Northeastern president: Slain student was 'one of our brightest young lights'

May 21, 2008 05:25 PM Email| Comments (0)| Text size – +

By Globe Staff

The president of Northeastern University said today that Rebecca Payne, a student who was found slain Tuesday in her apartment was "one of our brightest young lights," a spiritual young woman who was dedicated to her studies and passionate about the causes in which she was involved.

Rebecca Payne

"Becca epitomized all that is best about Northeastern University students. Having her taken so suddenly leaves a hole that will never be filled for her parents, Nicholas and Virginia, and her family and friends, as well as our entire university community," Joseph E. Aoun said in a statement.

Payne, 22, of New Milford, Conn., was found dead in her apartment on Parker Hill Avenue in the Mission Hill neighborhood. She was shot twice in the legs and once in the chest. The crime rattled the quiet neighborhood near the school's campus.

Aoun said that Payne, a senior in the Bouve College of Health Sciences, was excited about her co-op jobs -- which are an integral part of a Northeastern education. She was also president of the Athletic Training Club, served on the Dean's Council, was involved with the Lutheran Episcopal Campus Ministry and other spiritual initiatives on campus, and enjoyed working with children at a summer camp, he said.

Meanwhile, Boston Police today continued to investigate the crime, which was the city's 23d homicide of the year.

Police were still trying to determine if Payne knew her assailant. They said today there was no apparent sign of forced entry at the apartment.

"Detectives will continue to follow the evidence wherever it takes us and are actively pursuing all information that comes forward," Superintendent Bruce Holloway said.

Several witnesses had reported hearing multiple gunshots between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m., but the police were not notified at that time, police said in a statement. One witness observed a black van leaving the area.

The shooting shocked the neighborhood, where elderly residents and families mix with college students from Northeastern University and Wentworth Institute of Technology.

Police said they had increased patrol presence in the area and they had also reached out to local colleges to distribute information urging students to take safety precautions.