David Attias, the former UCSB freshman who used his car to run down and kill four people in Isla Vista on a weekend night, was [url=http://news.newspress.com/toplocal/062102attias.htm?now=31392&tref=1]found not guilty by reason of insanity[/url] yesterday.
The jury cited that a videotape, taken moments after the incident by bystanders and which showed Attias jumping out of his car and screaming “I am the angel of death”, was evidence of his insanity.
David Attias is the son of Daniel Attias, a [url=http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/PersonDetail/personid-8697]Hollywood producer/director[/url] who worked on televsision shows such as [i]21 Jumpstreet[/i], [i]Beverly Hills, 90210[/i], [i]Ally McBeal[/i] and [i]The Sopranos[/i]. His son David has been treated for mental illness for much of his life.
Daniel Attias, the father, had said that he hoped that [url=http://www.jasonschock.com/attias/news-press-05-29-02.php]sending his son to UCSB would help him move on with his life[/url].
As a result of the not guilty by reason of insanity verdict, David Attias will go to a mental institution rather than jail. He could spend as little as 180 days in custody before being freed, although his defense attorney believes he’ll spend closer to [url=http://news.newspress.com/toplocal/062102attias.htm?now=31392&tref=1]a decade in treatment[/url]. If he had been found to be sane, he would’ve spent from 60 years to life behind bars.