Student Says He Drowned His Son Mechanical Engineering Events That Led to the Arrest and Arraignment of the CSUF Student

All Across the Country United Against Hate DailyTitaN Cross Country attends its On-campus gay group appeals to www.dailytitan.comOnline first meet SPORTS, p. 8 ASI after assault NEWS, p. 2 Since 1960 Wednesday Volume 83, Issue 7 September 13, 2006 DailyThe Student Voice of California StateTitan University, Fullerton Student Says He Drowned His Son Mechanical engineering events that led to the arrest and arraignment of the CSUF student. student is being held in “He came into the front desk [of Arrest Stuns University police custody the Police Department] on 9:30 Sunday night and told the desk officer that he had killed his son,” Professors, Students BY ADAM LEVY & JOEY T. ENGLISH Petropulos said. “He just came in smiling with joy, Kreiner said. Daily Titan Staff Gideon Walter Omondi a matter-of-fact tone and told the “He was beaming with happiness [email protected] officer what he had done – we don’t ‘worshipped’ his son, that he got his family together.” usually get that.” Kreiner said. “They were going to Gideon Walter Omondi, a 35- Petropulos described the academic adviser says make a good life here.” BY KARL THUNMAN/Daily Titan Staff Photographer year-old Cal State Fullerton student, procedures then taken by the police Omondi was a very hard- LOOKING TO THE FUTURE - President Milton Gordon spoke with appeared Tuesday afternoon in the d e p a r t m e n t working and organized student students and staff alike at the Convocation about the many benefits and f o l l o w i n g BY LAURA lujAN & HARMONY TREVINO advantages of attending Cal State Fullerton. Orange County Superior Court, Daily Titan Staff who was very accurate in his work North Justice Center Fullerton O m o n d i ’ s [email protected] and was held in high esteem by his courthouse for his first arraignment s t a r t l i n g peers, Kreiner said. hearing on charges of first-degree revelation. Gideon Walter Omondi’s Cal “He was very kind, helpful and murder. The on- State Fullerton academic adviser always willing to assist others,” he University Strong, The mechanical engineering major duty officers and final design project professor said. turned himself in to the Fullerton “asked him a knew Omondi as a man who loved Kreiner said he was unaware Police Department Sunday night few qualifying his family, especially his 4-year-old of any mental problems Omondi after he had allegedly drowned his q u e s t i o n s , son, Richard Omondi. may have had. Still Room to Grow 4-year-old son Richard in the then got into Mechanical “He never bathtub of their Fullerton the apartment e n g i n e e r i n g seemed to display President Gordon lays brought in 1991 caused too many apartment. and located his son tucked away professor Jesa any anger over complaints, he said. He was beaming with out a triumphant year Among the highlights of the The short and stocky Omondi, into the bed. [Omondi’s son] was Kreiner said “happiness that he got anything,” he said. clad in an orange jumpsuit, appeared officially pronounced dead at the that he was Around campus, and a bright future 2005 to 2006 academic year were calm from behind the caged links [Placentia-Linda] hospital.” h e a r t b r o k e n his family together. professors and several strong finishes for Titan Placentia- Linda hospital officials athletics. Women’s soccer had the of the court holding cell. He to hear of the They were going to students alike were BY JOE SIMMONS accepted Judge Roger B. Robbins’ would not comment on the case. arrest. strongest finish of any Big West “ also stunned by Daily Titan Copy Chief Petropulos divulged the next O m o n d i ’ s make a good life here. team ever, and Baseball reached offer of a public defender as his the news. [email protected] legal representation and was held sequence of events, which consisted arrest “came to – Jesa Kreiner the semis of the College World Mechanical Engineering Professor George I. without bail upon continuance of of the investigation of the apartment me as a shock Cohn, a professor Series. the arraignment, which is set for and autopsy performed on Richard because I knew Cal State Fullerton had a banner Academically, the college was of electrical year in 2005, and is looking forward Sept. 29. Omondi following the incident. he adored and engineering at able to fill 93 tenure-track positions Orange County Senior Deputy “From what he told us, he worshipped his to more of the same this academic as part of CSUF’s plan to hire 100 CSUF, expressed year, said CSUF President Milton District Attorney Steve McGreevey drowned his son – the evidence son,” Kreiner said. “He talked