1 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:15,960 Speaker 1: Diversion audio. A note this episode contains mature content and 2 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:19,720 Speaker 1: descriptions of violence that may be disturbing for some listeners. 3 00:00:20,840 --> 00:00:27,720 Speaker 1: Please take care in listening. There's nothing like being on 4 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:32,280 Speaker 1: a college campus during the final week of classes. The 5 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:36,559 Speaker 1: relaxing exhale of summer is right around the corner, and 6 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:40,800 Speaker 1: the energy of what's next bubbles up in every conversation 7 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:45,640 Speaker 1: and social circle. For students of Harvard, there's an added 8 00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:49,960 Speaker 1: pride in having completed another semester. At an ivy league. 9 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:56,400 Speaker 1: On Saturday, May twenty seventh, nineteen ninety five, two young 10 00:00:56,440 --> 00:01:01,680 Speaker 1: women in Harvard's Dunster House dorm building were celebrating the 11 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:06,120 Speaker 1: end of a long, hard year. The women were juniors, 12 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:11,240 Speaker 1: both pre med and both immigrants to America with dreams 13 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:18,280 Speaker 1: of becoming doctors. Decades of dedication, sacrifice, and faith had 14 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:23,200 Speaker 1: brought them here to the world's most prestigious institution, and 15 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:26,319 Speaker 1: they were a source of immense pride for both of 16 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:30,400 Speaker 1: their families. That the girls would meet in a science 17 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:35,160 Speaker 1: class their freshman year and end up roommates seemed like fate. 18 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:40,160 Speaker 1: Both had made journeys of many thousands of miles to 19 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:43,560 Speaker 1: end up in Massachusetts and they must have felt like 20 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:49,200 Speaker 1: kindred spirits. But while from the outside their similarities were 21 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:54,280 Speaker 1: impossible to deny, the girls' inner worlds couldn't have been 22 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:58,640 Speaker 1: more different. While one found purpose and thrived in her 23 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:04,080 Speaker 1: college environment, the other struggled to find a place. While 24 00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:09,400 Speaker 1: one made strong friendships and found community, the other grew 25 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:13,919 Speaker 1: isolated and distant from her loved ones. What started as 26 00:02:13,919 --> 00:02:19,960 Speaker 1: a fated friendship after a while became estranged. Admiration turned 27 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:25,080 Speaker 1: to jealousy, good will turned to resentment, and late on 28 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:28,680 Speaker 1: that Saturday night in May nineteen ninety five, when the 29 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 1: air was thick with anticipation of good things, one girl 30 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:37,760 Speaker 1: saw the end of her world. Other residents of Dunster 31 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:41,760 Speaker 1: House would wake up the next morning to screams coming 32 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:46,960 Speaker 1: from the girl's dorm room. Harvard campus security in Cambridge 33 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:50,440 Speaker 1: police would be called in. The gruesome scene they would 34 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:53,080 Speaker 1: find on the other side of that door would be 35 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:56,239 Speaker 1: like something out of a nightmare. But the two women, 36 00:02:56,880 --> 00:03:15,560 Speaker 1: for their families and for the university, Welcome to the 37 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:19,480 Speaker 1: greatest true crime stories ever told. I'm Mary Kay McBrayer. 38 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:26,400 Speaker 1: Today's episode we're calling Harvard's Forgotten Murder Suicide. It's the 39 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:30,480 Speaker 1: story of a friendship gone wrong, the limits of human ambition, 40 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:35,560 Speaker 1: and the dark underbelly of the American dream. Because the 41 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:38,960 Speaker 1: thing they don't tell you about having your greatest dream 42 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:44,320 Speaker 1: come true is what to do with yourself afterwards. We'll 43 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 1: get into all of that right after this quick break. 44 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:07,240 Speaker 1: The college experience is so much less about academics than 45 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:10,760 Speaker 1: you think it's going to be when you're eighteen. It 46 00:04:10,840 --> 00:04:13,400 Speaker 1: isn't until you're well out of school that you realize 47 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:16,320 Speaker 1: that the most important lessons you learned during those years 48 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:19,440 Speaker 1: were how to be a normal, functioning adult in the world, 49 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:23,120 Speaker 1: one who knows how to make friends, form a community, 50 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:27,480 Speaker 1: and take care of themselves. It's a time to figure 51 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:32,160 Speaker 1: out where you fit inside this much bigger pond, and 52 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:34,880 Speaker 1: it's something that doesn't come easy for a lot of kids. 53 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:38,880 Speaker 1: I know this from experience. I showed up to a 54 00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:41,880 Speaker 1: liberal arts school from suburban Georgia and had to answer 55 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:45,599 Speaker 1: the question where are you from? Twice, once to name 56 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:49,560 Speaker 1: my hometown and again to say where I was from from. 57 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:54,080 Speaker 1: It highlights your experience, or at least other people's experience, 58 00:04:54,279 --> 00:04:58,840 Speaker 1: of you. Introducing yourself means explaining parts of you that 59 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:02,799 Speaker 1: you've never had to earn articulate before. But my experience 60 00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:05,880 Speaker 1: was nothing compared to the task that immigrant and international 61 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:09,680 Speaker 1: students face when they come to college in America. Not 62 00:05:09,839 --> 00:05:13,039 Speaker 1: only are they learning how to handle new levels of 63 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:17,599 Speaker 1: academic challenge, but many also carry the dreams of proud 64 