Man in ’76 Shooting Rampage Is Still Insane

A janitor who went on a shooting rampage and killed seven people at California State University, Fullerton, 11 years ago is still insane and would pose a danger to society and himself if released, a judge ruled Monday.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Donald A. McCartin rejected Edward Charles Allaway’s claim that years of therapy have cured his mental disease.

Allaway was found not guilty by reason of insanity of the shooting deaths in the campus library in July, 1976. He sought release from custody at the maximum security Atascadero State Hospital to an outpatient therapy program, the first step toward complete freedom.

In testimony last week, Allaway insisted that he is no longer a threat, but acknowledged that he believed that he needed more treatment.

None Recommended Release

None of the medical specialists who testified--including a psychologist called by Allaway’s attorney--concluded that he should be released.

“The only one who thinks he has recovered is Allaway,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Martin G. Engquist said after the hearing Monday.

Allaway also lost on another legal request: He had asked that state mental health officials be ordered to transfer him to a less restrictive environment than the maximum security Atascadero State Hospital, such as Patton State Hospital near San Bernardino.

McCartin ruled that mental health officials already have the authority to transfer Allaway among hospitals within the state system. But Engquist said his office would strongly oppose any transfer outside of Atascadero.

“We feel security could be a problem. And if they transferred him to a facility that is not appropriately secure, we would oppose it,” Engquist said. “As long as he’s dangerous, he should be in the maximum security facility.”

9 Shot, 7 Killed

Allaway may not legally renew his request for release until one year has passed.

Allaway was working as a library janitor on July 12, 1976, when he shot nine people at the library, killing seven of them. Allaway said he thought people were conspiring against him.

Allaway testified he had been in a state of depression for his entire life, up to the shooting. He had been hospitalized briefly in a mental institution about eight years before the shootings.

Last week, Allaway told McCartin that he felt “deep remorse” for the killings. He also testified that he thought it was a “shame” that he is being denied a chance at release.

His testimony at one point was interrupted by a bitter outburst from a relative of one of the shooting victims.