David Attias
Encyclopedia
David Attias is a former student of the University of California, Santa Barbara
and current patient of Patton State Hospital
. He is most noteworthy for his perpetration of the Isla Vista massacre
.
with his car, a 1991 Saab
. He was initially arrested under suspicion of driving while intoxicated and vehicular manslaughter.
As further details emerged, witnesses reported that after emerging from his vehicle Attias yelled, "I am the angel of death" and behaved erratically, contributing to the suspicion that he was under the influence of a controlled substance.
On June 11, 2002, Attias was convicted in a jury trial of four counts of second-degree murder. He was acquitted of driving under the influence. One week later, the same jury found that Attias was legally insane. This resulted in a sentence of up to 60 years in a state mental hospital.
The Attias case sparked wider debate on how the insanity ruling should apply to the fate of those convicted of murder in California, as it is possible that Attias will ultimately serve a greatly reduced sentence in a state hospital as opposed to what his prison term would have been had he not been found insane.
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
and current patient of Patton State Hospital
Patton State Hospital
Patton State Hospital is a psychiatric hospital located in San Bernardino, California.Opened in 1893 as the Southern California State Asylum for the Insane and Inebriates, it was renamed Patton State Hospital after Harry Patton, a member of the first Board of Managers, in 1927.Patton is a state...
. He is most noteworthy for his perpetration of the Isla Vista massacre
Isla Vista massacre
The Isla Vista Massacre was an intentional vehicular assault which occurred in the student community of Isla Vista, California near the University of California, Santa Barbara campus....
.
Personal
Attias is from the Los Angeles area. He is the son of prominent Hollywood Director Daniel Attias.Murders
On February 23, 2001, Attias struck and killed four people in the community of Isla Vista, CaliforniaIsla Vista, California
Isla Vista is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California in the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 23,096. The majority of residents are college students at nearby University of California, Santa Barbara or at Santa...
with his car, a 1991 Saab
Saab
Saab AB is a Swedish aerospace and defence company, founded in 1937. From 1947 to 1990 it was the parent company of automobile manufacturer Saab Automobile, and between 1968 and 1995 the company was in a merger with commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania, known as Saab-Scania.-History:"Svenska...
. He was initially arrested under suspicion of driving while intoxicated and vehicular manslaughter.
As further details emerged, witnesses reported that after emerging from his vehicle Attias yelled, "I am the angel of death" and behaved erratically, contributing to the suspicion that he was under the influence of a controlled substance.
On June 11, 2002, Attias was convicted in a jury trial of four counts of second-degree murder. He was acquitted of driving under the influence. One week later, the same jury found that Attias was legally insane. This resulted in a sentence of up to 60 years in a state mental hospital.
Insanity Ruling
Attias was ruled legally insane after his conviction, which resulted in him serving his sentence in a state hospital instead of a prison. This led to wide community outrage over the insanity ruling.The Attias case sparked wider debate on how the insanity ruling should apply to the fate of those convicted of murder in California, as it is possible that Attias will ultimately serve a greatly reduced sentence in a state hospital as opposed to what his prison term would have been had he not been found insane.