San Ramon man found guilty of threatening to kill State Senator Scott Wiener
MARTINEZ -- A Contra Costa County Superior Court jury has had found 51-year-old Erik Triana guilty of threatening the life of State Senator Scott Wiener.
Wednesday's verdict found Triana guilty of seven of the eight counts he faced including weapons charges. Those guilty verdicts included two counts of possessing assault weapons, two counts for manufacturing ghost guns and one count of threatening Weiner's life over a proposed bill involving childhood COVID vaccinations.
Weiner voiced gratitude to jurors for the verdicts and law enforcement for their efforts.
"I'm deeply grateful to the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office, California Highway Patrol, and the court system for taking this death threat — and my personal safety — seriously, and for seeking accountability," he said in a news release. "Death threats against public officials undermine democracy. A public official should make decisions based on what benefits the community, not based on whether a decision will get the official killed. Modern politics can be polarized and toxic, but we must never normalize or tolerate death threats."
Triana was under investigation and ultimately arrested after he sent Wiener a threat through the senator's 'contact me' portal on his website that read: "Vax my kids without my permission and expect a visit from me and my rifle."
The San Ramon father of three signed his message "Amendment, Second" and listed his address as the Moscone Center in San Francisco.
When Wiener testified in the case, he told the jurors that this threat was unlike others his office receives because of the reference to the late San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and the specific threat to use a gun.
Moscone was assassinated along with Supervisor Harvey Milk by former Supervisor Dan White in San Francisco City Hall in 1978.
Deputy District Attorney Stephanie Kang said that Triana sent the message on January 22 -- days after Wiener introduced a bill proposing to allow minors 15 years or older to seek medical care or treatment including vaccines without parental consent.
Witness interviews by police revealed that Triana strongly opposed COVID-19 vaccinations.
Investigators were able to trace the message Triana sent back to a computer he used at his place of employment in Pleasanton.
In March, police obtained a warrant to search Triana's home and car -- where they found an unregistered AR-15 assault weapon with nine loaded magazines and an unserialized privately made 9-mm pistol. Another unserialized pistol was in a backpack in his home, along with two loaded 9mm magazines and two loaded AR-15 style magazines.
"While free speech is a cornerstone of our democracy and a Constitutionally protected right, there is a clear line between political discourse and threats of violence," Kang said in a news release. "The jury's verdict in this case highlights the fact that threats to seriously harm or kill a public servant because of disagreement with their policies is not protected speech and will not be tolerated."
Triana was scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Terri Mockler in Martinez on September 29,