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After a suicide attempt delayed opening statements, the trial of an 84-year-old Woodside man accused of molesting three young boys is back on track today, Jan. 22, prosecutors said.
Retired attorney Alan Frank Russell is accused of molesting the children of family friends between 1996 and 2008 while away on trips together. The San Mateo County District Attorney’s office charged Russell with 12 counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14, all felonies, and one count of felony possession of child pornography. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and is facing life in prison.
Opening statements were originally scheduled to begin on Jan. 20 but were delayed when Russell’s attorney Peter Goldscheider informed the court that Russell had been hospitalized after attempting suicide with a pellet gun. He is expected to survive his injuries. The suicide attempt was confirmed by the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office. Russell is currently out of custody on a $2.5 million bail and is wearing an ankle monitor.
Russell was originally charged in May 2023 with molesting one victim. Following his arrest, two other boys came forward and a grand jury indicted Russell on additional charges in August 2024.
On Jan. 21, San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Renee Reyna found Russell had “voluntarily absented” himself from the trial, which allows the trial to continue in his absence, overruling the defense’s request for a delay. Reyna also denied the defense’s request for a hearing on Russell’s competency to stand trial. The trial is expected to last two weeks.
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