Man Gets 13 Years for Throwing Acid in Face of 4-Year-Old

A Whittier man who withdrew an insanity defense over his own attorney’s objections was sentenced Friday to 13 years in prison for throwing acid in the face of a 4-year-old La Habra girl in January.

Mark Edward Hand, 26, who told court-appointed psychiatrists that Satan told him to attack the girl, was given the maximum possible sentence by Superior Court Judge John J. Ryan.

Hand was convicted in July of attacking Rachel Ogawa and her mother, Elaine Ogawa, as the two left a restroom at Los Coyotes Regional Park in Buena Park on Jan. 18. After Hand’s lawyer, Deputy Public Defender Diana Polos, told the jury that the sanity issue would be the thrust of Hand’s defense, he decided to withdraw his insanity plea.

Polos said later that Hand feared he would end up spending more time in a hospital than he would in prison.

Victim Still Recovering

Rachel is still recovering from serious facial burns and may need further surgery because of a damaged esophagus. Hand threw acetic acid at her at close range from two paper cups, and some of it went down the girl’s throat.

Ryan gave Hand four years for the attack on the girl, three more years for causing her great bodily injury, one year for assaulting the mother (who received minor burns when the acid splashed on her) and five more years because he had a prior conviction.

Hand was on parole from a Texas prison on a burglarly conviction at the time of the assault. A condition of his parole to California was that he seek psychiatric help.

Polos said after Hand’s conviction last month that she believed he had a strong insanity defense. At his sentencing Friday, Polos asked for a lighter sentence because Hand was obviously mentally disturbed.

Deputy District Atty. Jan Sturla said later that while Hand “obviously suffers some kind of psychiatric illness,” he is convinced Hand was not insane at the time of the attack.

Hand was diagnosed by a doctor as being schizophrenic. Hand’s mother had testified that four days before the attack, Hand told her he was the son of the devil. Hand’s parents had called the police after learning about the acid attack, and told them they had heard their son talking about wanting to throw acid at someone.

Sturla said after the sentencing that the Legislature should take a hard look at the section of the state Penal Code that sets the sentencing for throwing acid.

“Four years is a very light sentence for throwing acid at someone,” Sturla said.