The suspected allegedly told police he wanted a mass casualty event when he plowed into multiple students on a sidewalk, killing one, after stabbing and pepper-spraying a Walmart greeter and attacking his own parents as part of an hours long rampage.
A 26-year-old California man has pleaded guilty to almost a dozen charges after a 2023 rampage that left one 15-year-old dead and several other people injured.
Austin Eis confessed to the rampage, which he allegedly told police was his attempt to have a mass casualty event. He also allegedly told them he has an “admiration for mass murderers,” according to Law & Crime.
On Friday, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office detailed in a press release the series of tragic events that unfolded on April 18, 2023, beginning shortly after 3 p.m.
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In it, District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced that Eis had pleaded guilty to 10 felony charges and special allegations in Ventura County Superior Court. Those included a first-degree murder charge for the death of 15-year-old Wesley Welling, as well as six counts of premeditated attempted murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of false imprisonment by violence.
“He also admitted to special allegations, including personal use of a car and knife as a deadly weapon, and inflicting great bodily injury,” per the DA’s statement. Eis is facing 85 years to life in state prison, but will be eligible for parole after 24 years, per KNBC.
“The defendant committed acts of terror and extreme violence that took the life of a teenage boy and shattered the lives of many others,” said Nasarenko in the release. “While no number of guilty pleas will ever close the anguish of the victims and their families, they will ensure the defendant’s removal from society and impose accountability for his horrendous crimes.”
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Violent and Deadly Rampage
According to the release, on April 18, 2023, “Eis entered a Walmart in Simi Valley and assaulted a store greeter by spitting, pepper spraying and stabbing him multiple times.”
Afterward, Eis allegedly “dragged another employee across the store,” per the statement, before breaking into his parents’ home and holding them up with a replica gun and a knife, demanding more weapons before fleeing.
It was after leaving his parents’ house that Eis saw a group of high school students on the sidewalk at a bus stop, per the release. He appeared to intentionally drove into them, with witnesses telling authorities his vehicle accelerated before striking the students. His vehicle was overturned in the impact.
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Welling died on the scene, while three additional students — a 14-year-old girl, a 15-year-old boy, and a 16-year-old girl — were hospitalized with “severe injuries requiring surgeries and extensive medical treatment,” according to the DA’s office.
Eis allegedly confessed to intentionally targeting the students “out of personal frustrations” and a “desire to commit mass violence.” He was a former student of the same school the students attended.
As part of their investigation into Eis, detectives reportedly uncovered a history of violent threats over the past several years, as well as “admiration for mass murderers,” and an “adherence to extremist ideologies.” They also believed he may have been homeless and living out of his car, per KTTV.
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Talking about the loss of her son, Kelly Welling shared in court on Friday that “his bed is still made.” Her son died on her birthday, per KTTV. “No matter what justice happens, it’s never going to be enough to bring Wesley back,” she said. “We wake up every day without Wesley. I don’t have my son.”
She also expressed frustration at Eis’ parole possibility, which is due to a California law that applies to individuals under 26 years of age. “That is extremely frustrating and I do plan to fight that law in the future,” she said. “Because in cases of murder that law should not apply.”
Eis is scheduled to be sentenced on April 14. He remains in custody without bail.
“The sentence will not only reflect his premeditated and calculated actions after years of homicidal ideations, but also the horrific nature of the crime spree he unleashed on innocent members of our community,” said Senior District Attorney Amber Lee. “This disposition allows the dozens of victims to close this chapter of their lives without reliving the trauma through courtroom testimony.”
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