Edward Charles Allaway
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| “ | There's nothing I can say anymore. It's heavy on my shoulders, but I can't keep hammering away at it over and over. It gets mentally frustrating. | „ |
| ~ Edward Charles Allaway |
Edward Charles Allaway is an American mass shooter who perpetrated the California State University, Fullerton, massacre on July 2, 1976, during which he killed 7 people and injured 2. He was ultimately found not guilty by reason of insanity and is currently being held in Napa State Hospital in Napa, California.
Biography edit
Early life edit
Little is known about Allaway's early years, other than he was born sometime in 1939, possibly in Royal Oak, Michigan, where he lived most of his childhood at.
Allaway had a history of mental illness, as he had tried to commit suicide and had been hospitalized and treated with electroconvulsive therapy in the past. Five different mental health professionals diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia.
He was found to have injured a co-worker at a Michigan plant. A short time before the shooting rampage, he had threatened his wife with a knife and raped her. Allaway's apparent motive was that he had delusions that pornographers were forcing his wife to appear in movies. The couple had separated over Memorial Day Weekend 1976 after a blow-up.
Allaway landed a job as a custodian in the library of California State University at Fullerton with the help of his sister, who worked as a secretary in the university's sociology department. Coworkers described him as quiet and keeping to himself, but capable of lashing out against others and also racist. His wife had filed for divorce shortly before Allaway attacked co-workers at the university.
The shooting edit
Armed with a .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle he purchased at a Buena Park Kmart, Allaway killed seven people and injured two others in the library's first-floor lobby and at the building's Instructional Media Center (IMC), located in the basement. Witnesses told investigators that Allaway's attack began shortly before 7am, with some witnesses claiming the gunfire was like a machine gun in a movie, while others likened it to a "popping" noise.
He reportedly chased down Deborah Paulsen and Donald Karges before killing them, and shot Bruce Jacobson after Jacobson attempted to subdue him with a metal statue. After shooting Seth Fessenden and Paul Herzberg, he took a service elevator down to the first floor and shot Frank Teplansky and left a visiting high school student unharmed, he then shot Stephen Becker before he ran out of bullets.
An eyewitness who was a part of a high school program stated Allaway was agitated when he saw him. The eyewitness stated that he saw Allaway pass by him and another counselor who had gone into the hallway to investigate the noises. Allaway reportedly stated "He doesn't belong here; he doesn't belong here." before aiming his rifle at the eyewitness and the other counselor. However, instead of firing at the two individuals Allaway lowered the gun and ran in the opposite direction, and soon after the two could hear more gunfire.
Allaway fled the school campus, went to Hilton Inn Hotel, a nearby hotel in Anaheim, where his former wife worked, and telephoned police to report his actions. He told them, "I went berserk at Cal State Fullerton, and I committed some terrible act. I'd appreciate it if you people would come down and pick me up. I'm unarmed, and I'm giving myself up to you."
Trial and Aftermath edit
After a 1977 jury convicted Allaway of murder but deadlocked in the sanity phase of the trial, a judge found Allaway not guilty by reason of insanity. By law, defendants found insane are committed to a mental institution until they are found sane. Allaway remained institutionalized at Patton State Hospital for a number of years. During his time at Patton, Allaway made several failed petitions to the courts asking for his release. He was eventually transferred to Napa State Hospital in 2016 where he currently resides.