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:23,520 Speaker 1: and expectant families being there, finding your place, making the 65 00:05:23,520 --> 00:05:27,040 Speaker 1: most of the unparalleled opportunities in front of you after 66 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:31,960 Speaker 1: decades of sacrifice in single minded dedication is a big 67 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:36,960 Speaker 1: task for an eighteen year old. Reconciling your past self 68 00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:40,279 Speaker 1: with the person you're becoming is one of the greatest 69 00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:44,839 Speaker 1: transformations any person can experience. The story I'm going to 70 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:48,039 Speaker 1: tell you today is about the limitations of the human 71 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:52,520 Speaker 1: psyche when those needs of community and social connection aren't met, 72 00:05:53,760 --> 00:06:11,360 Speaker 1: even in a place as picture perfect as Harvard. Sinnadu 73 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:15,520 Speaker 1: Taedessa had big dreams for her life from the very beginning. 74 00:06:17,160 --> 00:06:20,359 Speaker 1: She was born and raised in Addis Ababa in nineteen 75 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:24,960 Speaker 1: seventy five, the capital of the world's third poorest country 76 00:06:25,040 --> 00:06:31,359 Speaker 1: at the time, Ethiopia. Walking those crowded streets of Addis Ababa, 77 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:36,839 Speaker 1: you'd see livestock, hungry mothers with outstretched hands, and malnourished 78 00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:42,600 Speaker 1: children selling trinkets. In public schools, students sat on dirt floors, 79 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:47,360 Speaker 1: dozens and dozens to a class. Books and supplies were 80 00:06:47,360 --> 00:06:53,440 Speaker 1: a luxury, but Sinnadu Taedessa was fortunate. As a member 81 00:06:53,520 --> 00:06:56,839 Speaker 1: of an elite class, her family had the resources to 82 00:06:56,880 --> 00:07:02,400 Speaker 1: send her to one of Oddis Ababa's coveted Internet schools. There, 83 00:07:02,440 --> 00:07:08,839 Speaker 1: she was given opportunities. Few Ethiopians had English instruction, rigorous 84 00:07:08,839 --> 00:07:14,640 Speaker 1: courses preparation for university in America. The gravity of this 85 00:07:14,760 --> 00:07:20,880 Speaker 1: opportunity was not lost on Sinadu. While her country buckled 86 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:24,360 Speaker 1: under the weight of a political turmoil, warfare, and famine, 87 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:29,880 Speaker 1: Sinnadu studied. One of her English teachers remembered her as 88 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:35,320 Speaker 1: being quote quiet and demure, academically focused to the point 89 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:41,160 Speaker 1: of tunnel vision, and she was successful. In fact, Sinnadu 90 00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:46,360 Speaker 1: wasn't just good in school, she was exceptional. During her 91 00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:49,520 Speaker 1: senior year of high school, she was named the number 92 00:07:49,560 --> 00:07:54,160 Speaker 1: two student in all of Ethiopia. Her high school guidance 93 00:07:54,200 --> 00:07:58,520 Speaker 1: counselor said, you couldn't tell her that academics weren't everything, 94 00:07:59,320 --> 00:08:03,640 Speaker 1: because they were. They were her ticket out. The day 95 00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:06,800 Speaker 1: she received her acceptance letter and a full scholarship to 96 00:08:06,840 --> 00:08:10,400 Speaker 1: Harvard was the happiest day of her life. She would 97 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:13,800 Speaker 1: go to America, get the best education money could buy 98 00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:19,320 Speaker 1: from the world's most prestigious institution, and return home a doctor. 99 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:24,200 Speaker 1: But the way Harvard looked in Sinnadu's dreams was a 100 00:08:24,200 --> 00:08:29,680 Speaker 1: lot different than her reality. Accustomed to being exceptional, she 101 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:34,240 Speaker 1: found classes difficult. The reinforcement and praise she was used 102 00:08:34,280 --> 00:08:39,480 Speaker 1: to receiving for her efforts didn't come. Far from standing out. 103 00:08:39,800 --> 00:08:44,880 Speaker 1: She struggled to make bees. The cold Massachusetts weather depressed her, 104 00:08:45,640 --> 00:08:50,839 Speaker 1: and she felt deeply isolated. Visiting her family in Ethiopia 105 00:08:51,400 --> 00:08:55,680 Speaker 1: was out of the question financially. The only person she 106 00:08:55,760 --> 00:08:59,600 Speaker 1: knew on campus was neb, a smart and popular classmate 107 00:08:59,640 --> 00:09:03,280 Speaker 1: of hers from the International School, but the two of 108 00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:07,439 Speaker 1: them didn't run in the same social circles. Learning how 109 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:10,880 Speaker 1: to make friends wasn't something Sinna Dou had spent much 110 00:09:10,920 --> 00:09:15,800 Speaker 1: time doing. Now she not only had to learn how, 111 00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:19,720 Speaker 1: but do so among young adults who had grown up 112 00:09:19,800 --> 00:09:25,640 Speaker 1: with entirely different customs, cultural references, and social etiquette. When 113 00:09:25,679 --> 00:09:29,079 Speaker 1: she didn't have friends to confide in, Sinadu would divulge 114 00:09:29,080 --> 00:09:32,719 Speaker 1: her feelings in her diary and journals. One of her 115 00:09:32,760 --> 00:09:37,559 Speaker 1: spiral notebooks was labeled My Small Book of Social Rules. 116 00:09:38,920 --> 00:09:43,040 Speaker 1: In it, Senadu wrote pages and pages of numbered instructions 117 00:09:43,520 --> 00:09:46,400 Speaker 1: for how to address the problems she was facing socially, 118 00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:50,480 Speaker 1: things like what to discuss with the other students in 119 00:09:50,520 --> 00:09:54,840 Speaker 1: the cafeteria Every morning when you wake up, you have 120 00:09:54,920 --> 00:09:58,520 Speaker 1: to come up with three fat topics of conversation. This 121 00:09:58,679 --> 00:10:01,960 Speaker 1: is always your greatest problem, so deal with it properly, 122 00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:07,280 Speaker 1: one entry said. But as the diary goes on, her 123 00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:11,960 Speaker 1: words take on a more paranoid tone. One said, do 124 00:10:12,080 --> 00:10:14,839 Speaker 1: not show off what you really think. Put on a mask. 125 00:10:16,480 --> 00:10:20,400 Speaker 1: These social exercises didn't seem to bring sinnad much success, though. 126 00:10:21,559 --> 00:10:25,160 Speaker 1: The summer after her freshman year, Sinadu reached a point 127 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:29,640 Speaker 1: of desperation. In a baffling move, she sent a letter 128 00:10:29,720 --> 00:10:33,439 Speaker 1: to a stranger at Harvard's law school pleading for help 129 00:10:33,559 --> 00:10:38,840 Speaker 1: making friends. The glimpse this letter gives into sinad psyche 130 00:10:39,280 --> 00:10:45,120 Speaker 1: is honestly fascinating and frankly, she writes, beautifully, I'm going 131 00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:47,360 Speaker 1: to take a minute to read a few paragraphs from it. 132 00:10:48,559 --> 00:10:51,760 Speaker 1: Why am I writing this letter because I am desperate. 