'He Was Just Off'

 

 

 

 

 

'He Was Just Off'

 

 

Students and faculty say Cho Seung-Hui seldom spoke, and gave feedback to his fellow English students only in writing. His own work so worried professors that authorities were notified. Portrait of a killer.

Virginia State Police-AP A police handout of Cho Seung-Hui, a student from South Korea identified by Virginia Tech officials as the shooter in the campus massacre. Police believe he turned his gun on himself after killing 31 others.  View related photos

By Pat Wingert, Lynn Waddell and Arian Campo-Flores

Newsweek

Updated: 8:03 p.m. ET April 17, 2007

 

 

April 17, 2007 - Anna Brown recognized the face immediately. Working her shift at the Inn at Virginia Tech on Tuesday morning, she saw a TV screen flash a photograph of Cho Seung-Hui, the student accused of slaughtering at least 32 students on campus before killing himself. Brown, 23, recalled Cho as the eerie introvert from her playwriting class last semester. He never spoke, always looked down and sat as far away from the professor as possible. "He just sat there," she says. "He was ｅxpressionless.... He was just off, in a very creepy way." Brown even used to kid with her friends after class that he was "the kind of guy who might go on a rampage killing."

But what really jarred Brown were Cho's writings. As part of the workshop, students critiqued each other's assignments. She recalls one of Cho's in particular that featured a boy filled with rage at his pedophile stepfather, who molests him. The play, which was obtained by The Smoking Gun, was titled "Richard McBeef." In it, the boy, 13-year-old John, reacts with disgust when his stepfather, Richard, rests his hand on John's lap. "I will not be molested by an aging balding overweight pedophilic stepdad named Dick!" says John. "Get your hands off me you sicko!" What follow are venomous, profanity-laced exchanges between John and Richard, as John's mother tries unsuccessfully to defuse the situation. "I hate him," John says to himself later in his room, throwing darts at a picture of his stepfather. "Must kill Dick. Must kill Dick. Dick must die. Kill Dick." The play ends with John trying to shove a banana cereal bar down Richard's throat and Richard responding with a "deadly blow."

Brown wasn't the only one who was uncomfortable. The English Department faculty grew sufficiently concerned about Cho's writing and antisocial behavior that they contacted university counselors and school police. (One faculty member, who requested anonymity because the university has asked professors not to talk to the press about the shootings, says he believes Blacksburg's police department was also contacted. When asked whether school administrators or faculty had ever talked to the force about Cho, Lt. Bruce Bradbery, a spokesman for the Blacksburg force, said "not that I'm aware of.")

The portrait gradually emerging of Cho is of a withdrawn and troubled soul. An immigrant from South Korea, Cho, 23, arrived in the U.S. via Detroit in 1992. He was a legal permanent resident who renewed his green card in 2003. He was in his senior year at Virginia Tech, where he was an English major. His parents, who live in a beige-paneled row house in Centreville, Va., outside Washington, D.C., seemed similarly withdrawn. Neighbors there say the couple mostly kept to themselves, possibly because of their limited English. "We just got the occasional wave," says neighbor Marshall Main, who saw the family leave on Monday night after a lengthy visit from police. Another neighbor, Adele Higgins, said that Cho's parents "seemed friendly" and would sometimes nod hello, but "we never carried on a conversation."

Cho himself, however, seldom seemed to extend himself even that far, according to people at Virginia Tech interviewed by NEWSWEEK. An English professor who taught him said Cho attended class regularly, always wearing drab clothes and a baseball cap that seemed to offer him a sort of protective cover. He never seemed to interact with other students. Rather than comment verbally about his peers' works, he would only do so in writing. His own work was "very adolescent" and "silly," with attempts at "slapstick comedy" and "elements of violence," says this professor, who declined to be named because the English department asked professors not to speak to the press. "What was disturbing was that he wouldn't speak," the professor says. "I tried to make him laugh. I would try to loosen him up, put an arm around his shoulder. But this kid was not going to speak. That was an unusual sign."

The professor reported his concerns to administrators in the English department, he says. He wasn't the first: Cho had been a topic of discussion among the faculty for some time. "He was referred by the English department to counselors," says the professor. And "according to the director of the program, the police were also notified ... It was obvious that he was troubled." (A Virginia Tech spokesperson said that the university and its police department wouldn't comment outside of official news conferences.)

