Conviction is in but pain remains

Alex Coolman

Three red roses.

Sitting on the sidewalk at the corner of Santa Ana Avenue and Magnolia

Street in Costa Mesa on Friday, the flowers bore simple testament to the

suffering caused by Steven Allen Abrams through his actions at the site

on May 3, 1999.

On that day, Abrams drove his 1967 Cadillac over the curb of the

corner and onto the playground of the Southcoast Early Childhood Learning

Center, killing two children and injuring several other people.

On Thursday, an Orange County Superior Court jury found Abrams guilty

of two counts of murder and seven counts of attempted murder.

But the flowers, which lay below a plaque dedicated to Sierra Soto and

Brandon Wiener, the children killed in the incident, were the only

outward expression of reaction to the verdicts that could be found at the

preschool.

Day care officials declined to comment on the case, as did a woman who

picked up several children from the center Friday afternoon.

“It’s been a long year,” she said.

The families of the victims are also keeping quiet, acting on the

advice of Deputy Dist. Atty. Debora Lloyd, who is concerned about

preventing a mistrial.

“We’ve been advised not to say anything yet,” said Cindy Soto,

Sierra’s mother.

Though Abrams has been found guilty, a new phase of the trial will

begin Monday to determine whether he is legally insane. If he is found to

be insane, he could be committed to a mental health institution, Lloyd

said.

If Abrams is found to be sane, he could face the death penalty.

At the Small World Preschool, which is only a few blocks away from the

Southcoast center, assistant director Marcella Garcia said she had little

doubt about Abrams’ mental condition.

“If someone can just run into a preschool without any remorse, there’s

no way he can be sane,” Garcia said.

But she said she didn’t know what kind of punishment Abrams’ actions

deserved.

“That one’s trickier,” she said. “As much as I know he needs to be

punished, any punishment they give him will not bring those kids back.

That’s what’s so sad for the family.”

Speaking from his restaurant on Newport Boulevard, Costa Mesa Mayor

Gary Monahan expressed relief at the trial’s outcome.

“Anything else would have been a fiasco,” Monahan said. “I’m just glad

to see [the verdict] happen so quickly, and I hope there will be a

justifiable penalty coming forward.”