133 00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:55,600 Speaker 1: As far as I can remember, my life has been hellish. 134 00:10:56,440 --> 00:11:01,320 Speaker 1: Year after year, I became lonelier and lonelier. When I'm 135 00:11:01,320 --> 00:11:04,080 Speaker 1: with a group of people, I keep so quiet. I 136 00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:07,319 Speaker 1: have nothing to say that I send the chills through 137 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:10,320 Speaker 1: those who notice me. Then I cry when people forget 138 00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:13,880 Speaker 1: about me or dislike being with me. When I'm with 139 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:17,800 Speaker 1: one person, I shake with nervousness, fearing that we will 140 00:11:17,840 --> 00:11:20,400 Speaker 1: run out of things to say, or she or he 141 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:24,920 Speaker 1: will be bored. For math, I had a teacher for painting. 142 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:28,200 Speaker 1: I had a teacher for social life. I had no one. 143 00:11:29,320 --> 00:11:31,680 Speaker 1: All you have to do is give me a hand 144 00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:35,560 Speaker 1: and put into words what you already know. All it 145 00:11:35,640 --> 00:11:39,120 Speaker 1: takes is a few hours from your week and some energy. 146 00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:42,880 Speaker 1: Please do not close the door in my face. Even 147 00:11:42,920 --> 00:11:45,680 Speaker 1: if you are not interested. Please give this letter to 148 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:49,880 Speaker 1: a friend or relative who might be We don't know 149 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:53,360 Speaker 1: much about who the recipient of this letter was, but 150 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:56,160 Speaker 1: what we do know is that they forwarded it to 151 00:11:56,280 --> 00:11:59,480 Speaker 1: a dean at Harvard, who then placed it in Sinedu's 152 00:11:59,559 --> 00:12:05,880 Speaker 1: file and left it at that, no investigation, no follow up. 153 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:10,360 Speaker 1: To be fair, this was probably unlike anything the dean's 154 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:14,240 Speaker 1: office or student health services had ever seen before, but 155 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:19,400 Speaker 1: still it's a literal cry for help. More on the 156 00:12:19,440 --> 00:12:24,960 Speaker 1: student health services later, though. There was one bright spot 157 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:29,040 Speaker 1: in Sinnidu's freshman year. It came in the form of 158 00:12:29,080 --> 00:12:33,040 Speaker 1: another student named Trang Ho, whom Sinnadou met in her 159 00:12:33,080 --> 00:12:37,240 Speaker 1: science class. The two had a lot in common. Both 160 00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:41,360 Speaker 1: were polite, hard working biology majors who had moved to 161 00:12:41,400 --> 00:12:46,080 Speaker 1: America from across the world. Both had risen from humble 162 00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:51,000 Speaker 1: circumstances to become valedictorians of their high school graduating classes, 163 00:12:51,760 --> 00:12:57,040 Speaker 1: and both dreamed of becoming doctors. Trang was born near 164 00:12:57,120 --> 00:13:01,560 Speaker 1: Saigon in nineteen seventy four, just five months before the 165 00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:06,319 Speaker 1: culmination of the Vietnam War. Both of Treng's parents were 166 00:13:06,360 --> 00:13:08,800 Speaker 1: sent to re education camps in the wake of the war, 167 00:13:09,640 --> 00:13:13,439 Speaker 1: and in nineteen eighty four, when Treng was ten, they 168 00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:17,040 Speaker 1: made the difficult decision to attempt to escape Vietnam for 169 00:13:17,120 --> 00:13:21,679 Speaker 1: a better life abroad. Treng, her older sister, and their 170 00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:27,000 Speaker 1: father went first Under the cover of night, they crammed 171 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:30,520 Speaker 1: inside a small boat along two hundred and sixty five 172 00:13:30,760 --> 00:13:36,360 Speaker 1: other refugees. Their destination was Indonesia, where they'd stay in 173 00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:40,520 Speaker 1: a refugee camp for a few months and hopefully continue 174 00:13:40,520 --> 00:13:45,040 Speaker 1: on to America. The boat was so crowded that the 175 00:13:45,080 --> 00:13:49,480 Speaker 1: passengers were forced to stand for seven days. At the 176 00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:53,480 Speaker 1: refugee camp, mister ho gave the girls English words to 177 00:13:53,600 --> 00:13:57,960 Speaker 1: learn to prepare them for their life in America. At 178 00:13:58,040 --> 00:14:02,280 Speaker 1: first it was ten or twin words, and later nearly 179 00:14:02,320 --> 00:14:06,400 Speaker 1: one hundred a day. Mister Hoe knew about the famous 180 00:14:06,480 --> 00:14:10,240 Speaker 1: universities on the East Coast, and in nineteen eighty six 181 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:14,120 Speaker 1: he settled his family in the Boston area, hoping to 182 00:14:14,160 --> 00:14:17,640 Speaker 1: send his daughters to one of the IVY leagues one day. 183 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:23,800 Speaker 1: Like Sinadu, Train took her studies very seriously. Once as 184 00:14:23,800 --> 00:14:26,440 Speaker 1: a young student, when she found herself stuck on a 185 00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:29,680 Speaker 1: homework problem, she called nine one one to ask her help. 186 00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:33,280 Speaker 1: The dispatcher told her that someone would call her back, 187 00:14:33,840 --> 00:14:36,360 Speaker 1: and when her father answered the phone a few minutes later, 188 00:14:37,160 --> 00:14:40,160 Speaker 1: he heard a policeman on the other end asking for 189 00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:44,000 Speaker 1: the little girl who needed help with her assignment. But 190 00:14:44,160 --> 00:14:48,960 Speaker 1: unlike Sinadou, Train didn't seem to have a problem forming friendships. 191 00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:52,560 Speaker 1: Her teachers would later describe the joy and excitement she 192 00:14:52,640 --> 00:14:57,000 Speaker 1: found in learning. All through high school, she tutored her classmates. 193 00:14:57,440 --> 00:15:00,440 Speaker 1: By the beginning of her sophomore year at Harvard, Trang 194 00:15:00,520 --> 00:15:03,560 Speaker 1: had established a solid group of friends and was thriving. 195 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:07,120 Speaker 1: Her grades were good, and she seemed well on her 196 00:15:07,120 --> 00:15:10,640 Speaker 1: way to the goal of medical school. A few weeks 197 00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:14,600 Speaker 1: before meeting Trayng in that science class, Sinadu had been 198 00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:17,640 Speaker 1: hurt to find that her then roommate wanted to live 199 00:15:17,680 --> 00:15:22,000 Speaker 1: with someone else next year. Finding yourself without a roommate 200 00:15:22,080 --> 00:15:24,200 Speaker 1: at the end of the spring semester is a tough 201 00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:27,680 Speaker 1: blow for anyone, but it must have been especially tough 202 00:15:27,880 --> 00:15:33,480 Speaker 1: for Sinadu, who was struggling so hard socially. Treng was kind, 203 00:15:34,080 --> 00:15:37,160 Speaker 1: and it's not difficult to imagine how the two must 204 00:15:37,160 --> 00:15:40,520 Speaker 1: have formed a connection around their similar upbringings and dreams 205 00:15:40,560 --> 00:15:44,880 Speaker 1: for the future. Sinadou decided to ask Trang to be 206 00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:51,080 Speaker 1: her roommate, and Trang agreed. Sinadu was overjoyed. Perhaps this 207 00:15:51,120 --> 00:15:53,840 Speaker 1: would finally be the chance for the kind of close 208 00:15:53,920 --> 00:15:58,320 Speaker 1: friendship that had always been beyond her grasp. In her 209 00:15:58,360 --> 00:16:02,720 Speaker 1: diary entry from that week, Sinnadu wrote, the last four 210 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:06,320 Speaker 1: days were the highlight of my life thus far in Harvard. 