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USC Grad Student Charged With Murder In Stabbing Death Of Professor
The Seeley G. Mudd build on USC's campus. (Photo by USC | University of Southern California)
David Jonathan Brown, 28, has been charged with one count of murder in the stabbing death of USC professor Bosco Tjan, the District Attorney's office said in a release on Tuesday. The charge is supplemented with a special allegation that Brown used a knife, which in the court of law is regarded as "deadly and dangerous" weapon that may be "used in such a way that it is capable of causing and likely to cause death or great bodily injury."
Tjan, 53, was fatally stabbed inside USC's Seeley G. Mudd building on Friday afternoon. Police received a call at around 4:30 p.m. about a victim with multiple stab wounds. Tjan was pronounced dead at the scene, according to ABC News. Brown was detained at the vicinity of the incident.
Tjan had taught at the university since 2001, and was considered to be an expert in perception, vision and vision cognition. According to The Mercury News, Tjan served as a mentor to Brown, a doctoral student studying brain and cognitive science. Brown had also been working in a lab that was being run by Tjan. The USC Department of Public Safety said in a statement that the attack is believed to have been the "result of a personal dispute."
A memorial for Tjan was held at the Tommy Trojan statue on campus on Monday:
A choir sings for slain #usc professor Bosco Tjan as faculty and students gather on campus to remember him pic.twitter.com/gX9ZYlmClU
— MattCarey (@MattCarey) December 5, 2016
Hundreds gathered today for a prayer service honoring #BoscoTjan. The event is ending in just a few moments. pic.twitter.com/WvUsvkNZWP
— Brad Streicher (@bradrstreicher) December 5, 2016
Brown is expected to arraigned sometime on Tuesday. If convicted, he faces a possible maximum sentence of 26 years to life in prison.
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