Cho's roommate at Harper Hall, Joe Aust, also found Cho unsettling. Though the two had lived together all year, Cho was "extremely antisocial" and offered only monosyllabic responses to questions, says Aust, 19. "I would see him walking to class and I would say 'hey' to him and he wouldn't even look at me," says Aust. Cho didn't appear to have any friends or a girlfriend, as far as Aust could see. He didn't hang out much in the room, but when he did, it was often in silence as he downloaded music. Cho kept his part of the room sterile and austere, with no decorations. Another possibly telling observation: Cho was on medication, says Aust, who couldn't determine exactly what it was for. But Aust saw no signs that Cho had a gun or a penchant for firearms.

By the time Aust woke up Monday morning to make his 9 a.m. class, he says, Cho was gone. Aust didn't return to his room until noon. When Cho failed to show up that evening, he didn't find it strange, since his roommate didn't spend a lot of time at the dorm. But when the police showed up on Monday night and explained who they thought his roommate was, Aust was flabbergasted. He says police took all of Cho's belongings, along with Aust's laptop. "I'm still a little shocked," said Aust on Tuesday, as he packed his things to head home for a while. Many of those who encountered Cho during his years at Virginia Tech are surely just as shaken.

Holly Bailey, Eve Conant, Daren Briscoe and Catharine Skipp contributed to this report.

ⓒ 2007 Newsweek, Inc. | 

 

 

 

The Victims

Their ages ranged from 18 to over 70. They came from nearby states, as well as countries like India and Israel. Remembering those who died during the shooting rampage at Virginia Tech.

web exclusive

Newsweek

Updated: 10:35 a.m. ET April 18, 2007

April 17, 2007 -

NAME: Ross Abdallah Alameddine
AGE: 20
HOMETOWN: Saugus, Mass.
A sophomore English major who was gunned down in French class, Alameddine was a graduate of Austin Preparatory School in Reading, Mass. A memorial page on Facebook.com described Alameddine as "an intelligent, funny, easygoing guy." "You're such an amazing kid, Ross," wrote Zach Allen, who also attended Austin Prep. "You always made me smile, and you always knew the right thing to do or say to cheer anyone up."

 

Courtesy memory39.com

NAME: Jamie Bishop
AGE: 35
HOMETOWN: UNKNOWN
An instructor in German and German literature, Bishop was known for his gentle manner, long hair and being a movie buff. He received his undergraduate and master's degrees from the University of Georgia. He was the son of author Michael Bishop.

 

NAME: Brian Bluhm
AGE: Unknown
HOMETOWN: Unknown
Bluhm was a graduate student in civil engineering

Ryan A. Bing / WSLS News-AP

NAME: Ryan "Stack" Clark
AGE: 22
HOMETOWN: Martinez, Ga.
A biology, English and psychology major, Clark was one of the first victims. A senior and student resident adviser at West Ambler Johnston Hall, he was apparently rushing over to investigate gunshots when he came upon the gunman. Clark was a member of the university’s marching band, the Marching Virginians. The band’s Web site has an image of him participating in a food drive. According to fellow students, he enjoyed making T shirts and haggling with street vendors. Clark had hoped to pursue a doctorate in psychology, with a focus on cognitive neuroscience. Just a month from graduation, Clark carried a 4.0 grade-point average. "He was just one of the greatest people you could possibly know," said friend Gregory Walton, who graduated last year. "He was always smiling, always laughing. I don’t think I ever saw him mad in the five years I knew him."

 

NAME: Rachael Hill
AGE:18
HOMETOWN: Unknown
Hill was a freshman at Virginia Tech and a graduate of Grove Avenue Christian School in Henrico County. Father, Guy Hill of Glen Allen, said his daughter was studying biology at the university.

NAME: Henry Lee,
AGE: Unknown
HOMETOWN: Roanoke, Va.
A freshman, Lee was a computer engineering and French major. His hobbies included racquetball and Frisbee. "I'm just your typical short Asian (Chinese) guy," he once wrote.