211 00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:10,600 Speaker 1: My roommate problem was solved in the best way possible 212 00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:13,840 Speaker 1: with a girl I thought I would really enjoy to 213 00:16:13,880 --> 00:16:17,040 Speaker 1: be with with a girl I would make the queen 214 00:16:17,120 --> 00:16:21,560 Speaker 1: of my life. Sinadu would later tell her father she 215 00:16:21,600 --> 00:16:27,120 Speaker 1: had found a best friend. Unfortunately, Trang seems to have 216 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:30,680 Speaker 1: had no idea of the role she was playing in 217 00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:50,720 Speaker 1: her new roommate's life. The high hopes Sinnadu had for 218 00:16:50,800 --> 00:16:55,120 Speaker 1: her friendship with Treyng would never come to be. Far 219 00:16:55,160 --> 00:16:59,440 Speaker 1: from being Sinnidu's new confidant, Treng was away from campus 220 00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:03,479 Speaker 1: nearly every weekend, visiting her family who lived close by. 221 00:17:04,240 --> 00:17:06,800 Speaker 1: Even more of a blow was the fact that Trang 222 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:10,520 Speaker 1: already had a best friend, her name was Tao. When 223 00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:14,760 Speaker 1: Tao was twenty nine years old and working as a 224 00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:19,720 Speaker 1: teacher in a nearby town, she too had emigrated to America, 225 00:17:20,280 --> 00:17:24,560 Speaker 1: but only recently Trang had become her first friend. Here. 226 00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:28,520 Speaker 1: The two would go shopping, and Trang would insist that 227 00:17:28,560 --> 00:17:32,440 Speaker 1: they spoke English to help Tao learn. Tao would even 228 00:17:32,440 --> 00:17:35,320 Speaker 1: stay over in Trang in Sinadu's dorm from time to time. 229 00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:41,000 Speaker 1: Before long, this friendship became a source of jealousy for Sinadu. 230 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:46,639 Speaker 1: Sometimes she would even neglect to tell Trang about Tao's 231 00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:52,879 Speaker 1: telephone messages to Senadou. Tao and Trang's friendship felt like 232 00:17:52,920 --> 00:17:58,080 Speaker 1: another rejection, and little by little this feeling of rejection 233 00:17:58,640 --> 00:18:02,480 Speaker 1: was hardening into something else else, something closer to anger. 234 00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:06,880 Speaker 1: Sinadu's diary entry from a month into their living arrangement 235 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:10,560 Speaker 1: shows a sharp and alarming turn taking place in her 236 00:18:10,560 --> 00:18:14,800 Speaker 1: mental space, on the way to depression and battered with 237 00:18:14,840 --> 00:18:19,439 Speaker 1: pessimistic thoughts. Tray told me I am boring. I felt 238 00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:22,920 Speaker 1: like I'm boring her. If I ever grow desperate enough 239 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:26,720 Speaker 1: to seek power and a fearful respect through killing, she 240 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:30,520 Speaker 1: would be the first one I would blow off. Reading 241 00:18:30,560 --> 00:18:34,639 Speaker 1: words like this in someone else's diary, it's hard to 242 00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:38,719 Speaker 1: know what to think of them. Was this a serious consideration? 243 00:18:39,640 --> 00:18:44,560 Speaker 1: Was it sarcasm? How does a person shift from frustration 244 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:49,040 Speaker 1: and loneliness to murderous anger. Are these the kind of 245 00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:53,520 Speaker 1: words that only become significant in retrospect, or are they 246 00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:57,840 Speaker 1: a clear marker of a break from reality? These are 247 00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:02,040 Speaker 1: questions I, unfortunately can't answer her. But what is clear 248 00:19:02,800 --> 00:19:05,800 Speaker 1: is that Sinadu was having a hard time reconciling the 249 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:09,159 Speaker 1: dreams she had for her friendship with Tray and the 250 00:19:09,200 --> 00:19:12,399 Speaker 1: reality that Treng was her own person with a busy 251 00:19:12,480 --> 00:19:18,600 Speaker 1: routine and a well established social circle. Sinadu's anger grew, 252 00:19:19,480 --> 00:19:22,399 Speaker 1: and as it did, so did the tension in the 253 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:26,840 Speaker 1: dorm room. By the middle of their junior year, Treng's 254 00:19:26,880 --> 00:19:30,480 Speaker 1: patience with Sinadu was coming to an end. This was 255 00:19:30,480 --> 00:19:34,040 Speaker 1: their fourth semester as roommates, and according to accounts from 256 00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:41,760 Speaker 1: people who knew treg Sinnadu had become uncharacteristically and aggressively messy. 257 00:19:43,240 --> 00:19:46,000 Speaker 1: She leave fruit peels out around the room to rot. 258 00:19:46,680 --> 00:19:49,960 Speaker 1: Trein complained about Sinadu to her mother and sister, who 259 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:52,119 Speaker 1: asked if there was anything they could do to intervene, 260 00:19:52,760 --> 00:19:56,600 Speaker 1: but Treng assured them she would handle it. She made 261 00:19:56,680 --> 00:19:59,000 Speaker 1: up her mind to tell Sinadu that for their senior 262 00:19:59,119 --> 00:20:03,240 Speaker 1: year she be rooming with someone else. She knew it 263 00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:07,240 Speaker 1: would be a difficult conversation, but in the spring, when 264 00:20:07,240 --> 00:20:11,280 Speaker 1: the deadline for next year's rooming decisions was approaching, Train 265 00:20:11,359 --> 00:20:13,639 Speaker 1: got up the courage to break the news to Sinadu. 266 00:20:14,920 --> 00:20:19,480 Speaker 1: Treng was right to be worried. Sinnadu was beside herself 267 00:20:19,560 --> 00:20:23,520 Speaker 1: after their conversation. According to an article in The New Yorker, 268 00:20:24,359 --> 00:20:27,680 Speaker 1: Sinadu followed Trang onto the street and into the subway 269 00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:32,880 Speaker 1: after their conversation, pleading with her to reconsider. Sinadu even 270 00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:36,280 Speaker 1: wrote Treng a letter saying that Trang would always have 271 00:20:36,320 --> 00:20:39,240 Speaker 1: a family to go to, but Sinnadu had no one. 272 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:45,359 Speaker 1: Couldn't they just please finish out their time at Harvard together. Trang, 273 00:20:45,960 --> 00:20:50,960 Speaker 1: whose impulse was always to be kind and accommodating, felt terrible. 