Russell Maxwell Phay, 42, of Henderson, Clark County, Nevada, United States is a U.S. Army veteran. He has lived in different parts of California, USA including Eureka, Pismo Beach, San Francisco and Temecula and in different parts of Utah, USA including Eagle Mountain and Ogden.
Phay came out of the U.S. Army as a trained infantry combat soldier. He took specialized weapons training and served four years in the infantry.
Russell Phay
On January 14, 2013, Phay was sentenced to five days in jail with five days credit for time served and issued a $209.50 fine for violating a protection order. He was then a Eureka resident.
In 2014, Phay allegedly threatened his wife and followed her after she took their son to Colorado, USA. It resulted in a prison sentence but he was released because he was eligible for diversion programs that targeted former military personnel battling mental health issues.
“I am fully trained for combat,” Phay told SFGate after attending Veterans Justice Court in San Francisco on December 24, 2014. “I have been trained to eliminate you. I know that sounds crazy but it is true.”
On December 6, 2017, Phay was charged with assault and battery. He was then a San Francisco resident.
In 2018, Phay was arrested in Siskiyou County, California and charged with battery and assault. In 2024, the case was dismissed.
On the afternoon of May 21, 2025, Phay allegedly broke into a residence in the 1000 block of Fairway Road in Montecito, Santa Barbara County, California. There is no evidence that he knew it was owned by Ty Inc. founder Harold Ty Warner, 80.
At around 4:31 p.m., Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived at the residence and found Linda Malek-Aslanian, 60, outside the residence with severe injuries. Ambulance immediately transported her to a hospital.
Malek-Aslanian was attacked allegedly by Phay. Warner was at the residence during the attack but was not physically harmed.
The deputies learned that Phay was still inside the residence. Additional deputies and officers from the California Highway Patrol and the Santa Barbara Police Department established a perimeter around the residence.
When the deputies entered the residence, they found Phay barricaded in an upstairs restroom and tried to talk him out of the bathroom. He tried to flee by climbing out of a second story bathroom window and jumping to the ground where he was apprehended by the deputies.
Phay was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail in Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County for a misdemeanor obstruction and felonies including burglary, kidnapping, battery with serious bodily injury and assault with a deadly weapon. His bail was set at $100,000.
On May 23, 2025, Phay was arraigned in Santa Barbara County Superior Court in Santa Barbara where he pleaded guilty to all the charges against him. On June 2, 2025, he will attend a preliminary hearing.
CONAN Daily 