NAME: Jocelyne Couture-Nowak
AGE: Unknown
HOMETOWN: Former Montreal, Quebec, resident.
Couture-Nowak was a French-language teacher who taught at Virginia Tech along with her husband, Jerzy Nowak, a horticulture professor.

Perez family-AP

NAME: Daniel Perez Cueva
AGE: 21.
HOMETOWN: Lima, Peru
Cueva’s father, Flavio Perez, spoke to RPP radio in Peru about the death of his son. Perez, who lives in Peru, said he was trying to obtain a humanitarian visa from the U.S. consulate. Mother Betty Cueva has lived in the United States for six years. A spokesman at the U.S. Embassy in Lima said the student's father "will receive all the attention possible when he applies" for the visa.

 

Virginia Tech-Reuters

NAME: Kevin P. Granata
AGE: 46
HOMETOWN: Unknown
Granata was an engineering science and mechanics professor. His office was in room 307, the third floor of Norris Hall, the building where most of the victims died. Granata was described by the dean of engineering, Ishwar K. Puri, as a "world-class" researcher and mentor to students. Puri also said Granata was one of the top five biomechanics researchers in the country, working on movement dynamics in cerebral palsy. Dr. Granata and his students studied neuromuscular control, researching robotics, muscle and reflex response, and the mechanics of how people walk and run. He served in the military, earned his undergraduate and doctoral degrees at Ohio State University, and later conducted orthopedic research in hospitals. He taught at the University of Virginia between 1997 and 2003, before joining the faculty at Virginia Tech.

Engineering professor Demetri Telionis said of Granata: "With so many research projects and graduate students, he still found time to spend with his family and he coached his children in many sports and extracurricular activities," Telionis said. "He was a wonderful family man. We will all miss him dearly."

Times Herald Record-AP

NAME: Caitlin Hammaren
AGE: 19.
HOMETOWN: Westtown, N.Y.
Hammaren was a sophomore, majoring in international studies and French. "She was just one of the most outstanding young individuals that I’ve had the privilege of working with in my 31 years as an educator," said John Latini, principal of Minisink Valley High School, where Hammaren graduated in 2005. "Caitlin was a leader among our students."

 

The Courier-Express / Tri-County Sunday

NAME: Jeremy Herbstritt,
AGE: Unknown
HOMETOWN:  Johnstown, Pa.
A graduate student in engineering, he had received his bachelor's degree from Penn State.

 

NAME: Emily Hilscher
AGE: 19
HOMETOWN: Woodville, Va.
Hilscher was a freshman, majoring in animal and poultry sciences. "She worked at a veterinarian's office and cared about [animals] her whole life," said family friend and Rappahannock County Administrator John W. McCarthy. Hilscher lived on the same dorm floor as victim Ryan Clark, McCarthy said. A friend, Will Nachless, also 19, was quoted as saying that Hilscher "was always very friendly. Before I even knew her, I thought she was very outgoing, friendly and helpful, and she was great in chemistry."

Family photo via AP

NAME: Jarrett Lane
AGE: Unknown
HOMETOWN: Narrows, Va.
Lane was a senior, majoring in civil engineering.

 

Stevens Photography-AP

NAME: Matthew La Porte
AGE: 22
HOMETOWN: Dumont, N.J.
On his Myspace.com profile, LaPorte?a freshman majoring in university studies?gave himself the Viking-inspired nickname of Mottull Oakenhawk. He last logged into his MySpace page on April 15?the day before he died. According to his purevolume.com profile, he was into art, the military, heavy metal (one of his favorite artists was Metallica) and even the paranormal. on that same Web page he wrote in the “blog” box: “Matt La Porte has led an uneventful life, and thus has yet to post any entries.” He was studying political science and French at Virginia Tech. He was also a member of the Corps of Cadets, the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets band, the Highty-Tighties and the U.S. Air Force ROTC, according to his MySpace page.

NAME: Henry Lee
AGE: Unknown
HOMETOWN: Roanoke, Va.
Lee was a freshman, majoring in computer engineering.

Librescu Family-AP

NAME: Liviu Librescu
AGE:  Mid-70s
HOMETOWN: Former resident of Israel
Liviu Librescu, a senior researcher and lecturer in engineering, was a Holocaust survivor who immigrated to Israel from Romania with his wife, Marlina, also a survivor, in 1978. Librescu was an expert in aeronautics, teaching at Tel Aviv University and the Haifa Technion before moving to the United States in 1984.

