A San Rafael man accused of attacking a couple inside their home and then trying to abduct a nursing home resident just hours later has pleaded guilty in both cases. David Jonathan Margoliash changed his pleas Wednesday as part of an agreement with Marin County prosecutors, admitting to battery, false imprisonment and a special allegation that he attempted to kidnap an elder.
The cases stem from two incidents in San Rafael early in the morning of Nov. 30, 2024, according to the Marin Independent Journal. Margoliash entered a house on Ross Street, where he struck a resident's head with a flashlight, bit her husband's hand during a struggle and pushed him down a flight of patio stairs. Both victims were treated for their physical injuries at a local hospital, according to the San Rafael Police Department.
After fleeing the residence, Margoliash went to a nursing home on Fifth Avenue, where he pretended to be a patient transport service worker and allegedly tried to abduct a resident, police said. Officers received a call at 5:18 a.m. from the skilled nursing facility in the 1600 block of Fifth Avenue, reporting that a man claiming to work in patient transport wanted to take an elderly patient to Santa Rosa. Facility employees prevented him from taking the patient, and two nurses alerted an officer, who detained Margoliash near the nursing home without incident, per the police department's account.
Charges Booked at the Scene
Police said Margoliash was booked into Marin County Jail on felony burglary, felony assault with a deadly weapon and felony attempted kidnapping charges. A Marin County judge approved a bail enhancement, and he was held without the ability to post bail, according to the same police account. He has remained in Marin County Jail since his arrest.
On Wednesday, Margoliash pleaded guilty to two counts of battery for the Ross Street incident. In the nursing home case, he pleaded guilty to a count of false imprisonment and admitted to a special allegation that he tried to kidnap an elder, the station's report states. Marin County Superior Court Judge Kelly Simmons scheduled his sentencing for Oct. 12, and he faces a maximum sentence of seven years and six months at the county jail.
Pretrial Release From a Prior Attack
At the time of the San Rafael incidents, Margoliash was on pretrial release from jail in connection with an earlier attack at the Islamic Center of North Marin in Novato. That case eventually saw him plead guilty to unlawfully using tear gas, illegally possessing tear gas and displaying an imitation firearm. The Marin Independent Journal's September report states he was sentenced in May to two years in custody, while a separate Marin Independent Journal report from May states he was sentenced to two years in prison for the assault at the Islamic center — the dossier does not resolve which description is accurate.
Margoliash's public defender, Meredith McGuire, declined to comment after Wednesday's hearing, according to the same report.
