Elliot Rodger

Case record: Elliot Rodger

Parties and overview

Elliot Rodger (July 24, 1991 – May 23, 2014) perpetrated a killing spree in Isla Vista, California, near the campus of University of California, Santa Barbara, on May 23, 2014. Rodger killed six people and injured thirteen others before committing suicide.

Police confirmed Rodger to be the sole perpetrator of the killings.

Timeline

• May 23, 2014 — Rodger committed a stabbing and shooting killing spree in Isla Vista, California, near the campus of University of California, Santa Barbara; he died in his car after a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
• May 24, 2014 — Students and community members gathered at Anisq'Oyo' Park in Isla Vista for a candlelight memorial.
• May 25, 2014 — The Twitter hashtag #YesAllWomen peaked at 61,500 tweets per hour.
• May 26, 2014 — UCSB canceled classes for the following day and scheduled a memorial service for that afternoon; more than 20,000 people attended the memorial service at Harder Stadium on the following day.
• June 10, 2014 — The United States House of Representatives voted to pass House Resolution 608, “Condemning the senseless rampage and mass shooting that took place in Isla Vista, California, on Friday May 23, 2014.”
• June 14, 2014 — By graduation day at UCSB, all surviving victims had been released from the hospital, and five attended graduation ceremonies.
• September 2012 — Rodger visited a shooting range to train himself in firing handguns.
• November 2012 — Rodger purchased his first handgun, a Glock 34 pistol, in Goleta.
• Spring 2013 — Rodger bought two additional handguns, both SIG Sauer P226 pistols.
• July 20, 2013 — Rodger wrote about an incident where he tried to shove “girls” at a party over a ledge, where men then pushed him over, followed by people mocking him and dragging him into the driveway to beat him up.
• July 2011 — Rodger stalked and threw coffee on a couple outside a Starbucks at the Camino Real Marketplace in Goleta.
• July 2012 — Rodger purchased a Super Soaker filled it with orange juice, and used it to spray a group playing kickball at Girsh Park.
• Halloween 2013 — Rodger originally sought to carry out his attack but reconsidered, stating: “[t]here would be too many cops walking around during an event like Halloween, and cops are the only ones who could hinder my plans”.
• January 15, 2014 — Rodger accused his roommate Cheng Yuan Hong of stealing his candles; Hong was arrested and charged with petty theft and pled guilty.
• April 19, 2014 — Rodger posted on Twitter: “Why are girls sexually attracted to obnoxious, brutish men instead of sophisticated gentlemen such as myself? #girls #perverted #sex #unfair,”.
• April 20, 2014 — Rodger posted on Twitter: “Why do girls hate me so much?” and posted a now-deleted YouTube video.
• April 30, 2014 — Rodger’s parents contacted police after becoming alarmed by his behavior and YouTube videos.
• 9:17 p.m. (May 23, 2014) — Rodger uploaded the “Elliot Rodger’s Retribution” video to YouTube.
• 9:18 p.m. (May 23, 2014) — Rodger e-mailed the “My Twisted World” manuscript to acquaintances and family members.
• 9:27 p.m. (May 23, 2014) — Rodger exchanged fire with a sheriff’s deputy who was responding to a 9:27 p.m. 9-1-1 call.
• July 24, 1991 — Elliot Rodger was born in London, England.

The offence (killing spree)

The killing spree began at Rodger’s apartment on Seville Road, where three men were found dead. The victims were described as having been “stabbed to death,” according to most sources. Police removed a knife, a hammer, and two machetes from the apartment, but they had not said which weapon or weapons were used in the murders. Authorities investigated the possibility that all three men were killed while they were sleeping.

Rodger then drove away in his car. He was seen sitting in his car in the parking lot of his apartment building at about 8:30 p.m. working on his laptop. After uploading the “Retribution” video and sending the manuscript email, he drove to the Alpha Phi sorority house at Embarcadero del Norte and Segovia Road. He knocked on the sorority house door for a few minutes; after no one answered, he began shooting people nearby. Two women were killed and a third was wounded.

Rodger then fired at a nearby couple; the man was wounded and the woman received a superficial graze injury.

Returning to his car, he drove to a nearby delicatessen and shot to death a male student who was inside the Delicatessen.