274 00:20:52,080 --> 00:20:55,040 Speaker 1: She asked her friend tal whether she was making a mistake, 275 00:20:55,960 --> 00:20:59,080 Speaker 1: but Tao assured her that everything she was doing was 276 00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:03,639 Speaker 1: completely reasonable. So she wrote Sinadu a note in response, 277 00:21:05,080 --> 00:21:09,880 Speaker 1: I respect you, so you should respect my decision despite 278 00:21:09,880 --> 00:21:12,719 Speaker 1: what happened. I hope that we can still be friends, 279 00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:19,480 Speaker 1: it said. For Senadu, a boundary like this just wasn't acceptable. 280 00:21:20,520 --> 00:21:24,440 Speaker 1: She retaliated by giving Tray the cold shoulder, a powerful 281 00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:30,280 Speaker 1: gesture in their tiny shared space once. Senadu even refused 282 00:21:30,280 --> 00:21:33,400 Speaker 1: to unlock the door when Treng was accidentally locked out, 283 00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:38,359 Speaker 1: forcing her to call building security. Now, on some level, 284 00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:43,320 Speaker 1: all of this feels like a serious overreaction, but I 285 00:21:43,320 --> 00:21:45,640 Speaker 1: think it's worth taking a minute to consider this from 286 00:21:45,680 --> 00:21:50,720 Speaker 1: Sinadu's perspective. Here, she was weeks before the start of 287 00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:53,640 Speaker 1: her senior year, a time when most students had well 288 00:21:53,720 --> 00:21:57,480 Speaker 1: established friend groups and were solidifying next year's living arrangements 289 00:21:57,480 --> 00:22:02,720 Speaker 1: with people they really loved. Instead, Senadu would be added 290 00:22:02,760 --> 00:22:06,800 Speaker 1: to the general roommate pool as a floater to be 291 00:22:06,880 --> 00:22:10,760 Speaker 1: matched with someone else. She didn't know. She was probably 292 00:22:10,800 --> 00:22:16,080 Speaker 1: feeling supremely lonely and maybe even embarrassed. These social failings 293 00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:20,800 Speaker 1: of hers were now on display. For someone with so 294 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:25,080 Speaker 1: few emotional resources and so little community, this must have 295 00:22:25,119 --> 00:22:30,000 Speaker 1: been really difficult. Of course, circumstances like this are no 296 00:22:30,119 --> 00:22:34,240 Speaker 1: excuse for emotional warfare, but they may help give context 297 00:22:34,320 --> 00:22:39,720 Speaker 1: to her behavior. According to doctor Randolph Catlan, chief of 298 00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:43,600 Speaker 1: Harvard's Mental Health services during traying and Sinidu's time at 299 00:22:43,600 --> 00:22:48,480 Speaker 1: the university, in cases of mental distress, where a person's 300 00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:53,639 Speaker 1: quote self esteem is narrowly based, it becomes terribly important 301 00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:57,000 Speaker 1: to feel there is one person who cares about you. 302 00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:01,400 Speaker 1: If you take that person's rejection and as clear evidence 303 00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:05,600 Speaker 1: that you as a person are not valuable, that might 304 00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:10,480 Speaker 1: make you enormously angry. A primitive response to this is 305 00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:13,960 Speaker 1: that you might want to destroy that person or yourself, 306 00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:20,600 Speaker 1: or both. According to Sinideu's diaries, traying appears to be 307 00:23:20,680 --> 00:23:25,720 Speaker 1: Sinnidhu's only source of emotional support at this time. Her 308 00:23:25,800 --> 00:23:28,200 Speaker 1: name shows up again and again in the pages of 309 00:23:28,240 --> 00:23:33,320 Speaker 1: her notebooks, but the truth was Sinnadu had others she 310 00:23:33,359 --> 00:23:38,520 Speaker 1: could have turned to. Neb Sinnidhu's classmate from Ethiopia, who 311 00:23:38,560 --> 00:23:41,560 Speaker 1: also went to Harvard, was in her same year. Her 312 00:23:41,600 --> 00:23:44,560 Speaker 1: brother was also studying in the US by now, and 313 00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:48,560 Speaker 1: she had cousins in the Boston area. Sinnidou told none 314 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:51,479 Speaker 1: of them about the loneliness she was facing or her 315 00:23:51,560 --> 00:24:05,919 Speaker 1: sadness over losing traying as a roommate. Two weeks before 316 00:24:05,960 --> 00:24:10,119 Speaker 1: the end of the semester, Sennadou methodically packed her computer 317 00:24:10,320 --> 00:24:13,480 Speaker 1: into its original packaging and sent it to one of 318 00:24:13,480 --> 00:24:17,879 Speaker 1: her cousins to use. She acquired two knives and a 319 00:24:17,960 --> 00:24:22,240 Speaker 1: nylon rope. She sent her school photo to the staff 320 00:24:22,240 --> 00:24:26,600 Speaker 1: at Harvard's student newspaper, The Harvard Crimson, along with an 321 00:24:26,600 --> 00:24:30,880 Speaker 1: anonymous note that read, keep this picture. There will soon 322 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:35,240 Speaker 1: be a very juicy story involving the person in this picture. 323 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:39,960 Speaker 1: Editors at the newspaper looked at the photo, unsure what 324 00:24:40,080 --> 00:24:43,840 Speaker 1: to do before throwing it in the trash, only to 325 00:24:43,920 --> 00:24:47,040 Speaker 1: phish it out a few days later, when its significance 326 00:24:47,160 --> 00:24:52,399 Speaker 1: became very clear, Sinadu did one other thing that was 327 00:24:52,480 --> 00:24:55,760 Speaker 1: totally out of character. During that last week of school. 328 00:24:57,119 --> 00:24:59,639 Speaker 1: She called her friend Neb, whom she hadn't spoken to 329 00:24:59,680 --> 00:25:04,440 Speaker 1: a unps. Sinadu invited him to brunch on Sunday, May 330 00:25:04,440 --> 00:25:09,640 Speaker 1: twenty first, a week before the end of classes. According 331 00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:12,040 Speaker 1: to Neb, when he sat down across from Sinadu at 332 00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:18,680 Speaker 1: the restaurant, she was practically unrecognizable. She was brighter, lighter, 333 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:22,560 Speaker 1: wearing makeup, high heels and shorts, something she never did. 334 00:25:23,200 --> 00:25:27,760 Speaker 1: In fact, in Ethiopia, shorts were considered disrespectful. Sinnadu was 335 00:25:27,840 --> 00:25:31,520 Speaker 1: usually a modest dresser, and Neb was later quoted as 336 00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:34,840 Speaker 1: saying that there was a profound change in the way 337 00:25:34,920 --> 00:25:39,280 Speaker 1: she looked, and moved and carried herself. It was the 338 00:25:39,359 --> 00:25:44,280 Speaker 1: happiest Neb had ever seen her. It was only after 339 00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:48,639 Speaker 1: what happened in Dunster House a week later that the 340 00:25:48,680 --> 00:26:08,840 Speaker 1: memory became a disturbing one for Neb. That week, Senedu 341 00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:11,480 Speaker 1: turned in the final work for one class, on which 342 00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:14,320 Speaker 1: she got an A, but didn't study for her next 343 00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:18,640 Speaker 1: few classes. Students who saw her in the library said 344 00:26:18,680 --> 00:26:22,760 Speaker 1: she looked distracted and distant. She would end up requesting 345 00:26:22,800 --> 00:26:26,320 Speaker 1: medical forbearance for the rest of her exams and spend 346 00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:30,920 Speaker 1: much of the next few days in bed. On Friday 347 00:26:31,359 --> 00:26:35,080 Speaker 1: May twenty sixth, just a few days before the official 348 00:26:35,280 --> 00:26:39,200 Speaker 1: end of the year, Trang invited her best friend Tao 349 00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:43,600 Speaker 1: to stay the weekend at their dorm. Tao would offer 350 00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:47,520 Speaker 1: moral support as Trang finished her exams and would help 351 00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:51,520 Speaker 1: Trang move out once she was done. On Saturday, May 352 00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:55,560 Speaker 1: twenty seventh, Trang left the dorm around ten am to 353 00:26:55,560 --> 00:26:58,280 Speaker 1: study for the physics exam she'd be taking that evening. 