incoherently.

In a few minutes, she passed out due to loss of blood. Deputies quickly moved in to secure the area. Yang was given medical attention and transported to Valley Medical Center.

A neighborhood used to senior citizens walking by and children biking energetically up and down the inclined streets had quickly been sealed off with yellow police tape.

Residents of Saratoga Oaks huddled at various street corners and talked about how shocked they were by what had happened.

"It has always been quiet here. Nobody creates any problems," said Vinnie Smith.

Another local resident said that she had always wondered about the house where the murder had taken place. "I had heard of domestic disputes there," she said.

Neighbors said that the only disturbances in the neighborhood that they could think of in the last 20 years were some wild and noisy parties thrown by teenagers.

Shock and surprise was palpable in each resident's voice.

"I heard a commotion outside and stepped out. I saw a cop outside with a rifle. Then I saw the girl straddling the balcony," said Dick Brooding, who was escorted inside his house by deputies.

"Our neighborhood is not like that. This is an aberration, a blip on the screen," Brooding added. "That is why I moved here. I plan to die here peacefully."

Several residents remembered McCandless as a friendly man who would wave to everyone as he drove past. "But he never came to our clubhouse," said another.

"This is an isolated incident. Domestic violence cuts across all socioeconomic divisions," said Capt. John Hirokawa of the West Valley Substation, Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department. "I check the reports every week. As a community, everybody should report incidents of domestic violence."

Lt. Pugh said that McCandless made the same mistake that many victims of domestic violence make. "They think they can handle it. They have a bond [with the perpetrator]," he said.

McCandless had been the victim of another attack in January, when Yang is alleged to have beaten him with a metal flashlight before she slit her wrists. She was charged with three felonies but was released on a $50,000 bail.

"McCandless cooperated with us reluctantly," said Pugh.

Yang is also accused of attacking a former boyfriend in Cupertino in 2004, according to authorities.

Four homicide detectives and six crime scene investigators are working on the case.

The city of Saratoga contracts with the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department for police services.

"This will cost us additional man hours but I am sure we can stay within the numbers of hours stipulated in the contract with the city," Hirokawa said.

If the investigation does take up more time and man hours, the city will have to pay for the additional hours of investigation.

"That is not likely to happen," Hirokawa said.