Rodger then sped through Isla Vista, shooting at pedestrians and wounding several of them, and striking four others with his car. He exchanged gunfire with police twice during the killing spree. During one exchange, he received a non-fatal gunshot to the hip.

The rampage ended when his car crashed into a parked vehicle and came to a stop. Police found him dead in the car with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Rodger had uploaded a video to YouTube titled “Elliot Rodger’s Retribution,” in which he outlined details of his upcoming attack and his motivations for the killing spree. YouTube removed the video after the killings, stating it violated their guidelines due to threats of violence.

Authorities also investigated Rodger’s online posts and a 107,000-word manifesto titled “My Twisted World: The Story of Elliot Rodger,” which was made available on the Internet and became widely known as his “manifesto.” In the manifesto, Rodger described childhood, family conflicts, frustration over not being able to find a girlfriend, hatred of women, contempt for racial minorities and interracial couples, and plans for the killing spree.

Locations mentioned during the spree

• Isla Vista, California, near the campus of University of California, Santa Barbara
• Rodger’s apartment on Seville Road
• Alpha Phi sorority house at Embarcadero del Norte and Segovia Road
• Isla Vista Deli Mart on Pardall Road
• “The Loop” formed by Embarcadero del Norte curves near a 7-Eleven convenience store
• Del Playa Drive
• intersections and areas along Isla Vista streets, including:
  • Del Playa near Camino del Sur (Isla Vista Church)
  • Camino del Sur
  • Sabado Tarde
  • intersection with Camino Pescadero
  • near Little Acorn Park
  • El Embarcadero
  • Del Playa (including near Del Playa and Camino Pescadero)

Investigation and preparation

Police investigated twelve separate crime scenes in ten locations.

A search of Rodger’s car recovered three 9mm semi-automatic pistols and more than 400 rounds of unspent ammunition, loaded into 41 ten-round magazines.

The guns were purchased legally in three different cities.

Authorities began searches of separate homes of Rodger’s mother and father.

Police contact and preventive concerns

A deputy contact on April 30 followed a welfare check request made by a relative, presumed to be his mother. Deputies gave Rodger advice and information on where to seek help and then left. Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown later said that deputies “determined he did not meet the criteria for an involuntary hold” and that Rodger told them “it was a misunderstanding”. An investigation considered deputies’ contact with Rodger on April 30, including concerns that deputies did not check statewide gun ownership databases and did not view YouTube videos that caused Rodger’s parents to contact police.

Arrest and custody

No arrest was described during the killing spree because Rodger committed suicide the same day.

Trial

No trial information was provided.

Sentencing

No sentencing information was provided.

Appeals

No appeals information was provided.

Outcome

Rodger committed suicide in his crashed car after the killing spree on May 23, 2014. Police confirmed him as the sole perpetrator.

Aftermath

Injuries and deaths

In total, seven people died, including Rodger, and thirteen others were wounded.

Deaths: apartment stabbings

• George Chen (19)
• Cheng Yuan “James” Hong (20)
• Weihan “David” Wang (20)

Deaths: shooting spree

• Katherine Breann Cooper (22) — shot near sorority house
• Christopher Ross Michaels-Martinez (20) — shot inside deli
• Veronika Elizabeth Weiss (19) — shot near sorority house

Wounded and injured

• Megan Carloto (22) — shot on bicycle
• Keith Cheung (21) — struck on bicycle by Rodger’s car
• Bianca de Kock (20) — shot near sorority house
• Patrick Eggert (19) — struck on bicycle by Rodger’s car
• Elliot Gee — struck on skateboard by Rodger’s car
• Chris Johnson — shot in front of pizza restaurant
• Nick Pasichuke (19) — struck on skateboard by Rodger’s car
• Six unidentified others

Thirteen other people were injured: eight from gunshot wounds and four by blunt trauma sustained when they were struck by Rodger’s vehicle. The thirteenth injury was undetermined.

Hospital treatment and graduation day

Eleven injured people were taken to hospitals, including seven taken to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, where two were admitted in serious condition, one in fair condition, and two in good condition, while the seventh patient was released on the same day. Four other injured people were taken to Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital and were treated and released.

By June 14, graduation day at UCSB, all surviving victims had been released from the hospital, and five attended graduation ceremonies. UCSB also awarded posthumous degrees to the six slain students.

