[ad#ad-250]Ellie Nesler, who sparked a national debate about vigilantism after killing her son’s accused molester in a courtroom in 1993, has died. She was 56. A spokeswoman for the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento said Nesler died there Friday morning. Nesler had battled breast cancer since 1994 but the cause of death was not announced.
Nesler shot Daniel Driver five times in the head during a break in his preliminary hearing in a Tuolumne County courtroom. Driver had been accused of molesting four boys, including Nesler’s son, Willy.
She was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and served three years of a 10-year sentence before winning an appeal based on jury misconduct.
The case became a 1999 TV movie, “Judgment Day: The Ellie Nesler Story.