his sympathy. new faculty members a year from detailed the district attorney’s early doesn’t dispute that,” Petropulos about his son with so much pride Gordon in his speech at the 2006 2005 to 2010. “I think it’s a shame that that University Convocation. outlook on the Omondi case on said. “For all intents and purposes, and so much joy.” kind of things happens,” said “I estimated ... that if we got 80, the courthouse steps following the it looks like a murder.” Kreiner recalled Omondi coming Convocation is something of a we’d be successful,” Gordon said Cohn. “It’s just a sign that there is State of the Union speech for the proceeding. Omondi married his wife Helen into his office one day and sharing something very unbalanced.” with a laugh. Omondi “is going to be in his native Kenya, and then arrived his grief over being separated from campus. CSUF’s nursing master’s degree Cohn did not believe that the In his speech, Gordon stressed charged with first-degree murder,” in the states on a student visa. his family. Omondi had moved pressure of being an engineering has attracted several students, and McGreevey said. “He is eligible for He had been living with his to America, while his family had “the importance of pulling together the education doctorate program student was a factor, and said that and cherishing our differences,” the death penalty.” brother at the Tribeca Apartments stayed behind in Africa. people who opt for engineering do should be accepting applicants in The homicide prosecutor in Fullerton since March of 2006, “When he came, he was very and said that civility is essential to 2007, Gordon said. so because they like the subject. both the democratic and academic intimated that the Omondi case is according to one of Omondi’s lonesome for his wife and his Pasha Abousaeedi, an electrical Gordon said that fundraising going to be handled under special downstairs neighbors who spoke son,” said Kreiner. “He brought in societies. was particularly successful, with a engineering student at CSUF, was The immediate future for circumstances known as “lying-in- with the Daily Titan under condition pictures of them and was hoping in shock to hear the news. 248 percent increase in donations wait,” which refer to heavier penalties of anonymity. he could bring them.” CSUF includes the school’s 50th since 2001. on premeditated acts of crime. When he finally did bring anniversary in 2007. Gordon has The college received more Fullerton Police Lieutenant John his family over, Omondi walked earmarked $400,000 to implement than $16 million dollars in the SEE COURT - PAGE 2 SEE REACTION - PAGE 3 Petropulos explained the chain of into Kreiner’s office, thrilled and ideas, and has already scheduled a 2005 to 2006 academic year. The robotic elephant race. university’s goal for next year is a The real elephants Gordon 7.5 percent increase in donations. The Three Percent Tupac Shakur May Be Gone, But Not Forgotten 10-year aniversary of Gomez said about Tupac. “He’d said. Whether Tupac is dead or not has controversial rapper’s be rapping about … disrespecting “ T h e been the source of many conspiracy women and then his next song people who theories. death is remembered would be ‘Brenda’s Got a Baby.’” know him, “It’s hard to imagine that a guy Tupac’s wide range of social topics know him rapped that much,” said Gomez, BY HARMONY TREVINO & BENJAMIN WEINER was puzzling to some people. well,” Gomez who stopped believing Tupac Daily Titan Staff Was Tupac the sensitive, socially said. “The was alive after 2003. “I think it’s [email protected] conscious artist who went to people who intriguing, the conspiracy theories performance school in Baltimore, don’t really and the fact he’s released more im Gomez still remembers performing songs such as the know about albums since death than while where he was and what he female-empowerment shout-out him should alive.” T was doing when he heard “Keep ya Head Up”? Or was he sit down The theories surrounding Tupac Shakur had been the rapper brandishing guns and and watch a movie like ‘Tupac: Tupac’s death are popular among shot. glamorizing “Thug Life” with Resurrection’ and read his poetry. fans. Besides the fact that so many He was 11 years old at the time, violent, misogynistic lyrics? asked Then maybe they’ll get an idea of songs and videos were released and the Cal State Fullerton English David Menconi of The News and what this is all about.” after his death, the most common major was riding on a YMCA bus Observer in a 10-year obituary for One message has even made its rumors include the theory that the with friends when the news came Tupac published recently.

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