Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: 10/31/05

Contact person(s):

Media Coordinator, Donna Edwards - (707) 565-3099 Media Spokesperson, District Attorney Stephan Passalacqua Deputy District Attorney: Robert Waner

Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California

DEFENDANT FOUND GUILTY OF ATTEMPTED MURDER
IN PARKING LOT ATTACK IN ROHNERT PARK

Sonoma County District Attorney Stephan Passalacqua announced today that on October 28, 2005, after one day of deliberation, a jury found Daniel Vanguilder guilty of five counts of attempted murder, which included two counts of premeditated attempted murder on his two daughters, ages 4 and 6 at the time. He was also found guilty of six counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of making a criminal threat while using a knife.

The charges stem from a car rampage in Rohnert Park on July 30, 2004. After an argument with his then wife, the defendant threw down a bottle of prescription pills, threatened suicide, got into his Blazer, and began to chase after his wife and two daughters through Rohnert Park. Vanguilder pursued his wife and children into the Target parking lot where he began to forcefully ram their van over and over again.

At one point the wife got out of the van and attempted to divert Vanguilder’s attention away from the van carrying the girls and tried to calm him down. She was unsuccessful in her efforts and in the process was punched repeatedly in the chest by Vanguilder. He finally threatened his wife at knife point to get into the Blazer or he would kill their two girls. Concerned citizens immediately helped take the two young girls away from the van.

Vanguilder accelerated at full speed toward his two small children. The three adults who had been comforting the girls, managed to pull them out of the way of the speeding Blazer before it crashed into another vehicle.

The defendant’s sentencing date will be determined this Friday. Vanguilder faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life and is in custody on a no bail status. Vanguilder has previous convictions for stalking and terrorist threats.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Robert Waner. He was assisted by District Attorney Investigator Kim Dayton, Domestic Violence Counselor Michelle Carstensen, Legal Secretary Jennifer Zunino, Legal Assistant Patti Davis, and Information Specialist John Magsamen.