354 00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:03,639 Speaker 1: Was taking the same physics course, so Treng found it 355 00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:10,000 Speaker 1: odd that Sinadu wasn't also studying that day. Instead, Sinnadu 356 00:27:10,080 --> 00:27:12,440 Speaker 1: had been laying in her bed all day, knees to 357 00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:16,720 Speaker 1: her chest, quietly crying. At this point, the two women 358 00:27:16,720 --> 00:27:20,600 Speaker 1: hadn't spoken in months, but Treng hesitantly broke the silence 359 00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:24,720 Speaker 1: to ask if Sinnadu was okay. Sinnadu waved her off 360 00:27:24,720 --> 00:27:28,879 Speaker 1: without saying a word, so Treg left to focus on 361 00:27:28,880 --> 00:27:33,800 Speaker 1: her exam. Once she was finished, Trang met Tao back 362 00:27:33,840 --> 00:27:37,399 Speaker 1: at the dorm before heading out to celebrate together. They 363 00:27:37,440 --> 00:27:40,480 Speaker 1: watched a movie in another friend's room until about two am, 364 00:27:40,760 --> 00:27:43,439 Speaker 1: when they returned to tray in Sinadu's room to sleep. 365 00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:47,360 Speaker 1: This time, they found Cinnadu lying face down on her 366 00:27:47,359 --> 00:27:51,359 Speaker 1: bed with the light on. The two friends talked for 367 00:27:51,359 --> 00:27:53,760 Speaker 1: a while in Trang's bed about how far each of 368 00:27:53,800 --> 00:27:56,879 Speaker 1: them had come, the summer ahead, and their big dreams 369 00:27:56,880 --> 00:28:01,240 Speaker 1: for the future. Sometime before eight am, the girls woke 370 00:28:01,320 --> 00:28:05,600 Speaker 1: to an alarm. After realizing it was Sinnadou's, the two 371 00:28:05,720 --> 00:28:09,359 Speaker 1: closed their eyes again. Tal heard the sound of running 372 00:28:09,359 --> 00:28:12,560 Speaker 1: water coming from the bathroom before drifting back to sleep. 373 00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:17,879 Speaker 1: Some time later, Tao awoke to see Sinnadu standing above 374 00:28:17,960 --> 00:28:22,560 Speaker 1: Trayng's small bed, silently stabbing Trang with a five inch 375 00:28:22,640 --> 00:28:28,080 Speaker 1: hunting knife. There was a glazed, determined expression on Sinnadu's face. 376 00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:32,679 Speaker 1: Tal watched as Traying held up her hands to block 377 00:28:32,720 --> 00:28:36,960 Speaker 1: the knife and cry out, but no sound escaped her lips. 378 00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:40,320 Speaker 1: Tal sat up and tried to grab the knife from Sinnadu, 379 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:44,360 Speaker 1: but Sinnadu pulled it away, slicing through Too's hand in 380 00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:49,760 Speaker 1: the process. That's when instinct took over. Tal rolled out 381 00:28:49,760 --> 00:28:53,400 Speaker 1: of bed and stumbled toward the dorm room door. Her 382 00:28:53,440 --> 00:28:57,360 Speaker 1: life was in danger. She had to escape. Blood from 383 00:28:57,360 --> 00:28:59,920 Speaker 1: her hand smeared on the handle as she pulled open 384 00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:04,320 Speaker 1: the door and dragged her body into the quiet hallway. 385 00:29:04,360 --> 00:29:09,240 Speaker 1: Then she heard the sound she'd never forget, the heavy, 386 00:29:09,960 --> 00:29:15,040 Speaker 1: self locking door clicking shut behind her. Towel was safe 387 00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:19,040 Speaker 1: in the hall, but now only someone with a key 388 00:29:19,320 --> 00:29:22,760 Speaker 1: would be able to get into that room, and the 389 00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:27,560 Speaker 1: only two people who had a key were inside. Training 390 00:29:28,160 --> 00:29:32,320 Speaker 1: was trapped in a panic. Towel ran down the hall, 391 00:29:32,400 --> 00:29:36,480 Speaker 1: banging on doors, trying desperately to get someone's attention, but 392 00:29:36,600 --> 00:29:39,240 Speaker 1: it was early in the morning on a Saturday, few 393 00:29:39,280 --> 00:29:42,720 Speaker 1: students were awake. Finally, she got the attention of a 394 00:29:42,720 --> 00:29:46,960 Speaker 1: student in the quad, who called the police. When officers 395 00:29:47,080 --> 00:29:50,280 Speaker 1: entered the room, the first thing they saw was Traying 396 00:29:51,120 --> 00:29:55,200 Speaker 1: lying lifeless on the floor with forty five stab wounds 397 00:29:55,360 --> 00:30:00,320 Speaker 1: to her face, chest and legs. Sinnadu appe apeared to 398 00:30:00,360 --> 00:30:05,800 Speaker 1: be missing until they checked the bathroom. There, hanging from 399 00:30:05,800 --> 00:30:08,560 Speaker 1: the ceiling by the rope she'd purchased a week earlier. 400 00:30:09,080 --> 00:30:14,960 Speaker 1: With Sinnadu's body, officers attempted to resuscitate her, but pronounced 401 00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:18,960 Speaker 1: her dead just moments later. The initial story about the 402 00:30:19,040 --> 00:30:21,960 Speaker 1: murder suicide that circulated in the media was one of 403 00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:26,560 Speaker 1: confusion and disbelief. A Harvard official was quoted in The 404 00:30:26,560 --> 00:30:32,600 Speaker 1: Boston Globe saying that there is no conventional motive. It 405 00:30:32,680 --> 00:30:37,719 Speaker 1: is not about sex or revenge. There is no apparent reason. 406 00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:43,720 Speaker 1: A New York Times piece ran with the headline Harvard 407 00:30:43,760 --> 00:30:47,760 Speaker 1: deaths leave a puzzle whose central piece may never be found. 408 00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:53,800 Speaker 1: People magazine wrote that quote, the sense of mystery is 409 00:30:53,920 --> 00:30:58,240 Speaker 1: unlikely to lift any time soon. But how much of 410 00:30:58,280 --> 00:31:03,240 Speaker 1: a mystery was it really? As we already know, there 411 00:31:03,240 --> 00:31:06,800 Speaker 1: were plenty of signs that things were unraveling for Sinadu. 