Thought He Was Victim, Not Shooter, Man Says

Speaking publicly for the first time about the seven people he killed, former Cal State Fullerton janitor Edward Charles Allaway said Wednesday that delusions led him to believe he was one of the victims--not the killer.

Even as seven people lay dead and two wounded at the campus library in 1976, Allaway thought he was calling police to report that he had been assaulted when he actually was confessing, he testified in a Santa Ana courtroom.

“I thought I explained to them that I was hurt,� Allaway told a judge who will decide whether to release him from a state mental hospital. “I was beaten up, and I wanted to press charges. I didn’t know I did the shooting.�

Allaway told Judge Frank F. Fasel that he initially planned to call in sick on July 12, 1976, but instead found himself at the library.

Allaway said he has visions of running behind victim Debbie Paulsen, thinking they were both fleeing an enraged assailant. Allaway said he has since learned that he shot Paulsen in the back while the 26-year-old woman fled.

As Allaway spoke, Paulsen’s brother, Paul, began to cry in the courtroom. He is among a group of victims’ relatives who are opposing Allaway’s release.

Hearing Allaway made some of those relatives angry.

“I don’t believe that,� said Patricia Almazan, whose father, Frank Teplansky, died in the rampage.

But one victim’s relative said it’s time to set the 62-year-old Allaway free.

“I don’t believe in vengeance, and that’s what this is all about,� said Judith Herzberg, whose husband, Paul, died in the shootings.

Herzberg, a real estate lawyer in Long Beach, said she believes Allaway was never mentally ill and that it would be inappropriate to keep him locked up in a mental hospital.

Allaway’s lawyer, Deputy Public Defender John Bovee, welcomed Herzberg’s support.

“I’m glad to hear that some people are thinking it’s time to do away with revenge and move on with the healing process,� he said.

As a way to make amends with his victims, Allaway said he has tried to remember each of their names. His voice trembling, Allaway named eight of the shooting victims from the witness stand.

A judge found Allaway not guilty by reason of insanity in 1977. The former Marine and Detroit auto factory worker has spent nearly a quarter-century in state mental hospitals. He has twice lost bids to gain his freedom, but this time, doctors and staff at the hospital say they consider him safe for release. Doctors say Allaway’s schizophrenia is in remission.

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The soft-spoken Allaway remained composed and said his mental health has improved.

“I’m the best I can be. I feel good about my improvement,� he said.