The Daily Police raid finds couple unconscious Man pronounced dead at medical center; woman in fair condition By Kevin Cirilli and Elizabeth Murphy COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITERS kncso63@psu.edu, eamslls@psu.edu One man is dead after police stormed his College Township home and found him and his wife unconscious with a loaded handgun and suicide note nearby, police said. The man, 41, and the woman, 45. were taken to Mount Nittany Medical Center at about 4 p.m.. police said. Friends later confirmed the two residents as William and Jennifer Nelson, who had been mar ried for about 10 years. Centre County Coroner Scott Sayers confirmed Monday that William Nelson was pronounced dead at the hospital at 4:22 p.m. Sayers said the cause of death is still unclear, as there was no outward injury or trauma to Nelson's body. An autopsy will take place today. Sayers said. Jennifer Nelson was listed as in fair condition as of Monday night, hospital offi cials said. Police received a call at about 1:20 p.m. reporting a couple at 244 1 2 Independence Ave. who were threatening to hurt themselves, according to a State College Police Department press release. The caller told police the husband and wife were drug and alcohol abusers, had access to multiple firearms at the resi dence and were "obsessed with weapons.' according to the release. But Andrew Budziak. who said he was the Nelsons' landlord and close friend, said William Nelson owned a gun but was not violent. The only time he fired the weapon, he said, was into a dresser by accident. "My mind and my heart is not believing my best friend is gone," Budziak said. Budziak said the suicide note was addressed to him. but he had not read it. "He kind of thought of me as a father fig ure," he said. "I don't think I could read it. It'd break my heart. He was a gentle giant." Budziak said he and William Nelson were Penn State football fans and were planning to attend this weekend's Blue- White game. William Nelson painted lines on the highway for a living, he said. The Nelsons were living with a man, Richard King, who had lived with William Nelson for some time in Nevada. King said William Nelson had dropped him off at work the morning of the incident. Ralliers medical By Sadie Bertier FOR THE COLLEGIAN HARRISBURG Protesters wearing' sweatshirts emblazoned with a marijuana leaf lined the steps of the Capitol on Monday, advocating a change in Pennsylvania’s marijua na laws. More than 75 supporters of medici nal marijuana including several Penn State students brandished signs asking local drivers to honk in support of legalization. “We’re at a point where this is not a political issue," said Jay Bundy pres ident of the Penn State branch of the National Organization for the Reform Campus tours to be available via cell phones By Ryan Pfister COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER | ryan@psu.edu Look out, tour guides: A new system Penn State is launching this summer will allow visi tors to hear audio clips about select university sites using their cell phones. The system, dubbed “iHear Penn State," will be launched on June 5 and will include 12 popular Penn State sites, including Old Main, See TOURS. Page 2. Wpllf hpr* Today: iCV Tonight: Tomorrow: Ext ended forecast | WEATHER, Page 2. ® r,e fs T TCuUICI • High 62 A' Low 38 High 46 Courtesy of Campus Weather Service A t’l'lvlllJi, Local 6 11 L 8 cws.met.psu.edu Sports , Dawn of a New Era 4 Wrestling leg?'' mh) rit'.itt':. #f|n' and expectation aV* mtuulurton pu'ss ronfoioinv *^gjr in front of 500 *•§?:•> <i! K<v H.ill I SPORTS, I N Police wheel one of the residents of a College Township duplex to a waiting ambulance Monday afternoon. The resident was found unconscious inside After responding to the scene, police officers secured the perimeter and blocked off several surrounding roads. Officers were stationed at the side of Sam's Club, 381 Benner Pike, and at about 3:45 p.m.. the Centre County Tactical Response Team descended on the resi dence. About live officers dressed in fatigues and helmets, shouldering rifles and shields, walked slowly down the grassy hill toward the light blue duplex. One officer in the group also carried a telephone box, later used in what police said was a failed effort to contact the couple inside the res idence. They rushed into the bottom resi dence to find the Nelsons unconscious, according to the release. At about 4 p.m., officers carried out two people in stretchers, carefully loading them into two separate ambulances as a windy rain came down on the crowd of cars and