Crime scene processing and recovered items

The search of Rodger’s car recovered three 9mm semi-automatic pistols, more than 400 rounds of unspent ammunition, and 41 ten-round magazines.

Officers from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives began searches of the separate homes of Rodger’s mother and father.

Manuel, emails, and video

Rodger’s last YouTube video was titled “Elliot Rodger’s Retribution.” Police said they were investigating the video.

After Rodger uploaded the video, he e-mailed a lengthy autobiographical manuscript to about a dozen acquaintances and family members. The document, titled “My Twisted World,” became widely known as his “manifesto.”

YouTube removed the video after the killings, citing violation of their guidelines with threats of violence. In the wake of the killings, the video was deleted from Rodger’s account, but copies were repeatedly re-posted by other users.

“Elliot Rodger’s Retribution” — verbatim transcript

“Hi, Elliot Rodger here. Well, this is my last video. It all has to come to this. Tomorrow is the day of retribution, the day I will have my revenge against humanity, against all of you. For the last eight years of my life, since I hit puberty, I've been forced to endure an existence of loneliness, rejection and unfulfilled desires, all because girls have never been attracted to me. Girls gave their affection and sex and love to other men, never to me. I'm 22 years old and still a virgin, never even kissed a girl. And through college, 2 1/2 years, more than that actually, I'm still a virgin. It has been very torturous. College is the time when everyone experiences those things such as sex and fun and pleasure. In those years I've had to rot in loneliness, it's not fair. You forced me to suffer all my life, now I will make you all suffer. I waited a long time for this. - Elliot Rodger.
You girls have never been attracted to me. I don't know why you girls aren't attracted to me but I will punish you all for it. It's an injustice, a crime because I don't know what you don't see in me, I'm the perfect guy and yet you throw yourselves at all these obnoxious men instead of me, the supreme gentleman. I will punish all of you for it. On the day of retribution, I am going to enter the hottest sorority house at UCSB and I will slaughter every single spoiled, stuck-up, blond slut I see inside there. All those girls I've desired so much. They have all rejected me and looked down on me as an inferior man if I ever made a sexual advance toward them, while they throw themselves at these obnoxious brutes. I take great pleasure in slaughtering all of you., You will finally see that I am, in truth, the superior one, the true alpha male. [laughs] Yes, after I have annihilated every single girl in the sorority house, I'll take to the streets of Isla Vista and slay every single person I see there. All those popular kids who live such lives of hedonistic pleasure while I've had to rot in loneliness all these years. They all look down upon me every time I tried to join them, they've all treated me like a mouse. Well, now I will be a god compared to you, you will all be animals, you are animals and I will slaughter you like animals. I'll be a god exacting my retribution on all those who deserve it and you do deserve it just for the crime of living a better life than me. The popular kids, you never accepted me and now you will all pay for it. Girls, all I ever wanted was to love you, be loved by you. I wanted a girlfriend. I wanted sex, love, affection, adoration. You think I'm unworthy of you. That's I crime I can never get over. If I can't have you girls, I will destroy you. [laughs] You denied me a happy life and in turn I will deny all of you life, it's only fair. I hate all of you. Humanity is a disgusting, wretched, depraved species. If I had it in my power I would stop at nothing to reduce every single one of you to mountains of skulls and rivers of blood and rightfully so. You deserve to be annihilated and I will give that to you. You never showed me any mercy so I will show you none. You forced me to suffer all my life, now I will make you all suffer. I waited a long time for this. I'll give you exactly what you deserve, all of you. All you girls who rejected me, looked down upon me, you know, treated me like scum while you gave yourselves to other men. And all of you men for living a better life than me, all of you sexually active men. I hate you. I hate all of you. I can't wait to give you exactly what you deserve, annihilation.”

Manifesto content and plan

In his manifesto, Rodger outlined his plans, describing a “First Phase” and “Second Phase,” and referred to a “War on Women” as the second phase of his plan.

The manifesto said:

• “On the day before the Day of Retribution, I will start the First Phase of my vengeance: Silently killing as many people as I can around Isla Vista by luring them into my apartment through some form of trickery.”
• “The Second Phase will take place on the Day of Retribution itself, just before the climactic massacre. ... My War on Women. ... I will attack the very girls who represent everything I hate in the female gender: The hottest sorority of UCSB.”

