Student, 20, dies in fall from balcony

HAMDEN, Conn. -- A 20-year-old Quinnipiac University student died early yesterday after falling from a third-floor dormitory balcony, police said.

Ricardo Petrillo, a Westport native who lived on campus, suffered head trauma after falling from the balcony at about 2:30 a.m. He was treated at the scene and brought to Yale-New Haven Hospital, where he died a short time later, police said.

Police said they were investigating and did not release other details, such as the cause of the fall. University officials said the sophomore political science major lived in the dorm with the balcony from which he fell.

The university community was saddened to learn of Petrillo's death, college spokesman John Morgan said yesterday. He said the university was holding a service for Petrillo last evening and offering counseling services to affected students. ''He was a well-liked student whose presence on campus will be missed by his many friends, professors, and classmates," Morgan said.

A man who answered the phone at Petrillo's home in Westport yesterday said it was a difficult time for the family and declined to comment further.