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Berkeley police arrested Berkeley City College student Andrew Thomas Hoeft-Edenfield, 20, as a suspect for the fatal stabbing of UC Berkeley engineering student Christopher Joseph Wootton on Saturday.  

Wootton, 21, was stabbed once in the upper left portion of his chest, between his ribs, in front of a group of students in the rear parking lot of the Chi Omega sorority house at 2421 Piedmont Ave early Saturday morning.  

Officers from the Berkeley Police Department (BPD) arrived at the site around 2:45 a.m. after receiving a report of someone brandishing a knife and were then directed to 2434 Warring St., where they found a group of college students circling around a man suffering a stab wound to his upper torso. 

Homicide detectives interviewed three witnesses, whose testimony helped track down Hoeft-Edenfield, a Berkeley High School graduate, in Oakland. He was booked into the Berkeley City Jail and charged with one count of murder. 

According to police reports, Hoeft-Edenfield shared details of the incident -- including his involvement in the crime – with the police after the arrest. He is not affiliated with UC Berkeley, the report states. 

In a message to the community on the university's website, UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert J. Birgeneau said Wootton, a senior in engineering, would have graduated this month. 

Wootton’s MySpace profile reveals that he was from Bellflower, Los Angelos County, and that he graduated from Mayfair High School in 2004. His last login on May 1, 2008, describes his mood as “tired.” 

UC Berkeley Police Department spokesperson Officer Mitch Celaya told the Planet that campus police had beefed up security around the fraternities and sororities. 

“Other than that we are not bringing in other people,” he said. “It’s very unfortunate. I understand it happened in accordance to some parties that were going on in the frats. We are going to assist the Berkeley Police Department in their investigation as well as in creating a higher police visibility on campus.” 

According to police reports, a verbal exchange between local students and some other people escalated into a physical fight which ultimately led to the stabbing. Police are not ruling out the role of alcohol in the fight. After stabbing Wooton, Hoeft-Edenfield fled westbound on Channing Way. 

The police reported that Hoeft-Edenfield stabbed Wooton with a folding, buck-style knife which he flung onto the sidewalk on Piedmont. 

Officers discovered the bloody knife Saturday morning during their investigations. Berkeley Fire Department Assistant Chief Gil Dong told the Planet the fire department had responded to a phone call reporting a stabbing in the parking lot of the Chi Omega sorority house. 

Dong said the first fire department vehicle to arrive at the crime scene was the Paramedic Unit. 

“When they were brought into the scene they found a male who looked like he had suffered from stabbing,” he said. 

Paramedics transported Wootton to Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley where he was pronounced dead. 

Shocked fraternity and sorority members were seen crying and comforting each other around the campus today, placing flowers, candles and scribbling messages in memory of Wootton, a Sigma Pi member. 

"This futile and senseless killing is a loss felt by us all, including his teachers, friends, and especially his fraternity brothers at Sigma Pi, where Christopher served both as vice president (2006-07) and pledge educator (2007-08),” Birgeneau's statement said. "… As we enter an already stressful time of year with classes ending, exams approaching, and projects needing to be completed, I hope that you will look after yourself and reach out to your friends and classmates. It is natural and understandable to be deeply shaken when tragedy strikes and when stressful situations occur. Please do not hesitate to make use of the resources we have available for helping to deal with difficult times." 

The message lists several resources for those immediately affected by the incident, including University Health Services at the Tang Center and Counseling and Psychological Services at 642-9494. 

Faculty and staff were directed to CARE Services at 643-7754. 

Campus spokesperson Marie Felde said Wootton's family had been notified and his father, who is from Southern California, is en route to Berkeley. 

“Incidents such as this are not common at all, in fact it’s very, very rare,” Celaya said. 

The last murder of a UC Berkeley student was in 1998, when 20-year-old Kenneth Ishida, a Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity member, was carjacked and kidnapped from the garage of his apartment building. 

The suspects shot and killed Ishida and dumped his body and his car. 

Pictures of Wootton with his fraternity brothers show the nuclear engineering major as a fun-loving person who loved his family, friends and Jesus Christ. “I am a devoted Sigma Pi for life,” a blurb on his Stars and Striped MySpace page says. 

“I am graduating this upcoming May and probably going to Graduate School to pursue a Master or Doctorate in Nuclear Engineering, or just work in the industry … or who knows? … I can’t rock out enough and I’m a die-hard Dodger fan. I’m easy going and enjoy reuniting with old friends so please say hello.” 

In one of his blogs dated April 16, 2006, Wootton recounts being involved in a fight to stand up for one of his fraternity brothers. 

“You probably know me pretty well if you're reading this and the word fight is most likely a shock to you coming from my weekend story but.... it has happened,” he wrote. 

The cause behind Saturday’s argument, which caused Wootton’s slaying in front of at least 20 people, remained unclear as of Saturday night. 

Berkeley police are investigating witnesses who have come forward, and will execute a search warrant for potential items of evidentiary value. Any information about the incident should be directed to the BPD Homicide Detail at 981-5741. 

As news of Wootton’s tragic death spread across the campus, friends and family members posted messages on his web page, which opens to the song “Naïve” by The Kooks. 

“You were always a true gentleman. Cal will always miss you,” wrote Susie. 

“Chris why?” asked another friend. “God only takes the best first … you are going to be everyone’s guardian angel.”