Rodger described an imagined plan for women:

“quarantine all [women] in concentration camps. At these camps, the vast majority of the female population will be deliberately starved to death. That would be an efficient and fitting way to kill them all off... I would have an enormous tower built just for myself... and gleefully watch them all die.”

The manifesto also said Rodger planned to kill his half-brother and stepmother, but he was “not mentally prepared to kill his father.”

He wrote in his manifesto that he believed being of mixed race made him “different from the normal fully white kids”.

Quotes and online posts

Online post (forum)

Rodger wrote:

“Full Asian men are disgustingly ugly and white girls would never go for you. You're just butthurt that you were born as an asian piece of shit, so you lash out by linking these fake pictures. You even admit that you wish you were half white. You'll never be half-white and you'll never fulfill your dream of marrying a white woman. I suggest you jump off a bridge.”

The manifesto included:

“How could an inferior, ugly black boy be able to get a white girl and not me? I am beautiful, and I am half white myself. I am descended from British aristocracy. He is descended from slaves.”

“Another sunny day in Santa Barbara” — verbatim description

A three-week-old video titled “Another sunny day in Santa Barbara” included:

“I temporarily took all of my Vlog's down due to the alarm it caused with some people in my family. I will post more updates in the future.”

Twitter posts

Rodger’s Twitter posts included:

• “Why are girls sexually attracted to obnoxious, brutish men instead of sophisticated gentlemen such as myself? #girls #perverted #sex #unfair,”
• “Why do girls hate me so much?”

Other verbatim threats or statements included in the provided material

A transcript fragment attributed to a description of Rodger’s promise in the “Retribution” video included:

• “Tomorrow is the day of retribution, the day in which I will have my revenge against humanity, against all of you.”
• “You forced me to suffer all my life, now I will make you all suffer.”
• “If I can't have you girls, I will destroy you.”
• “You denied me a happy life and in turn I will deny all of you life, it's only fair.”

Controversy over video airing

Several news networks limited use of the “Retribution” video due to fears of copycat crimes, including ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, and MSNBC.

Fox News Channel refused to air the video and instead showed five still photographs at the request of vice president Michael Clemente.

An ABC News spokesman, speaking for network president James Goldston, said:

“James said that unless there is a specific editorial reason to use it, we would err on the side of not using it. We are going to be very judicious about the use of that video, mindful that its continued use turns it into wallpaper.”

Victim reactions and statements

California Governor Jerry Brown offered condolences to the families of victims and said he was “saddened to learn of this senseless tragedy”.

University of California President Janet Napolitano said:

“This is almost the kind of event that's impossible to prevent and almost impossible to predict.”

Delta Delta Delta reacted:

“Tri Delta is devastated to learn of the tragic event at the University of California, Santa Barbara and so very saddened to learn of the death of two of our members. Our hearts go out to their families and our sisters at Gamma Theta. Tri Delta's staff, volunteers and local alumnae are working with the chapter to provide support as they grieve this loss.”

UCSB released:

“Our campus community is shocked and saddened by the events that occurred last night in the nearby community of Isla Vista. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families who are grieving and mourning as a result of this tragedy.”

Rodger’s family issued a statement expressing sympathy, read by the family lawyer:

“We offer our deepest compassion and sympathy to the families involved in this terrible tragedy. We are experiencing the most inconceivable pain and our hearts go out to everyone involved.”

Rodger’s parents later released a written statement:

“We are crying in pain for the victims and their families. It breaks our heart on a level we didn't think possible. The feeling of knowing that it was our son's actions that caused the tragedy can only be described as Hell on earth.”

Memorials and university response

Students and community members gathered at Anisq'Oyo' Park in Isla Vista on May 24 for a candlelight memorial. The pastor of Isla Vista Church made church members “available throughout the weekend for students who would like to receive prayer or need to talk”.

On May 26, UCSB canceled classes for the following day and scheduled a memorial service for that afternoon. More than 20,000 people attended the memorial service at Harder Stadium.

In a written statement for the memorial, UCSB chancellor Henry T. Yang and executive vice-chancellor Joel Michaelsen said:

“This is a period of mourning for all of us. The moving candlelight vigil that our students organized on Saturday evening began the process of healing. On Tuesday we will remember and honor the victims of this horrible event and come together as an academic community to reflect, talk with each other and think about the future.”

