The three of them had so many things in common -- all studying to be engineers at UC Santa Barbara, all from immigrant Chinese families, all grew up in the Bay Area -- that it seems inevitable they would have found each other once they left home. But three days after Cheng Yuan "James" Hong, George Chen and Weihan "David" Wang were savagely murdered in the first grotesque spasm of a killing spree by Elliot Rodger near the university campus, there were more questions than answers about how two of them came to be their killer's roommates.
UC Santa Barbara students walk past a sign showing support for the college community May 25, 2014, in the Isla Vista area near Goleta. (Chris Carlson/AP)
They were remembered by neighbors who conceded they didn't know the three young men well as "very quiet" and "shy," always "genuine" and unfailingly "friendly." One neighbor recalled they liked to play video games and rarely went out. After only two years on campus, Hong, at 20, was listed as a senior in the College of Engineering, and like his friends, he studied so hard and spoke up so seldom that little was known about him -- or any them -- outside of their immediate circle.
Rodger, on the other hand, was only at a loss for words around women. He left behind a rambling 137-page screed before he went on his rampage Friday, carefully laying out how he planned to lure unsuspecting victims into his apartment using "trickery," and kill them there. But there was an obstacle to the success of his meticulous plan. "The first people I would have to kill are my two housemates to secure the entire apartment for myself as my personal torture and killing chamber," he wrote. Hong and Chen, both from San Jose, were listed on the lease, and Wang, who came from Fremont, was evidently a frequent visitor.
In the diatribe he posted online before his killing spree, Rodger plotted to knock them out with a hammer then slit their throats. On Saturday, sheriff's deputies removed evidence bags from the apartment, including one grisly item labeled "2 machetes, 1 knife, 1 hammer."
Though the young men's families remained mostly in seclusion before reportedly departing Monday for Santa Barbara to retrieve their son's bodies, Wang's parents came to the door of their home for an interview with NBC Bay Area, at times writhing in agony. "I wish I could go in exchange of my son's life," Jinshuang "Jane" Liu said in the interview. "I'm just heartbroken. What can I do without my son?" She said David was within days of moving out of the apartment because he was upset by loud music Rodger played in the middle of the night.
Wang attended Fremont Christian High School, where he played basketball and loved to talk with friends about the NBA. The school has announced plans to dedicate a garden near the basketball court in his honor. "I remember seeing him everyday in study hall, and we would talk about NBA games that happened the night before," his friend, Eugene Eisenman, wrote on Facebook. Then they would talk about trades that could happen.
"My son, my whole life," Jane Liu said, "I'm so proud of him."
Belying his reserved nature, Hong was a "drama kid" at Lynbrook High School, happy to work backstage to ensure that his classmates could shine, said Laurel Cohen, his drama teacher.
"James was shy, quiet, gentle, sweet, kind and most respectful," Cohen said. "Not someone who easily could engage in conversation. But I remember his earnest nature, conviction, honesty and mostly his smile; it lit up a room.
"Backstage he was an unsung hero, moving in and out of the shadows unnoticed and silent," she added. "He would do anything for the sake of the show. I often wonder why certain students take drama, but with James it was easy. He loved the process and the people. James was a drama kid. I will always remember him as such."
Maria Jackson, assistant principal at Lynbrook, remembered Hong fondly and described him as "quiet and very sweet," and a diligent and accomplished student. Jackson said she spoke with Hong's father Monday to offer condolences and the support of the school community, of which Hong was a part for four years. Because the tragedy unfolded at the start of a holiday weekend, the school was preparing for grief-stricken students when school resumes Tuesday, making additional counseling and support services available to students and staff. The campus Monday was empty because of Memorial Day.
Despite their age and computer savvy, none of three appeared particularly active on social media. In one of his first Facebook posts four years ago, Hong wrote, "I am such a nerd. ... I got 800s on both my math and chinese sats, but I'm Chinese, so those test scores don't mean anything ..."
Chen was only 19, and until he left for a college experience that he expected to be the beginning of his adult life -- not the end of it -- he lived with his parents and younger brother on Elwood Road in San Jose. On Monday morning, the well-manicured street of single family homes was quiet, with shoes lined up outside the front doors that no one wanted to answer. "This is indeed very sad and tragic news for his family and our community," said Devin Blizzard, principal at Williams Elementary School, where Chen's younger brother is a student.
Otherwise, like the lost young men themselves, it was very quiet. Now, and seemingly forevermore.
Contact Bruce Newman at 408-920-5004. Follow him at http://ift.tt/NmrMVK.
memorial service
UC Santa Barbara plans to hold a memorial service at 4 p.m. Tuesday in Harder Stadium on the 21,685-student campus to mourn and remember the six who were killed. Classes have been canceled for the day.
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