Driver called pastor while still in custody
The man responsible for killing 10 people and wounding nearly 50 others Wednesday apparently remained secluded in his daughter’s Santa Monica home Thursday after being questioned and released by police.
James Bianco, 86-year-old Russell Weller’s lawyer, said on a Thursday visit to the Stanford Street residence there would be no comment from Weller. Friends and neighbors said he is crushed by the enormity of the tragedy he caused.
“He’s so distraught right now and I think they need to be by themselves,” said neighbor Herb Roney, who spoke with Weller’s wife, Harriett, and daughter, Meredith, by telephone Thursday morning. “I doubt if he’s even going to come home anytime soon.”
Authorities are considering filing criminal charges against him.
Weller has reportedly not been home since he drove his car at what witnesses said was a high rate of speed through a crowded farmer’s market on Arizona Avenue Wednesday afternoon. The car traveled two-and-a-half blocks, from Fourth Street to west of Second Street.
Weller’s 1992 Buick Le Sabre has a six-cylinder engine that probably could have gone 0-60 mph in seven to eight seconds, said Jack Mirsky, a service advisor at Martin Cadillac in West LA.
“It’s a small six cylinder but don’t let it fool you,” he said, adding that the car weighs about 3,600 pounds. “They have pretty fair power.”
Car acceleration is often tested on quarter mile stretches, which equals about three blocks. A fast car — like a Corvette — will cover that distance in about 13 seconds, Mirsky said. A slower car — like the LeSabre — would cover the distance in 15-16 seconds, he said.
On Thursday evening, Flowers and cards were piled on Weller’s doorstep while a handful of news vans idled in the street.
While Weller has kept out of the media limelight, he has not remained silent altogether.
Dr. Stephen Lien, pastor at the Brentwood Presbyterian Church, where the Wellers have been members for more than 30 years, said he received a call from Russell Weller while he was in custody.
“One of the first calls he made was to the faith community,” said Lien, who called Weller a loving and gentle man. “And when I said, ‘We’re praying for you, Russ,’ he said, ‘Pray for those affected by this.’”
Those who know him universally described Weller as an articulate and humorous man who loves crossword puzzles, reading and being involved in the community. He has spent his retirement volunteering at the local library, leading prayer groups and tutoring athletes and other students at Santa Monica High School.
His daughter, Meredith Weller, recently retired after more than 30 years as a Samohi special education teacher.
Weller, a UCLA graduate and die-hard fan of the school, was born in Knoxville, Tenn., 86 years ago. He moved to California as a young man, met his wife when he was just 10 or 12 years old and married her when he was 22, Lien said.
Roney said he settled down in Santa Monica to began his career as a wholesale grocery salesman after a tour with the U.S. Army in post-WWII Korea.
“He’s a tremendous person and I’m sure a very good salesman,” Roney said. “He’s jovial, he’s bright, he faces things very realistically and he deals with people very, very well.”
Weller has two grandchildren and three great grandchildren, Roney said.
Weller’s friends and neighbors said there is no way the accident was intentional. They expressed sadness and shock over the destruction he caused and said the victims weigh heavy on their minds.
Dr. David Rimer, a long-time friend, once treated Weller for a gastro-intestinal disorder. He and his wife Annie met with the Wellers once or twice a year on social occasions, such as the Fourth of July.
“It’s just one of those tragic things,” Anne Rimer said Thursday. “It’s such a wonderful family and such a tragedy for everyone involved.” City will rent tents and tables to market vendors
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 18, 2003. Read the original PDF.