S.F. man’s winning robbery defense: Entered home to board spacecraft

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | April 8, 2015 | By Hamed Aleaziz

[Oldeconomybuyer]

A 41-year-old San Francisco man was acquitted of robbery and other felonies after telling a jury he entered a Mission District home only because a methamphetamine-fueled psychosis led him to believe he needed to board a spaceship to flee the imminent destruction of the earth, the public defender’s office said Wednesday.

ikely to produce great bodily injury and battery with serious bodily injury, his attorneys said. He was convicted of misdemeanor battery and assault, while the jury couldn’t agree on a burglary charge.

In May 2014, defense attorneys said, Aviles ran to a Mission District building while under a delusion that it looked like a spaceship docking station and that he was being chased.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

[Pearls Before Swine]

The StarTrek defense.

[BenLurkin]

Homeowner had no firearm with which to defend herself?

[Flick Lives]

At his trial, Aviles testified that when he woke up, he threw an inflatable exercise ball onto the fire escape in hopes of floating through the galaxy with it.

Quick, get the butterfly net.

[Impala64ssa]

A private home mistaken for an alien space ship? Makes sense, happen all the time.

[ansel12]

This sounds a little like my “Texan” defense that I used once in California.

[Jack Hydrazine]

Don’t know why he didn’t take the bus to L.A. and make a visit to SpaceX in Hawthorne.

[Huskrrrr]

I’ve lived in SF. He may have a winning defense.

[Huskrrrr]

My bad. He WAS acquitted.

[BenLurkin]

a Mission District building while under a delusion that it looked like a spaceship docking station

Need pics for confirmation.

[wally_bert]

Dr. Who noticed one when no one else did.

[GeronL]

he needed a phaser

[BigEdLB]

Did he stand up when this music played?

[PROCON]

he needed a phaser

On stun or kill?

[OttawaFreeper]

Wasn’t it San Francisco where somebody was found not guilty of murder because he ate a box of Twinkies before committing the crime?

[doug from upland]

was it one of these houses? http://io9.com/want-to-live-in-a-spaceship-these-houses-are-for-you-471795908

[Jolla]

Did he stand up when this music played?

I thought that was only done for the National Anthem and when Elvis is on the radio

[lexington minuteman 1775]

It’a San Francisco...it’s possible.
Freegards
LEX

[Billthedrill]

At his trial, Aviles testified that when he woke up, he threw an inflatable exercise ball onto the fire escape in hopes of floating through the galaxy with it. He also loaded a backpack in the apartment with a passport and earthquake kit, attorneys said.

Well, MY intergalactic GO bag already has the inflatable exercise ball in it. This guy just wasn't prepared. I hope he had a towel...

[nuconvert]

“he needed to board a spaceship to flee the imminent destruction of the earth,”

Sure, I’ll buy it