Suspect in Stabbing Faces Murder Charge
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Category: News > City > Courts
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.
Contact Carol Yur at cyur@dailycal.org.
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