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Photo: Courtesy of Santa Barbara Count Sheriff Department - Additional deputies along with the CHP and Santa Barbara Police made a perimeter around the residence and re-routed traffic away from Channel Drive |
Montecito, Calif. – On Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at approximately 4:31 p.m., deputies responded to an unknown type problem at a private residence in the 1000-block of Fairway Road. A suspect taken into custody after violently attacking a stranger inside a private residence and barricading himself from deputies.The initial report was a possible vehicle theft or home invasion robbery in progress. The suspect was identified as 43-year-old Russell Maxwell Phay from Nevada.
The address was revealed to be the California mansion of Beanie Babies billionaire Ty Warner. Russell Phay’s family said that beginning on May 19 — two days before the alleged assault that left the victim Linda Malek-Aslanian in a coma — his siblings repeatedly called the state agency in Colorado that oversees parolees and tried to sound the alarm. “We left multiple messages over the course of the week expressing our fear that Russell was spiraling and could harm someone,” the family said in the statement, referring to the Colorado Department of Corrections.For many years, they said, Phay has experienced severe schizophrenia, a condition that they said transformed him from a kind, loving child into a person who is unstable, at times violent and no longer recognizable. Malek-Aslanian's LinkedIn profile identifies her as a financial services professional from New York but it was not revealed why she was at the mansion.
When deputies arrived on scene, they found a female assault victim who had sustained severe injuries outside the residence. The victim was immediately transported to an area hospital by ambulance. Deputies learned that a male suspect was still inside the residence, but it was unclear if all occupants had safely escaped.
Deputies entered the residence to check for additional victims and determined that all other occupants of the home had escaped. Deputies located the suspect barricaded in an upstairs restroom.
Santa Barbara County Air Support also responded to the area to assist with observations overhead. While deputies attempted to determine if there were possible hostages, the Sheriff’s Office Special Enforcement Team and Crisis Negotiation Team responded with Bearcat armored rescue vehicles.
Deputies, including a crisis intervention trained Co-Response Team deputy attempted to talk the suspect out of the bathroom. The suspect attempted to flee by climbing out of a second story bathroom window. He jumped to the ground where he was apprehended by deputies and a Sheriff’s K9.
Phay was booked at the Santa Barbara County Jail for misdemeanor obstruction and felonies including burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, battery with serious bodily injury, and kidnapping. He is being held on $100,000 bail.
This investigation remains ongoing. At this point, Authorities haven’t said why they believe Phay broke into Warner’s home in Montecito, the wealthy enclave just outside Santa Barbara, and assaulted Malek-Aslanian.