Attias Convicted of Killing 4

A jury Wednesday found David Attias guilty of murder in the auto rampage deaths of four people last year, a case that focused attention on the heavy partying lifestyle in the college community of Isla Vista.

The tousled Attias, looking even younger than his 20 years, glanced back at his parents after the verdicts were read, but otherwise showed little emotion. He has been under heavy medication since his arrest immediately after the incident on Feb. 23, 2001.

The four second-degree murder verdicts were the worst possible outcome for Attias in this phase of the two-pronged trial, exposing him to a possible life sentence in prison.

The second phase, which will begin today, will determine whether he was sane when he drove his turbocharged Saab into five pedestrians 16 months ago.

“Obviously, we’re all disappointed,” said defense attorney Jack Earley, addressing reporters outside the second-floor courtroom of Judge Thomas Adams. “Now we have to put on the next phase.”

The defense has argued that Attias, who has a record of emotional problems dating to infancy, suffered a psychotic break the night of the accident.

The prosecutor, Patrick McKinley, claimed that though Attias is clearly mentally ill, he knew what he was doing when he sped along streets crowded with weekend partygoers. Witnesses described Attias leaping out of his car and fighting onlookers, shouting “I am the angel of death!”

The jury deliberated almost six days before rejecting a possible manslaughter verdict and choosing murder. Though Attias showed little reaction, his father, television director Daniel Attias, slumped forward slightly and put his arm around his wife. Afterward, the parents slipped out of the courthouse without speaking to anyone.

Earley said he hadn’t had a chance to talk to his client after the verdicts were read. His client’s numb expression might not be a result of the medication, he said. Earley said some people are too stunned in the immediate aftermath of a guilty verdict to react.

Acting With Malice

In choosing murder, the jury decided that Attias acted with malice, which would seemingly make it more likely that they will find him sane.

But Earley denied that, saying he remains hopeful that the jury will find that his client was so mentally damaged that he could not possibly meet the test of sanity: that he understood the nature and quality of what he was doing and could appreciate the difference between right and wrong.

Earley called a parade of psychologists and psychiatrists to testify about Attias’ manifold mental and emotional problems, which began when he bit himself and pounded his head against walls as a small child. Many of those witnesses will return to the stand for the sanity phase.

From his early years, Attias had problems making friends. He developed a deep rage that at 13 caused him to be hospitalized for attempting to strangle his younger sister, Rachel. Over time, he was diagnosed with everything from attention deficit to bipolar to obsessive compulsive disorder and even budding schizophrenia as therapists struggled to gain an understanding of what was misfiring in Attias’ brain.

According to testimony, David Attias single-handedly turned his household in Santa Monica into an emotional war zone. His father said he tried to intervene with David as he was growing up. But the elder Attias said he was absent a lot while building his career. He is a well-known director of episodic television, having worked on “The Sopranos,” “Ally McBeal” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

Difficulty Coping

Diana Attias was often left on her own trying to cope with her son, and she made it clear during her day on the witness stand that she was not up to it. Eventually, David’s problems strained the marriage. “I love my wife,” said Daniel Attias. But her tendency to withdraw “did make me very frustrated.”

Even so, the parents didn’t realize how serious their son’s problems were. Daniel Attias said he was pleased that his son managed to gain admission to UC Santa Barbara, and he pushed him to stay there even after his son asked to withdraw to attend a community college.

David’s mental problems escalated at the college’s Francisco Torres Residence Hall, where he substituted marijuana and cocaine for the medication he was supposed to take to control his behavior, according to testimony. He had two auto accidents, yet he was given a new car, something his father later regretted. “While I was concerned about his driving, I was not alarmed,” he testified.

Messages From God

Just before the fatal incident, dorm mates and others noticed a grandiosity in David Attias. He reportedly drifted into delusion, believing he was a prophet and that the rap lyrics he listened to contained messages from God.

According to Earley, the Friday night Attias went out cruising in Isla Vista’s pedestrian-choked streets, he was convinced he had to lose his virginity or he would die.

The incident focused fresh attention on the alcohol-saturated party scene that prevails in the Isla Vista neighborhood on weekends.

Local governments have taken a number of steps to improve safety, including approving the installation of fencing on the cliffs overlooking the beach to prevent students from falling off. They also are considering giving local deputies increased power to shut down out-of-control parties.

Brighter streetlights have been installed along Sabado Tarde.

Prosecutor McKinley painted a different portrait. He put on witnesses to show that Attias was reckless and arrogant as much as unbalanced.

One therapist testified to the young man’s strong sense of entitlement and belief that he was smarter than everyone around him.

One thing that emerged from the trial was that life was never easy for David Attias. According to testimony, he was made fun of, especially when he tried to dance and meet coeds. He was nicknamed “Crazy Dave.”

One challenge facing the jury was to reconcile these contrasting images of the defendant with the person who sat mutely at the defense table. Often dressed in a gray sweater--though he wore a blue one Wednesday--and medicated, he frequently looked disinterested.

His father rarely looked at him when he was on the stand, and the younger Attias almost never turned to look into the audience when they were in court.

Relatives of the dead were in frequent attendance, sitting on the other side of the courtroom from Attias’ friends and family, though none was in court Wednesday.

Those killed in the tragedy were Ellie Israel, 27, and Christopher Divis, Ruth Levy and Nicholas Bourdakis, all 20.

All were walking along Sabado Tarde in Isla Vista when Attias’ car struck them. A fifth victim, Albert Levy, suffered serious injuries but recovered.

Levy and Israel were in town from San Francisco, visiting Ruth Levy, the night of the incident.