David Attias

David Attias (born May 6, 1982)^[1] is a former student of the University of California, Santa Barbara and current patient of Patton State Hospital.^[2] He is most noteworthy for his perpetration of the Isla Vista massacre.

Personal

Attias is from the Los Angeles area. He is the son of prominent Hollywood Director Daniel Attias.^[3]

Murders

On February 23, 2001, Attias struck and killed four people in the community of Isla Vista, California 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.^[4]

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.^[5] 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.^[6]

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.^[7]

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.^[8]

See also

• Isla Vista massacre

References

1. ^ Family Tree Legends
2. ^ "Attias Begins Sentence in Hospital" http://www.dailynexus.com/article.php?a=3376, Accessed January 21, 2009.
3. ^ "TV Director Testifies in Son’s Murder Trial" http://articles.latimes.com/2002/may/29/local/me-attias29, Accessed January 21, 2009.
4. ^ "UCSB Freshman Held on Vehicular Homicide Charge" http://www.dailynexus.com/article.php?a=496, Accessed January 21, 2009.
5. ^ "Jury Finds Attias Guilty of Murder" http://www.dailynexus.com/article.php?a=3301, Accessed January 21, 2009.
6. ^ "Driver Who Killed 4 Ruled Insane" http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/06/20/national/main512961.shtml, Accessed January 21, 2009.
7. ^ "Attias Sent to Mental Hospital" http://articles.latimes.com/2002/jul/13/local/me-attias13, Accessed February 8, 2009.
8. ^ "Murderer Not Guilty By Reason of "I Felt Like It" http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=1932, Accessed February 8, 2009.

Persondata
Name	Attias, David
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Date of birth	May 6, 1982
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