According to eyewitness accounts, Librescu and the class heard shooting in a nearby room. The students said their professor blocked the doorway with his body to stop the gunman from entering. Some students took cover underneath desks while others jumped out windows. Librescu’s son Joe Librescu told Ynet, the Web site of the Hebrew daily Yediot Aharonot: "I understand from friends that my father was a hero. By blocking the door with his body he saved all the students who were in the classroom."

NAME: G.V. Loganathan
AGE: 51
HOMETOWN: Chennia, India
Loganathan was a lecturer at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Born in the southern Indian city of Chennai, he had been at Virginia Tech since 1982. He won several awards for excellence in teaching, had served on the faculty senate and was an adviser to about 75 undergraduate students.

"We all feel like we have had an electric shock. We do not know what to do," his brother G.V. Palanivel told the NDTV news channel from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. "He has been a driving force for all of us, the guiding force."

NAME: Lauren McCain
AGE: 20
HOMETOWN: Hampton, Va.
McCain was planning to major in International Studies.

NAME: Daniel O'Neil
AGE: 22
HOMETOWN: Lincoln, R.I.
A graduate student in engineering, O’Neil played guitar and wrote his own songs and posted them on a Web site, <http://www.residenthippy.com>. O'Neil graduated in 2002 from Lincoln High School in Rhode Island and graduated from Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., before enrolling in Virginia Tech, where he was also a teaching assistant.

Friend Steve Craveiro told The Associated Press. "He would come home from school over the summer and talk about projects, about building bridges and stuff like that. He loved his family. He was pretty much destined to be extremely successful. He just didn't deserve to have happen what happened."

Ortiz family via AP

Juan Ortiz,
AGE: Unknown
HOMETOWN: Puerto Rico
Ortiz was a graduate student in civil engineering.

 

NAME: Erin Peterson,
AGE: 18
HOMETOWN: Centreville, Virginia
Peterson was a freshman

NAME: Julia Pryde
AGE: Unknown,
HOMETOWN: Middletown, N.J.
A graduate student, Pryde is remembered as an exceptional student and for her sweet demeanor.

NAME: Mary Karen Read
AGE: 19
HOMETOWN: Annandale, Va.
Born in South Korea, Read was from an Air Force family and lived in Texas and California before settling in the northern Virginia suburb of Annandale. According to her aunt Karen Kuppinger, Read considered a handful of colleges, including nearby George Mason University, before choosing Tech. It was a popular destination among her Annandale High School classmates, according to her aunt. She had yet to declare a major. Kuppinger said her niece had struggled adjusting to campus life but had recently begun making friends and looking into a sorority. "I think she wanted to try to spread her wings," said Kuppinger.

Westfield High School-AP

NAME: Reema Samaha
AGE: 18
HOMETOWN: Centreville, Va
A freshman, Samaha was shot and killed in her French class. According to tributes posted by friends online, she was an avid dancer and actor who performed with the school’s Contemporary Dance Ensemble. As a high- school student, she won awards for her performances, including one for her role in "Fiddler on the Roof." Nicole Bonfiglio, a fellow student at Virginia Tech, remembered Reema in a tribute on the Web site Facebook as one of my first friends in high school," adding, "We sat next to each other in bio freshman year. Reema ... you were so kind ... you were one of the kindest people i met that year and throughout high school. Nobody ever had anything but good things to say about you."
Her brother Omar, a Virginia Tech graduate, told NBC’s "Today" show that she was shot dead while in French class. Her sister Rhonda added that "she was pretty much my second half, we did everything together. I looked up to her, and she looked up to me."

 

NAME: Leslie Sherman
AGE: unknown.
HOMETOWN: Springfield, VA
Sherman was a sophomore, majoring in history and international studies.

NAME: Maxine Turner
AGE: unknown.
HOMETOWN: Vienna, Va.
Turner was a senior, majoring in chemical engineering.

NAME: Nicole White
AGE: 20
HOMETOWN: Hampton Roads, Va.
White was an International Studies major

Editor’s Note: This list will be updated as additional names and information become available

ⓒ 2007 Newsweek, Inc. |  Subscribe to Newsweek