Killing of Daniel Mark Driver

On April 2, 1993, Daniel Mark Driver was fatally shot in a courtroom by Elena Starr Nesler, after Driver had been accused of molesting her son.[1][2][3][4][5] The case was reported on throughout the United States,[2] and the Associated Press wrote that the incident "sparked a national debate about vigilantism".[1]

Killing of Daniel Mark Driver

Nesler made headlines on April 2, 1993, when she killed Daniel Mark Driver[2] - who had been accused of sexually abusing five boys, including Nesler's then-six-year-old son, William - in the courtroom of the Jamestown Justice Court. She fired five shots into Driver's head, killing him instantly. Driver had previous convictions for child molestation.[6]

According to Jon Thurber of the Los Angeles Times, the finding that Nesler was under the influence of methamphetamine when she killed Driver caused the "sympathetic portrait" of herself portrayed by her defense team to "erode".[2] She served 3 1/2 years in jail as her case wound its way through trial and appeal before she pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. Judge William Polley sentenced her to 10 years in prison, describing the murder of Driver as "nothing more than an execution."[7] Nesler was released from prison in 1997.[5]

Later life of Nesler

In 2002, Nesler was convicted of selling and possessing methamphetamine. She was released from a woman's facility near Chowchilla, California in 2006. She died nearly three years later in December 2008[8] of breast cancer at UC Davis Medical Center.[2]

Legacy

The 1999 television film Judgment Day: The Ellie Nesler Story was based upon the incident, starring Christine Lahti as Nesler.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Ellie Nesler killed son's accused molester in courtroom shooting". The Associated Press. December 29, 2008.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Thurber, Jon (December 30, 2008). "Ellie Nesler dies at 56; woman killed her son's accused molester in courtroom". Los Angeles Times.
  3. ^ "US vigilante killer Ellie Nesler dies aged 56". The Daily Telegraph. December 30, 2008.
  4. ^ Frank, Russell (2000). "The Making and Unmaking of a Folk Hero: The Ellie Nesler Story". Western Folklore. 59 (3/4): 197–214. doi:10.2307/1500232. JSTOR 1500232.
  5. ^ a b Stannard, Matthew B.; Writer, Chronicle Staff (December 30, 2008). "Nesler dies - killed man accused of molestation". SFGate.
  6. ^ "Accused Child Molester Slain at Courthouse". Los Angeles Times. April 4, 1993.
  7. ^ "Nesler sentenced to 10 years - UPI Archives". UPI. January 7, 1994. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  8. ^ "Vigilante killer Ellie Nesler dies at 56". Associated Press. December 30, 2008. Retrieved March 9, 2025 – via NBC News.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
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