flashing lights. support drug use of Marijuana Laws (NORML). “It’s an issue of justice, an issue of history and an issue of human suffering." Bundy, a former Penn State stu dent, didn't attend the rally but said several students from Penn State did. Among them was Stacey Bullock (junior-political science), who thinks: now is the time to legalize marijuana. "This whole debate is taking place too late in my opinion,” Bullock said. "Think about all the legal drugs that have side effects and health risks that are far worse when compared to those of smoking marijuana.” Supporters cited statistics showing that alcohol kills more people than See DRUG. Page 2. Cell phone tour of campus Beginning the first week of June, campus visitors will be able to use their cell phones to dial in to audio clips about certain sites on campus. The new self-guided tour has 12 stops. Pollock Rd. 5«» 8«t I(M| r \ College Ave. irson of the comi Along with the gun and suicide note found in the residence, police also found several hundred rounds of ammunition, according to the release. Police could not confirm if there were any shots fired dur ing the raid on the residence or if either unconscious resident sustained gunshot wounds. Lyubov Samohina lives across the street from the residence where the inci dent occurred. She said she arrived home and saw police surrounding her neigh bors’ home. "They seemed to be nice people,” Samohina said. Her 18-year-old daughter was on a school bus that could not drop her off because police had blocked off surround ing roads. Her daughter said she saw her neighbors being taken away in ambu lances, Samohina said. “[William Nelson] was a beautiful per son,” Budziak said. Andrew Dunheimer/Collegian Protesters stand in front of the Capitol in Harrisburg on Monday in support of legalizing a medicinal marijuana. * ii«* reating the tour A. Published independently by students at Penn State Dial-in stops 1- Nittany Lion Inn 2- Rec Hall 3- Lion Shrine 4- Pattee Mall 5- The obelisk 6- Hintz Family Alumni Center 7- Street gates 8- Old Main 9- Palmer Museum of Art 10- HUB - Robeson Center 11- Berkey Creamery 12- Beaver Stadium Nicole Leva/Collegian www.psucollegian.com The Centre County Tactical Response Team prepares to enter a resi dence at about 3:45 p.m. Monday in College Township next to Sam's Club, near the Nittany Mall. Police received a call at about 1:20 p.m. reporting that the couple inside was threatening to hurt themselves. WJAC: Court to review probation By Matt Fortuna COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER | mjfs2l7@psu.edu After a troubling season off the field in 2008, Penn State linebacker Navorro Bowman may be starting 2009 on the wrong foot. WJAC-TV in State College reported that Bowman is scheduled to appear in Centre County court this week for a review of his probation, which coun ty officials reportedly believe may have been violated. The station reported Bowman told county officials that he smoked mari juana at least two times since December and has yet to complete Magazine celebrates 100 years of laughter By Stefan Orzech COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER | spol3o@psu.edu Phroth’s latest magazine, which celebrates the student organiza- tion’s centennial anniversary, is proof that humor may grow old but never dies. Laura DeSantis, Phroth’s edi- and history) said about meeting tor-in-chief, said assembling the with alumni and reading their sub centennial issue of the humor missions. “Phroth has really magazine gave her an opportunity evolved over the years.” to “see Phroth in the context of history.” .2 Comics 11 NEWS: 865-1828 www.psucollegian.com •“ {' rossword 11 BUSINESS: B6S-2531 162008 Collegian Inc. .8 Horoscope / Student Style Penn State students and potential employers discuss appropriate internship attire | ETC, Page 12. A | A MB Bowman ■ university spokes man Bill Mahon said he had not heard about the report. A man who answered the door at Bowman’s on-campus apartment See PROBATION. Page 2. She said the first half of the issue is dedicated entirely to Phroth alumni, including submis sions by members from before 1950. “It’s been really interesting to hear about the old days of Phroth," DeSantis (senior-public relations Phroth began as Froth in 1909, See MAGAZINE, Page 2. Tuesday. April 21. 2009 Qa.'id Waiker Co';-:. 1 ,!' 1 David Walker C any of the 100 hours of commu nity service he was sentenced to perform. Penn State Sports Infor mation Director Jeff Nelson would not comment on the situation, and
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers