A man who went on a crime spree in Ventura County, which included intentionally striking a group of high school students with a car, killing one of them, has been sentenced to more than 80 years in state prison.
Austin Eis went on a one-day crime spree in April of 2023. He attacked two people at a store in Simi Valley, got into a fight with his family in Camarillo, and then hit a group of students from Westlake High School with his car at a bus stop.
15-year-old Wesley Welling died, and multiple other teens were injured.
In a plea deal, Eis pled guilty to ten felony counts, leading to an 85-years-to-life state prison sentence. He will first be eligible for parole in 24 years. The deal avoided what could have been a long and painful trial for Welling’s family and friends, as well as for the survivors of the attack.
"Hearing the lingering effects that this has had, and how painful it is to talk about it even to this day, to get this negotiated plea, and to get that long a sentence, and the possibility for him to remain in custody is huge," said Senior Deputy District Attorney Amber Lee.
"It is bittersweet. There is no true justice. Wesley is still deceased. His family is still without him. People suffered some permanent disabilities, and there's the trauma, the nightmares. What we were able to accomplish is that we were able to close this chapter, and they are able to heal, in whatever way it means for them," said Lee.
During the sentencing process, family and friends wore T-shirts with his picture, which said “Justice for Wesley.” The teen's father said they are still going through boxes of Wesley's things, and that it’s like going through boxes of pain.
“You left two kids without a brother, and a mother without a son,” said Wesley’s mother, Kelly Welling. On Monday, Eis said he was haunted by the memory of what he had done, and wished he could undo all of it. But Kelly Welling said she could never forgive him.
Emotions ran high as the sentence was finally read Tuesday morning, and a man in the audience lunged at Eis. But, he was stopped before he could reach the convicted killer.
