A CLOSER LOOK -- Judging the mind of the preschool killer

Deepa Bharath

It’s been 1 1/2 years since Steven Allen Abrams plowed his dilapidated

1967 Cadillac into a Costa Mesa playground, killing Sierra Soto, 4, and

Brandon Wiener, 3, and injuring five others.

The horrifying episode will forever remain a chilling part of the

city’s past. The emotional wounds of the parents who lost their children

are still fresh. The incident has etched an indelible impression in the

minds of local law enforcement officials and community members.

But, were the children victims of criminal rage in its crudest and

most frightening form? Or were they caught in the cross-fire between

Abrams and his tormented psyche?

That is a decision 12 jurors are expected to make this week as

deliberations begin today in the sanity phase of Abrams’ trial. They will

determine whether the defendant was legally insane on May 3, 1999 -- the

day of the tragedy.

A long, difficult trial

On Aug. 24, the jury found Abrams guilty of two counts of murder and

several counts of attempted murder.

After the guilty verdict, the trial entered its second stage -- the

sanity phase. The prosecution, led by Deputy Dist. Atty. Debora Lloyd,

has argued that Abrams was aware of his actions. She has maintained that

the defendant’s psychosis was a result of several years of drug abuse,

not mental illness.

Public Defender Denise Gragg has insisted that Abrams suffers from

paranoid schizophrenia and believes he is tormented by “brain wave

people” who wanted to make him a killer. Gragg said Abrams killed the

children to get the brain wave people to “leave him and his family

alone.”

The insanity phase of the trial has lasted about two months. Attorneys

themselves commented during their closing arguments about the length and

the complexity of this portion of the trial -- which involved marathon

testimonies from psychiatrists and psychologists.

The longest was that of prosecution witness Dr. Martha Rogers, who was

questioned by Gragg for almost two days.

Several witnesses have taken the stand during the course of the trial.

Gragg said Friday that she has lost count of the number of witnesses she

has called.

“There should have been at least 30, ballpark,” she estimated.

Both Gragg and Lloyd declined to comment about the details of the

case, saying they cannot make any statements until the entire trial is

completed.

Truth and consequence

If the jury decides Abrams was legally insane when he committed the

murders, he will avoid the death penalty and probably spend the rest of

his life in a mental institution.

If he is found sane, the trial will proceed to the penalty phase --

when jurors will decide if Abrams should be sentenced to death or life in

prison.

The Orange County district attorney’s office is pushing for the death

penalty, said Tori Richards, spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office. The

district attorney decided about eight months ago to pursue capital

punishment against Abrams.

“It is the district attorney’s policy to seek the death penalty in

such instances of rampage killings that happen in public places,”

Richards said.

Prosecutors had also filed a special circumstances charge in January

alleging that Abrams was lying in wait before he committed the crime.

Abrams reportedly told police he had wanted to “execute” innocent

children in an effort to get revenge against a woman who had spurned his

advances.

If Abrams is found legally insane, he will be put in a mental

institution for an undetermined amount of time, Richards said. He would

remain there until a psychiatrist determines that “he is no longer a

threat to society.”

“At such a time, [the district attorney] could oppose that decision,

saying he’s still insane and go into a trial,” Richards said. “But if we

don’t, he will be set free.”

That is the scenario local police officials and friends of victims’

families say they dread.

Seeking justice

Dave Jenkins, a Costa Mesa resident and friend of the Sotos, said

Abrams must pay for the heinous crime.

“I’d see the justice system as an absolute failure if he ever gets

out,” he said. “I’m not in favor of the death penalty because it’s too

quick. A person who does something like this must spend his life in

prison and think every single day about what he’s done.”

Costa Mesa Police Chief David Snowden the “defense’s attempt to

rationalize Abrams’ behavior is disappointing.

“The accused do deserve their day in court,” he said. “He got that day

in court, and the jury found him guilty. Now it’s time for him to get

what he deserves for killing those children.”

Snowden recalled the horrible day when he sat next to little Sierra’s

body and later broke the news to her parents.

Happy birthday, Brandon

Brandon’s mother, Pamela Wiener, is trying in her own way to find some

closure. She said she will go to the courthouse today to follow jury

deliberations.

“I’ll definitely be there,” she said. “It’s very important to me.”

Both Wiener and Cindy Soto refused to comment about the trial until a

final verdict is made. Both have, however, been involved in Sierra’s

Light, a nonprofit foundation started by Soto to help make preschools and

day-care centers safer for children.

Two weekends ago, Wiener raised $5,700 through a bowl-a-thonfor the

foundation.

“We’re trying to focus on the positive,” Wiener said. “But it’s hard.

I can’t find the words to explain how [Brandon’s death] has affected our

family.”

Tuesday is Brandon’s birthday. It is the day the little boy would have

turned 5. But, Wiener said she will go to the courthouse instead of the

cemetery if the jury does not reach a verdict today.

“Hopefully,” she said, “I’ll go to the cemetery.”