No one can really explain exactly what happened here. It appears that Willamette football star, Beau Smith, never even knew the man he brutally beat up and left in the street to die. Michael Hampshire was a retired airplane mechanic. What’s even more puzzling is that Smith was never in any trouble before and on the school’s honor roll.
Here are the details.
The Willamette senior and chemistry major, who is from Roseville, California, was taken in to custody and is being held on a charge of murder.
It is unclear whether a weapon was used but the medical examiner concluded that Hampshire died of blunt force injuries to the head.
Top student: Smith, a chemistry major at Willamette University, had a 4.0 GPA in high schoolMarion County District Attorney Doug Hanson told the Sacramento Bee that officials are still investigating what happened but they have no reason to believe the two men knew each other.
Hampshire’s neighbors said they don’t recognize Smith and a university spokesperson said Hampshire had no affiliation with the school.
The university released a statement saying they are cooperating fully with the investigation and they have started their own student conduct investigation.
They would not say whether Smith is still considered an enrolled student.
[h/t Daily Mail]