With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Woman Killed In Minnesota Was Married To UCLA Shooter
Ashley Hasti and Mainak Sarkar (Facebook)
The Minnesota woman suspected to have been killed by UCLA gunman Mainak Sarkar was married to the gunman, reports the Star Tribune.On Thursday morning authorities discovered the body of Ashley Hasti at her home in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Police went to do a welfare check on her home after her name was found on a "kill list" at Sarkar's St. Paul apartment. Hasti was identified by her neighbors to reporters, and public records show that Hasti and Sarkar were married on June 14, 2011.
Also on the list was UCLA professor William Klug—who Sarkar shot and killed on Wednesday morning in Klug's office—and another UCLA professor who remains unharmed. Sarkar turned the gun on himself after shooting Klug.
According to LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, Sarkar left a note at the scene of the UCLA shooting, leaving the address of his St. Paul address and asking someone to "check my cat."
"Immediately, we were highly suspicious," Beck said, reports the L.A. Times. "That made me uneasy about what we would find when we got to Minnesota."
Sponsored message
In the apartment they found the cat and Sarkar's supposed hit list. The third person on the list was a UCLA professor who was not on campus at the time of the shooting, but Beck believes Sarkar also intended to kill him or her, reports the Star Tribune. The third target has not yet been named by authorities.
Brooklyn Park's deputy chief of police Mark Bruley said Hasti was "deceased prior to the UCLA shooting," but said it was too early in the investigation to determine when she was killed. Investigators believe Sarkar killed Hasti before driving to Southern California and shooting Klug.
Authorities are still on the search for Sarkar's vehicle, which is described as a gray 2003 Nissan Sentra with the Minnesota license plate 720KTW.
Hasti was a student at the University of Minnesota Medical School when she was killed.
Sarkar earned his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from UCLA in 2013, where he had Klug as his advisor. In a now-deleted blog post from March, Sarkar accused Klug of stealing code that he wrote and giving it to another student.
At LAist, we focus on what matters to our community: clear, fair, and transparent reporting that helps you make decisions with confidence and keeps powerful institutions accountable.
Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
