Woman in coma after violent break-in at California home of Beanie Babies billionaire, officials say
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MONTECITO, Calif. — A 42-year-old Nevada man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and kidnapping after a woman was violently attacked during a break-in last week at a Southern California mansion owned by the Beanie Babies billionaire Ty Warner, according to authorities and court documents.
The victim, named in a criminal complaint as L. Malek-Aslanian, was in a coma after suffering a brain injury during the attack May 21 at the home in coastal Montecito, northwest of Los Angeles.
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Warner, founder of the company that makes the stuffed toys that became a fad in the 1990s, was home at the time, but not hurt, according to the complaint obtained by the Los Angeles Times. His relationship with the victim wasn’t immediately clear.
Russell Maxwell Phay was arrested after a standoff with deputies during which he locked himself inside a bathroom before jumping from a second-floor window, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
The resident of Henderson, Nevada, pleaded not guilty to multiple charges including attempted murder, kidnapping, assault and burglary. A lawyer for Phay couldn’t be located and the public defender’s office didn’t immediately reply to an email asking whether one of its attorneys is representing him.
Prosecutors said Phay had numerous prior convictions and had served time in prison or jail, but the details of his criminal history weren’t immediately available, the Times said. He was being held on $100,000 bail.
Officials did not identify a possible motive or say whether the suspect knew the victim. The investigation is ongoing.
A message was sent Wednesday to the Santa Barbara County district attorney’s office seeking an update on the victim’s condition.
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