Playground Crash a Murder Case

Prosecutors filed murder charges Wednesday that could lead to the death penalty against the man who said he slammed his car into a Costa Mesa playground to “execute” children earlier this week.

Steven Allen Abrams faces two counts of murder, seven counts of attempted murder and the special circumstance allegation of multiple murder for plowing his Cadillac into the Southcoast Early Childhood Learning Center on Monday evening.

Abrams, hair uncombed and wearing a crumpled white T-shirt, appeared at Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach on Wednesday afternoon where Judge Susanne S. Shaw ordered him to be held without bail.

The murder suspect made no statement, muttering only “yes” when the judge asked him to confirm his name, birth date and the arraignment’s continuance.

The judge then postponed Abrams’ arraignment until May 21, at the request of Deputy Public Defender Hector Chaparro. Abrams was then transported to County Jail in Santa Ana.

The 39-year-old man is accused of intentionally murdering Sierra Beth Soto, 4, and Brandon Wiener, 3. The two preschoolers were pinned underneath Abrams’ Cadillac Coupe de Ville, which ripped through the dirt playground before slamming into a pine tree.

Abrams, a ticket salesman from Santa Ana, also faces attempted murder charges for the four children and a teacher’s aide who were injured.

Abrams allegedly told police he targeted the preschoolers because they were “innocent” reminders of a failed relationship with a woman in the same neighborhood, a woman he was convicted of stalking in 1994.

Assistant Dist. Atty. Deborah Lloyd said the charge of a special circumstance of multiple murders ensured “the defendant could have no bail and is eligible for the death penalty.” Abrams also faces three allegations of great bodily injury.

Two of the injured preschoolers--Victoria Sherman, 5, and Nicholas McHardy, 2--remained in critical condition at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana on Wednesday. Both suffered severe head injuries when struck by the car.

At the parents’ request, the hospital is not releasing information on the children’s conditions.

Danielle Diaz-Knecht, a 24-year-old teacher’s assistant who was sideswiped by Abrams’ car, was released Wednesday from UCI Medical Center where she was treated from multiple lacerations and cuts.

Reflecting on Monday’s events, Diaz-Knecht is haunted by what happened to the children.

“They were so young,” she said, choking back tears. “I’ve lived longer. I’ve done things. Who knows what they were going to do or who they would have been? They were so sweet, they’d never done anything wrong. Never hurt anyone. They were only kids.”

The teacher said she will return to the day-care center as soon as she’s well enough.

“Driving home from the hospital, I was scared, freaking out--I didn’t want to go back,” she whispered. “But that’s no way to live. I love working with those kids. I’m not going to let him stop me from doing what I love.”

On Wednesday, prosecutors also accused Abrams of the attempted murder of a couple on the Costa Mesa Freeway shortly before his arrival at the preschool. Police said Abrams rammed the couple’s green Toyota after the driver changed lanes in front of him.

However, Abrams’ 19-year-old daughter has said that she was with her father at the time. She said the Toyota cut “dangerously” close in front of her father, enraging him. The woman said her father hit the car in front of him. Abrams dropped his daughter off at their home before the preschool crash occurred.

Police said Abrams associates the preschool with a failed romantic relationship with a woman who eventually filed a restraining order against him. The woman denies they had a relationship.

At the courthouse Wednesday, Abrams was kept in a separate cell from other defendants in the court’s holding area.

Such isolation occurs only “when there is a perceived or evident risk to a defendant’s safety and/or the safety of other inmates and/or the safety of jail personnel,” said Lt. Dean Owens of the Orange County Marshal’s Department. “You get cases involving children, high-profile capital offenses--those are good indicators of perceived risk.”

Owens said mental illness was another reason defendants are held in isolation: “We look out for them.”

Extra security measures were also implemented at the courtroom because of the high-profile, emotionally charged case, Owens said. At least three extra marshal’s deputies were stationed in the room, and they ran metal detectors over everyone who entered, searching through all belongings.

The judge also barred cameras from the courtroom Wednesday, saying the measure was necessary to protect Abrams’ privacy rights.

Times staff writers Matthew Ebnet, Karen Alexander and Jeff Gottlieb contributed to this report.