A Camarillo man who stabbed a Walmart employee, ploughed a car into a group of high school students, killed one and injured another was sentenced to 85 years this week for self-promotion efforts that caused massive violence, authorities said.
Ventura County prosecutors say 26-year-old Austin Allen Ice carried out a series of “calculation attacks” on April 18, 2023. Wesley Welling, 15, a freshman at high school, died in the attack.
Austin Allen Ice, 26, was sentenced to 85 years in prison this week for a series of violent attacks in April 2023.
(Ventura County District Attorney’s Office)
EIS, a former Westlake High School student, later admitted targeting teens out of personal grievances and desire to commit mass violence, prosecutors said. Text messaging and communications showed that he had long held violent and extremist beliefs and praised the massive murders, prosecutors said.
In February, Wesley’s parents pleaded guilty to 10 felony charges including first-degree murder, premeditated attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and false imprisonment for violence, seeing her as an EIS with little or no emotion.
During this month’s two-day sentence hearing, Wesley’s mother, Kelly, spoke directly to EIS and told him that nightmare is nothing worse than finding out that his face might have last seen her son.
“You took me out of the world of my son and a boy who has become a great man,” she told the court, according to a news release. “At 15, he’s already you’re more of a man than ever. You’re not considered powerful. You’re considered a coward who chose to hurt your child.”
Wesley Welling, a 15-year-old freshman at Westlake High School, was killed on April 18, 2023 when Austin Allen Ice ran into a group of students in his car.
(Ventura County District Attorney’s Office)
EIS is considered a youthful offender and is eligible for a parole hearing after 24 years of service, prosecutor Amber Lee previously told the Times.
Senior Associate District Attorney Lee said the prosecutors have decided to accept a plea to save the victim and his family from the trauma of testifying about the fatal attacks during the lengthy trial.
“These families have endured unspeakable pain,” Lee said in a statement Tuesday. “This sentence brings finality without forcing them to relive their trauma at trial.”
The violent rampage took place in three locations on the afternoon of April 18th, 2023, 30 miles and several hours.
Eis said she assaulted the second employee and stabbed her by scattering and stabbing her from Simi Valley before attempting to pull her apart. He forced entry to the family Camarillo’s home, where he threatened several people with knives.
He then drove for 20 minutes to the Thousand Oaks, slamming the Toyota Camry by a group of students standing outside Westlake High School around 3:40pm, killing Wesley, and seriously injured a 15-year-old boy, a 14-year-old girl and a 16-year-old girl.
According to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, teens described bodies crushed during the EIS sentencing hearing, sleepless nights and enduring trauma. Several of Wesley’s friends attended court hearings wearing “Wesley’s Justice” t-shirts.
Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.
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