Suspect in Stabbing Faces Murder Charge

The man accused of fatally stabbing UC Berkeley senior Chris Wootton was charged with murder in court yesterday.

Berkeley resident Andrew Hoeft-Edenfield allegedly stabbed Wootton in the parking lot of sorority Chi Omega early Saturday morning.

The murder charge includes possession of a dangerous deadly weapon and infliction of serious bodily injury, said Deputy Public Defender Tony Cheng.

Friends and family of Hoeft-Edenfield defended him at court yesterday, describing him as a "decent, sweet kid putting his life together."

Hoeft-Edenfield's mother, Ellen, was visibly distraught when she spoke to press yesterday.

"We do feel this is a tragedy," she said. "We do grieve for the Wootton family. I'm so sorry, I am."

Hoeft-Edenfield, 20, a former Berkeley High School student, was attending Berkeley City College at the time of the incident.

According to police, witnesses to the stabbing said both Hoeft-Edenfield and Wootton were part of a large group involved in a verbal exchange for unknown reasons. Police say alcohol may have been a factor in the incident.

Hoeft-Edenfield admitted he stabbed someone in the crowd, though he did not know whom, police said.

"(Hoeft-Edenfield) did not know Wootton by name or know who he had specifically stabbed, just that he 'connected with someone,'" said Berkeley police Sgt. Mary Kusmiss in an e-mail.

Wootton died en route to a trauma center from a stab wound to the upper torso. He would have graduated with a degree in nuclear engineering later this month.

Rebecca, a family friend who declined to give her last name, said she has known Hoeft-Edenfield since he was 6 years old. She said he was a good friend to her son, always respectful to her, and that the incident was shocking because it seemed out of character.

"I watched him grow up, so this is a shock," she said. "The Andrew I knew is not a boy that glorifies violence."

Cheng did not enter a plea for Hoeft-Edenfield, saying he wanted to review police reports and witness testimonies, among other things, before doing so.

He said he does not anticipate a plea will be entered for several weeks.

Hoeft-Edenfield is scheduled to appear in court on May 8.

Tags: CHRIS WOOTTON, ANDREW HOEFT-EDENFIELD, SIGMA PI, CHI OMEGA