Gun control and mental health debate

Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal said:

“A year and half ago it seemed like we were on the verge of, potentially, legislation that would stop the madness and end the insanity that has killed too many young people, thousands, tens of thousands since Sandy Hook. I hope, I really, sincerely hope that this tragedy, this unimaginable, unspeakable tragedy, will provide impetus to bring back measures that would keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people who are severely troubled or deranged like this young man was.”

He also said:

“And I am going to urge that we bring back those bills, maybe reconfigure them to center on mental health, which is a point where we can agree that we need more resources to make the country healthier and to make sure that these kinds of horrific, insane, mad occurrences are stopped. And the Congress will be complicit if we fail to act.”

California Senator Dianne Feinstein blamed the National Rifle Association’s “stranglehold” on gun laws and said “shame on us” in Congress for failing to do something about it.

Pennsylvania Congressman Timothy F. Murphy said:

“a bipartisan mental health overhaul would be a solution and urged Congress to pass it.”

Richard Martinez, father of victim Christopher Michaels-Martinez, spoke about the blame placed on “craven, irresponsible” politicians and the National Rifle Association and later urged the public to join him in “demanding immediate action” from members of Congress regarding gun control. He expressed sympathy toward Rodger’s parents.

Doris A. Fuller, executive director of the Treatment Advocacy Center, said:

“Once again, we are grieving over deaths and devastation caused by a young man who was sending up red flags for danger that failed to produce intervention in time to avert tragedy. In this case, the red flags were so big the killer's parents had called police...and yet the system failed.”

Some California lawmakers called for an investigation into deputies’ contact with Rodger on April 30. At the time of their visit, he had already bought at least two handguns entered into the California gun ownership database. Deputies were unaware because they did not check the statewide gun ownership database. They also did not view the YouTube videos that caused Rodger’s parents to contact them. The sheriff’s office defended deputies’ actions.

Misogyny and social media discussion

The killing spree, videos, and written manifesto sparked discussions about broader issues of violence against women and misogyny.

On May 24, the Twitter hashtag #YesAllWomen was created. The hashtag spread worldwide, reaching 1.5 million tweets and 1.2 billion impressions, and peaked at 61,500 tweets per hour on May 25.

Congress

The United States House of Representatives voted on June 10, 2014 to pass House Resolution 608 titled “Condemning the senseless rampage and mass shooting that took place in Isla Vista, California, on Friday May 23, 2014.” The resolution expressed the sense or opinion of Congress and had no legally binding power.

Rep. Lois Capps said:

“we must not let the drumbeat fall silent. Congress has the power to act and we must.”

Rep. Jackie Speier said:

“Americans, outraged by our inability to get anything done on the issue, are waiting for us to come to our senses and to act.”

The Hill reported:

“no legislative action on gun control is anticipated at this point”.

Background: early life and education

Elliot Rodger was born in London, England and moved to the United States when he was five years old. He was raised in Los Angeles.

Rodger’s mother was Li-Chin Rodger, a Malaysian research assistant for a film company. Rodger’s father was British filmmaker Peter Rodger, whose credits included working as a second unit assistant director for The Hunger Games. Rodger’s stepmother was Moroccan actress Soumaya Akaaboune. His paternal grandfather was photojournalist George Rodger. He had a younger sister and a younger half-brother.

Rodger attended Crespi Carmelite High School, an all-male Catholic school in Encino, Los Angeles, and then Taft High School in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. He graduated from Independence Continuation High School in Lake Balboa, Los Angeles, in 2010.

He attended Santa Barbara City College (SBCC), and in his manifesto he wrote that he dropped out of all his classes in February 2012; the school said he was no longer taking classes.

Background: mental health and social problems

Rodger’s family and associates described mental health treatment. According to his family’s attorney and a family friend, Rodger had seen multiple therapists since he was eight years old and while he was a student at SBCC during his 1999-2000 school year. The lawyer claimed Rodger was “receiving psychiatric treatment,” but Rodger was never formally diagnosed with a mental illness in the provided material.

By the ninth grade, Rodger was described as “increasingly bullied,” and he wrote that he “cried by [himself] at school every day”.

During his time at Crespi Carmelite High, he was bullied by other students who once taped his head to his desk when he fell asleep.

Rodger had a YouTube account and a blog titled “Elliot Rodger’s Official Blog,” containing posts expressing loneliness and rejection.

