Russell Phay, the man charged with breaking into the home of Beanie Babies mogul Ty Warner and savagely beating a woman there into a coma, told investigators that Katy Perry had directed him to the Montecito estate through a “head-link” he shared with the pop star.
That was among the bizarre and disturbing testimony delivered at a preliminary hearing in the kidnapping and attempted murder case against Phay, a Nevada resident and military veteran with a long history of violent offenses. Phay was held to answer to all charges, and his next hearing is scheduled for February 2, 2026.
Detective Matthew Maxwell told the court that Phay believed he was married to Perry, another Montecito resident, and that she wanted him to go to the Channel Drive property. Phay thought it was Perry’s home, Maxwell said, and no one was supposed to be inside.
When Phay encountered the victim ― 60-year-old Linda Malek-Aslanian, Warner’s employee and girlfriend who lived at the estate ― he believed she was Perry’s mother who had been molesting her, Maxwell said. The ensuing attack was caught on camera and showed Phay kicking and stomping Malek-Aslanian before dragging her outside and dumping her in a pond.
Warner was home at the time in his kitchen when he heard a “blood-curdling scream” coming from another room, Maxwell testified. Warner rushed to investigate and encountered Phay, who chased him through the house. Warner made it to the garage and fled the property in his Mercedes to the nearby Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore, where he directed an employee to call 9-1-1.
When police arrived at Warner’s home, Phay ― a large man at 6’3” and 250 pounds ― barricaded himself in a second-story bathroom before jumping out a window. He was soon after tased and taken into custody with the help of multiple K-9 units.
At a previous hearing, Phay was deemed competent to stand trial after two psychological experts testified he understood the nature of the criminal proceedings against him and was able to rationally assist his own defense. Malek-Aslanian’s current condition is unknown.
Just days before the May break-in, Phay violently assaulted another woman, Maxwell testified. Phay had walked onto the Arroyo Quemado property of Elaine Jensen and started to drink from her garden hose. When Jensen asked him to stop, Phay attacked her for “infringing on his basic right to water,” Maxwell said. A Marborg driver on his pick-up route found Jensen unconscious in her front yard and called police.
Phay told investigators he thought he’d killed both women, and he was shocked to hear Jensen had survived. He said he’d witnessed Jensen’s soul leave her body, and if she was in fact still alive, “she would be a zombie.”
Soon after his arrest, Phay’s family told reporters they had tried to warn officials that he was dangerous. They described him as a once-loving and kind person whose schizophrenia left him erratic and unrecognizable. His criminal history spans multiple states, including a felony conviction in 2021 in Colorado for assaulting someone with a baseball bat.
Phay served four years in the Army and was scheduled to deploy to Kuwait before his tour of duty expired and he was discharged. Upon returning to civilian life, his relationship with his wife soured, and when she tried to flee with their son, he attacked her with sufficient violence to serve time behind bars.
In a 2014 interview with S.F. Gate about a criminal diversion program for veterans with mental health issues, Phay said: “I am fully trained for combat. I have been trained to eliminate you. I know that sounds crazy, but it is true.”
In their charging documents, Santa Barbara prosecutors filed special allegations against Phay, stating he posed a serious danger to society, that his prior criminal offenses were both numerous and of increasing severity, and that his performance while on probation, parole, and post-release supervision was “unsatisfactory.” He is being held in County Jail without bail.
You must be logged in to post a comment.