412 00:31:07,400 --> 00:31:11,320 Speaker 1: She was withdrawing socially. She sent that pleading letter to 413 00:31:11,360 --> 00:31:15,600 Speaker 1: the law school student asking for help making friends, and, 414 00:31:15,680 --> 00:31:20,400 Speaker 1: as investigators would soon discover, Sinnadu was in fact receiving 415 00:31:20,440 --> 00:31:24,959 Speaker 1: counseling from a therapist through Harvard's student health services, and 416 00:31:25,080 --> 00:31:29,520 Speaker 1: had been for months prior to the stabbing. As more 417 00:31:29,560 --> 00:31:32,960 Speaker 1: and more reporting came to light, the central question shifted 418 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:37,600 Speaker 1: from how could this have happened? To how much was 419 00:31:37,640 --> 00:31:42,360 Speaker 1: Harvard to blame? Harvard was reluctant to comment, much to 420 00:31:42,440 --> 00:31:45,920 Speaker 1: reporters in the weeks and months that followed, but not 421 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:49,680 Speaker 1: for the reason you might expect. Yes, Harvard is an 422 00:31:49,680 --> 00:31:54,320 Speaker 1: elite institution that relies heavily on its reputation. But as 423 00:31:54,360 --> 00:31:58,680 Speaker 1: it happened, the murder suicide occurred just a month after 424 00:31:59,280 --> 00:32:02,640 Speaker 1: another murder scandal that had put the school in a 425 00:32:02,760 --> 00:32:08,000 Speaker 1: very tough position. An applicant, Gina Grant, had been accepted 426 00:32:08,000 --> 00:32:11,560 Speaker 1: into the newest freshman class when it was later discovered 427 00:32:11,600 --> 00:32:13,880 Speaker 1: that she had bludgeoned her mother to death with a 428 00:32:13,920 --> 00:32:18,880 Speaker 1: candlestick five years before. A great deal of debate ensued 429 00:32:18,920 --> 00:32:22,760 Speaker 1: about whether a murderer should be admitted to Harvard. The 430 00:32:22,800 --> 00:32:26,560 Speaker 1: answer turned out to be no, and Gina's acceptance was withdrawn, 431 00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:30,040 Speaker 1: But having the school appear in headlines next to the 432 00:32:30,040 --> 00:32:34,560 Speaker 1: word murderer had done enough pr damage. The last thing 433 00:32:34,600 --> 00:32:37,400 Speaker 1: they needed was to figure out how to deal with 434 00:32:37,440 --> 00:32:42,800 Speaker 1: another killing, this time on their own campus. Members of 435 00:32:42,840 --> 00:32:45,840 Speaker 1: the Harvard community who were willing to speak to reporters 436 00:32:46,400 --> 00:32:52,160 Speaker 1: revealed some stunning information. According to them, appointments with mental 437 00:32:52,160 --> 00:32:56,440 Speaker 1: health professionals through Harvard Student Medical Services were few and 438 00:32:56,560 --> 00:33:01,280 Speaker 1: far between in nineteen ninety five. According to an editorial 439 00:33:01,320 --> 00:33:05,200 Speaker 1: piece from the Harvard Crimson, Making an appointment to see 440 00:33:05,200 --> 00:33:09,160 Speaker 1: a mental health professional often took ten to fifteen days, 441 00:33:10,200 --> 00:33:12,800 Speaker 1: far too long of a wait for someone going through 442 00:33:12,800 --> 00:33:17,040 Speaker 1: a mental health crisis. On top of that, the most 443 00:33:17,080 --> 00:33:21,240 Speaker 1: any student could get was one appointment a month. Students 444 00:33:21,240 --> 00:33:23,520 Speaker 1: who were in need of long term therapy were referred 445 00:33:23,600 --> 00:33:27,240 Speaker 1: off campus, as the school's health plan didn't cover treatments 446 00:33:27,280 --> 00:33:32,400 Speaker 1: like this. In the year before Senadu's suicide, three other 447 00:33:32,520 --> 00:33:36,240 Speaker 1: Harvard students had taken their lives, two of whom had 448 00:33:36,280 --> 00:33:41,480 Speaker 1: lived in the same building. These rates were quote very 449 00:33:41,560 --> 00:33:45,640 Speaker 1: unusual for the university, said Randolph Catlan Junior, who was 450 00:33:45,760 --> 00:33:49,720 Speaker 1: chief of Harvard's mental health services at the time. All 451 00:33:49,760 --> 00:33:52,840 Speaker 1: of this information led to a growing mistrust in Harvard's 452 00:33:52,840 --> 00:33:57,040 Speaker 1: ability to support its students' mental health and raised questions 453 00:33:57,080 --> 00:33:59,280 Speaker 1: about how much the school was to blame for what 454 00:33:59,360 --> 00:34:03,840 Speaker 1: happened to train. But while in America, Sinadu's attack and 455 00:34:03,880 --> 00:34:07,920 Speaker 1: suicide were spoken about in the context of mental illness, 456 00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:12,800 Speaker 1: the story was much different in Ethiopia. This, as you'll remember, 457 00:34:13,160 --> 00:34:16,719 Speaker 1: is where Sinnadu grew up and where her family still lived. 458 00:34:17,680 --> 00:34:21,560 Speaker 1: When news of the stabbing reached Sinnidu's community, there were 459 00:34:21,600 --> 00:34:27,120 Speaker 1: two common explanations for her actions. One was the belief 460 00:34:27,120 --> 00:34:30,280 Speaker 1: that Sinnadu was a lesbian, perhaps in love with Traying, 461 00:34:30,800 --> 00:34:33,640 Speaker 1: and so she did the right thing by killing herself 462 00:34:33,920 --> 00:34:38,560 Speaker 1: and the object of her affection. I am not an 463 00:34:38,640 --> 00:34:42,080 Speaker 1: expert on Ethiopian culture, but in the research we did 464 00:34:42,080 --> 00:34:45,440 Speaker 1: for this story, I learned that the culture in Ethiopia 465 00:34:45,600 --> 00:34:50,720 Speaker 1: is modest, predominantly Christian, and very conservative when it comes 466 00:34:50,760 --> 00:34:57,640 Speaker 1: to LGBTQ issues. Mental health is also not commonly discussed, 467 00:34:57,960 --> 00:35:02,960 Speaker 1: at least it wasn't in the nineties. Big life altering 468 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:07,080 Speaker 1: incidents like this one at Harvard were understood within the 469 00:35:07,160 --> 00:35:12,920 Speaker 1: context of the traditional Ethiopian Orthodox framework that the Tedessa 470 00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:17,680 Speaker 1: family and their community were brought up in. Sinadou was 471 00:35:17,760 --> 00:35:21,640 Speaker 1: plagued by improper thoughts and feelings, and her decision to 472 00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:26,760 Speaker 1: end things could be seen as a noble one. Whether 473 00:35:26,880 --> 00:35:30,240 Speaker 1: or not her feelings toward Traying were indeed romantic isn't 474 00:35:30,280 --> 00:35:34,879 Speaker 1: totally clear. Most seemed to think it was a platonic relationship, 475 00:35:34,920 --> 00:35:38,319 Speaker 1: based on her diary writings, which mentioned dreams of a 476 00:35:38,400 --> 00:35:43,520 Speaker 1: husband and children. The other potential explanation whispered about an 477 00:35:43,520 --> 00:35:48,880 Speaker 1: Ethiopia was that Sinadou was possessed by spirits. According to 478 00:35:48,920 --> 00:35:52,560 Speaker 1: an article about the murder in The New Yorker, spirit 479 00:35:52,640 --> 00:35:56,160 Speaker 1: possession is regarded as a kind of consequence of leaving 480 00:35:56,200 --> 00:36:00,360 Speaker 1: Ethiopia and living in the West Sinada. It was a 481 00:36:00,400 --> 00:36:03,920 Speaker 1: good girl from a good family. It was plausible that 482 00:36:03,960 --> 00:36:07,120 Speaker 1: the devil had taken hold of her and influenced her behavior. 483 00:36:08,360 --> 00:36:11,200 Speaker 1: If she had stayed in Ethiopia, none of this would 484 00:36:11,239 --> 00:36:14,839 Speaker 1: have happened, because the moment she started feeling unwell, her 485 00:36:14,880 --> 00:36:17,600 Speaker 1: parents would have taken her to holy waters to be cleansed. 