Rodger wrote that he had been prescribed risperidone but refused to take it, stating:

“After researching this medication, I found that it was the absolute wrong thing for me to take.”

After turning 18, he began rejecting mental health care provided by his family and became increasingly isolated. He claimed he was unable to make friends, while acquaintances said that he rebuffed their attempts to be friendly.

The provided material quoted screenwriter Dale Launer, who stated he had counseled Rodger on approaching and befriending women, and that Rodger did not follow the advice. Launer said in an interview:

“I first met [Rodger] when he was aged eight or nine and I could see then that there was something wrong with him. I'm not a psychologist, but looking back now he strikes me as someone who was broken from the moment of conception.”

A forensic psychologist named J. Reid Meloy was quoted as saying:

“Most people who go through these steps never act out in a violent way, never go beyond contemplation of it,” and “You can’t predict who will and who won’t.”

Background: online presence and misogyny-related posts

Rodger posted on an online forum called PUAHate.com, which described itself as the “Anti-Pickup-Artist Movement” and aimed to reveal “the scams, deception, and misleading marketing techniques used by dating gurus and the seduction community to deceive men and profit from them.” The provided material described threads containing misogynistic themes.

Rodger posted in 2013:

“If you could release a virus that would kill every single man on Earth, except for yourself because you would have the antidote, would you do it? You will be the only man left, with all the females. You would be able to have your pick of any beautiful woman you want, as well as having dealt vengeance on the men who took them from you. Imagine how satisfying that would be.”

The provided material described allegations and commentary about Rodger urging other “incels” to “fight back,” including the statement:

“One day incels will realize their true strength and numbers, and will overthrow this oppressive feminist system,” and “Start envisioning a world where WOMEN FEAR YOU.”

Earlier incidents and preparation (as described)

Incidents involving assault, threats, and harassment

Rodger wrote about a July 20, 2013 incident at a party in which he tried to shove “girls” over a ledge but could not, and men pushed him over. He described feeling a “snap” and “stinging pain,” trying to escape, and later returning for his Gucci sunglasses while people mocked him and dragged him into the driveway to beat him up. One neighbor said Rodger came home crying and claimed he was going to kill the men who attacked him and “kill myself”.

Rodger told investigating officers he had been assaulted, but authorities determined he might have been the aggressor.

Rodger’s manifesto described the incident as the final trigger for planning the killing spree.

In July 2011, Rodger stalked and threw coffee on a couple outside of the Starbucks at the Camino Real Marketplace in Goleta.

In a later incident, he threw coffee on two girls sitting at a bus stop in Isla Vista for not paying attention to him.

In July 2012, he purchased a Super Soaker, filled it with orange juice, and used it to spray a group playing kickball at Girsh Park, as documented in his manifesto.

Rodger originally sought to carry out his attack on Halloween of 2013 but reconsidered, saying:

“[t]here would be too many cops walking around during an event like Halloween, and cops are the only ones who could hinder my plans”.

Training and firearms purchase planning

In September 2012, Rodger visited a shooting range to train himself in firing handguns.

In November 2012, he purchased his first handgun, a Glock 34 pistol, in Goleta, after researching handguns and judging the Glock 34 to be “an efficient and highly accurate weapon,” as documented in his manifesto.

In spring 2013, he bought two additional handguns, both SIG Sauer P226 pistols, writing they were “of a much higher quality than the Glock” and “a lot more efficient.” He purchased the weapons in Oxnard and Burbank.

He saved $5,000 to purchase the weapons and supplies needed, according to his manifesto.

Gun law experts in the provided material said there was nothing in his known history that could have prevented him from making legal gun purchases.

Other details: victims and related information

UCSB victims and their identifiers

All six murder victims were students at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). All were declared dead at the scenes of their attacks.

Apartment co-tenants and investigation scope

• George Chen (19)
• Cheng Yuan “James” Hong (20) Hong and Chen were confirmed as Rodger’s co-tenants according to an apartment lease.
• Weihan “David” Wang (20) Police investigated whether Wang was also a resident or visiting the apartment on the night of the killings.

Sorority victims

Katherine Cooper (22) and Veronika Weiss (19) were members of the Delta Delta Delta sorority. Cooper and Weiss were killed outside the Alpha Phi sorority house.

