Woman in coma after violent break-in at California home of Beanie Babies billionaire, officials say
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Monthly Digital Subscription
$1 per week for 24 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $4.00 plus GST every four weeks. After 24 weeks, price increases to the regular rate of $19.95 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
Monthly Digital Subscription
$4.99/week*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $19.95 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $16.99 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $23.99 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/05/2025 (302 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
MONTECITO, Calif. (AP) — 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.
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.