486 00:36:19,000 --> 00:36:26,240 Speaker 1: In Ethiopia, possession is perfectly curable. In America, there are psychologists, 487 00:36:27,320 --> 00:36:30,600 Speaker 1: but they can't address the possession of spirits, can they. 488 00:36:31,360 --> 00:36:35,600 Speaker 1: Regardless of the explanation, Sinnidu's death was a tragedy for 489 00:36:35,640 --> 00:36:41,960 Speaker 1: the whole culture. Two thousand people attended her funeral. Funerals 490 00:36:42,040 --> 00:36:45,640 Speaker 1: are usually a major expense to an Ethiopian family, and 491 00:36:45,760 --> 00:36:49,880 Speaker 1: church burials are normally not permitted for suicides because it 492 00:36:49,920 --> 00:36:52,560 Speaker 1: is believed that the devil has claimed that soul forever, 493 00:36:53,960 --> 00:36:58,520 Speaker 1: but Sinidu's family insisted on both, in large part because 494 00:36:58,560 --> 00:37:01,720 Speaker 1: they believe that no no one really knows what happened 495 00:37:01,760 --> 00:37:05,280 Speaker 1: to her. In an interview for the New Yorker article 496 00:37:05,320 --> 00:37:09,839 Speaker 1: I mentioned earlier, Sinadu's father explained to a reporter that 497 00:37:10,640 --> 00:37:13,680 Speaker 1: I don't care what a hundred psychologists or one thousand 498 00:37:13,760 --> 00:37:18,520 Speaker 1: police detectives tell me. I know my daughter did not 499 00:37:18,600 --> 00:37:22,680 Speaker 1: commit these crimes. The stories we read, we do not 500 00:37:22,800 --> 00:37:29,640 Speaker 1: believe something no one yet knows must have happened. One day, 501 00:37:29,920 --> 00:37:33,480 Speaker 1: the truth will come to light. Who would know if 502 00:37:33,520 --> 00:37:37,200 Speaker 1: not her parents, Her mother and I. We have been 503 00:37:37,239 --> 00:37:40,279 Speaker 1: with her all her life. We ate from the same 504 00:37:40,320 --> 00:37:59,600 Speaker 1: table every week. For the first forty nine days after 505 00:37:59,640 --> 00:38:03,960 Speaker 1: training death, there was a service at the Vietnamese Buddhist 506 00:38:03,960 --> 00:38:08,880 Speaker 1: temple in Boston. Relatives and friends came to pray that 507 00:38:08,960 --> 00:38:13,800 Speaker 1: Treng's consciousness would be accepted for salvation and not reborn 508 00:38:13,840 --> 00:38:18,000 Speaker 1: again on earth. Treng's mother was in a deep depression 509 00:38:18,120 --> 00:38:22,280 Speaker 1: for months after Treng's death. She feared she did something 510 00:38:22,360 --> 00:38:26,000 Speaker 1: gravely wrong in this life or a past one to 511 00:38:26,040 --> 00:38:29,960 Speaker 1: have a daughter die this way. Treng's younger sister took 512 00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:33,600 Speaker 1: a leave of absence from Tufts, where she was studying biopsychology, 513 00:38:34,400 --> 00:38:37,920 Speaker 1: so she could better care for her broken mother. But 514 00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:41,680 Speaker 1: she had plenty of healing to do herself. There is 515 00:38:41,719 --> 00:38:44,360 Speaker 1: no one I talk to now, she said in the 516 00:38:44,400 --> 00:38:48,239 Speaker 1: New Yorker article, I have lost my best friend, my 517 00:38:48,320 --> 00:38:53,200 Speaker 1: life companion, my sister. Treng's father was also left broken 518 00:38:53,280 --> 00:38:57,120 Speaker 1: in the aftermath of her stabbing. But while so many 519 00:38:57,200 --> 00:39:00,200 Speaker 1: were quick to villainize Harvard for their lack of preparedness 520 00:39:00,200 --> 00:39:04,920 Speaker 1: and failure to take responsibility for the incident, Treng's father's 521 00:39:04,960 --> 00:39:09,560 Speaker 1: feelings about the school were complicated. Having train go to 522 00:39:09,600 --> 00:39:12,359 Speaker 1: Harvard was everything the whole family had dreamed of and 523 00:39:12,400 --> 00:39:16,279 Speaker 1: worked for. It is the future they envisioned when they 524 00:39:16,360 --> 00:39:20,000 Speaker 1: left everything they knew in Vietnam and boarded that crowded 525 00:39:20,000 --> 00:39:24,480 Speaker 1: boat twenty years earlier. Harvard will always be in my heart, 526 00:39:25,040 --> 00:39:29,040 Speaker 1: her father said in an interview. For me, it is 527 00:39:29,080 --> 00:39:43,839 Speaker 1: the best place and the worst place. There is one more, 528 00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:48,479 Speaker 1: less talked about, but equally compelling explanation for Senadutdesay's fate. 529 00:39:49,880 --> 00:39:53,239 Speaker 1: It's a theory that Mena de Messi, a PhD in 530 00:39:53,320 --> 00:39:57,000 Speaker 1: political science and public policy, lays out in her paper 531 00:39:57,120 --> 00:40:03,600 Speaker 1: titled Rethinking the American Dream The Cost of Coming to America. 532 00:40:04,080 --> 00:40:08,160 Speaker 1: Doctor de Messi attributes Synadou's social and mental health challenges 533 00:40:08,719 --> 00:40:15,840 Speaker 1: to a state she calls assimilation unaccomplished. Essentially, her argument 534 00:40:16,000 --> 00:40:19,720 Speaker 1: is that the traditional rags to riches American immigrant narrative 535 00:40:20,120 --> 00:40:25,040 Speaker 1: is incomplete and in some ways even harmful. It doesn't 536 00:40:25,040 --> 00:40:29,440 Speaker 1: make space for the darker, less favorable aspects of making 537 00:40:29,520 --> 00:40:34,560 Speaker 1: life work in America. In her words, there's a price 538 00:40:34,640 --> 00:40:39,400 Speaker 1: one must pay to become an American quote, a price 539 00:40:39,440 --> 00:40:43,520 Speaker 1: that tests the strength of one's mental stability and in 540 00:40:43,560 --> 00:40:47,480 Speaker 1: some cases can lead to severe forms of depression that 541 00:40:47,560 --> 00:40:53,320 Speaker 1: go unannounced or misconstrued. It's a fascinating concept because in America, 542 00:40:53,840 --> 00:40:57,680 Speaker 1: if we look far enough into our own past, almost 543 00:40:57,800 --> 00:41:02,719 Speaker 1: everyone's family is an immigration story. So why is this 544 00:41:02,840 --> 00:41:06,920 Speaker 1: theory such a new one? Are we descendants just the 545 00:41:07,000 --> 00:41:11,520 Speaker 1: product of accomplished assimilation? I have to think sort of 546 00:41:12,760 --> 00:41:19,040 Speaker 1: decades of sacrifice, single minded focus, dreaming, fantasizing even about 547 00:41:19,080 --> 00:41:22,480 Speaker 1: what life would be like in the United States must 548 00:41:22,480 --> 00:41:27,160 Speaker 1: have left Sinadu's expectations for her time at Harvard impossibly high. 549 00:41:28,600 --> 00:41:32,080 Speaker 1: Sinadu's success meant so much, not just to her, not 550 00:41:32,160 --> 00:41:35,480 Speaker 1: just to her family, but to her whole country. Imagine 551 00:41:35,520 --> 00:41:39,640 Speaker 1: the weight of that, the fear that by not fitting in, 552 00:41:39,960 --> 00:41:43,440 Speaker 1: not thriving at the best college in the world. She 553 00:41:43,640 --> 00:41:49,440 Speaker 1: was squandering a fantastic opportunity. Expanding the immigrant narrative to 554 00:41:49,600 --> 00:41:53,080 Speaker 1: encompass these challenges could do a lot to prevent the 555 00:41:53,200 --> 00:41:58,279 Speaker 1: kind of heavy self criticism and unhappiness that Sinadu experienced. 556 00:41:59,400 --> 00:42:26,759 Speaker 1: It may have even saved Tranghoe's life. I'd like to 557 00:42:26,800 --> 00:42:29,360 Speaker 1: shout out a few of the excellent sources I relied 558 00:42:29,400 --> 00:42:32,640 Speaker 1: on for this episode. The first is a New Yorker 559 00:42:32,719 --> 00:42:36,880 Speaker 1: article called The Harvard Student Who Killed Her Roommate, written 560 00:42:36,880 --> 00:42:41,360 Speaker 1: by Melanie Thornstrom. It's a fascinating telling of the incident 561 00:42:41,640 --> 00:42:43,239 Speaker 1: and a look at some of the angles of the 562 00:42:43,280 --> 00:42:48,200 Speaker 1: story that other news outlets overlooked. The author of that article, 563 00:42:48,400 --> 00:42:52,800 Speaker 1: Melanie Thornstrom, eventually expanded the piece into a book called 564 00:42:52,880 --> 00:42:58,000 Speaker 1: Halfway Heaven Diary of a Harvard Murder, which is by 565 00:42:58,120 --> 00:43:02,720 Speaker 1: far the most comprehensive and immersive exploration of this story. 566 00:43:03,120 --> 00:43:05,880 Speaker 1: I highly recommend it. The rest of our sources can 567 00:43:05,920 --> 00:43:10,640 Speaker 1: be found in our show notes. For information about this 568 00:43:10,760 --> 00:43:14,880 Speaker 1: case and others we cover on the show, visit Diversionaudio 569 00:43:15,040 --> 00:43:23,640 Speaker 1: dot com. The Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told is 570 00:43:23,640 --> 00:43:27,719 Speaker 1: a production of Diversion audio. I'm Mary Kay McBrayer and 571 00:43:27,800 --> 00:43:31,960 Speaker 1: I hosted this episode. This episode was written by Grace Herman. 572 00:43:33,080 --> 00:43:37,880 Speaker 1: Our show is produced by Emma Dmouth, edited by Antonio Enriquez, 573 00:43:38,719 --> 00:43:43,120 Speaker 1: Theme music by Tyler Cash. Executive produced by Scott Waxman.