Veronika Weiss was a first-year student and a water polo player at Westlake High School, with league honors during her senior year, as described in the provided material.

Deli victim

Christopher Michaels-Martinez (20) was shot at the Isla Vista Deli Mart.

Wounded victims hospital release and posthumous degrees

By June 14 graduation day at UCSB, surviving victims had been released from the hospital and five attended graduation ceremonies; UCSB awarded posthumous degrees to the six slain students.

Changes and controversy over video use

Multiple news outlets limited use of the “Retribution” video; Fox News Channel refused to air it and showed still photographs instead.

Parent involvement and police communication

After Rodger’s manifesto e-mail and video upload, Rodger’s therapist phoned his mother. The mother checked Rodger’s YouTube channel and found the “Retribution” video and called Rodger’s father. They left to drive up to Isla Vista. During the drive, the therapist called police in Isla Vista and they arranged to meet on arrival. Hearing a radio news report about a shooting in Isla Vista, Rodger’s mother called the therapist, who told her it was unrelated and said Rodger promised to act the following day. When the parents reached the police station in Isla Vista, they learned the news report was about their son and that he had killed six people.

People (involved individuals mentioned in the provided material)

Perpetrator

• Elliot Rodger (July 24, 1991 – May 23, 2014)

Victims (murdered)

• George Chen (19)
• Cheng Yuan “James” Hong (20)
• Weihan “David” Wang (20)
• Katherine Breann Cooper (22)
• Christopher Ross Michaels-Martinez (20)
• Veronika Elizabeth Weiss (19)

Injured (wounded)

• Megan Carloto (22)
• Keith Cheung (21)
• Bianca de Kock (20)
• Patrick Eggert (19)
• Elliot Gee
• Chris Johnson
• Nick Pasichuke (19)
• Six unidentified others

Other named individuals

• Bill Brown (Santa Barbara County Sheriff)
• Kelly Hoover (Santa Barbara police spokeswoman; in the provided material)
• Henry T. Yang (UCSB chancellor)
• Joel Michaelsen (UCSB executive vice-chancellor)
• Jerry Brown (California Governor)
• Janet Napolitano (University of California President)
• Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut Senator)
• Dianne Feinstein (California Senator)
• Timothy F. Murphy (Pennsylvania Congressman and clinical psychologist)
• Richard Martinez (father of Christopher Michaels-Martinez)
• Doris A. Fuller (executive director of the Treatment Advocacy Center)
• Michael Clemente (vice president requested by Fox News Channel for still photographs)
• James Goldston (ABC News President, in the provided material)
• Alan Shifman (family attorney, in the provided material)
• Philip Bloeser (named in the provided material)
• Simon Astaire (named in the provided material)
• Cathleen Bloeser (named in the provided material)
• Deborah Smith (named in the provided material)
• Chris Pollard (neighbor quoted in the provided material)
• Dale Launer (quoted in the provided material)
• J. Reid Meloy (forensic psychologist quoted in the provided material)
• Dr Stephen Kaminski (trauma services director quoted in the provided material)
• Richard Martinez (quoted in the provided material)
• Stacy Simmer (aunt quoted in the provided material)
• Courtney Benjamin (friend quoted in the provided material)
• Bob Weiss (father quoted in the provided material)
• Christian Rivas (close friend and neighbor quoted in the provided material)
• Georgia (Rodger’s sister; identified in the provided material)
• Li-Chin Rodger (mother)
• Peter Rodger (father)
• Soumaya Akaaboune (stepmother)
• George Rodger (paternal grandfather)
• J. Reid Meloy
• Christopher’s father and others as named within the provided material

Sources of factual detail embedded in the record (verbatim preservation)

The record includes verbatim quotations provided in the case narrative, including statements about the video transcript (“Elliot Rodger’s Retribution”), manifesto planning language (“First Phase of my vengeance…”, “My War on Women…”), the “concentration camps” passage, and verbatim quotes attributed to named individuals such as:

• Jerry Brown’s condolence statement (“saddened to learn of this senseless tragedy”)
• Janet Napolitano’s quote on predictability
• UCSB and Delta Delta Delta statements
• Rodger’s medication refusal quote
• Rodger’s “Another sunny day in Santa Barbara” description
• Blumenthal’s and Fuller’s quoted remarks
• The verbatim transcript of “Elliot Rodger’s Retribution”