Karim Abou Najm, victim of a murder in California. (Credit: Facebook)
In 2018, a year before the economic crisis hit Lebanon, Majdi and Nadine Abou Najm left for Davis, California, with their children Karim and Jana.
The family thought they would lead a better life there, but adversity cruelly caught up with them on Saturday.
Karim, 20, a student at the University of California Davis (UC Davis), was stabbed to death at Sycamore Park as he was cycling to his family’s home after an academic awards ceremony.
Davis police and FBI agents are searching hard for the crime’s perpetrator. The suspect is a man “with a light complexion and curly hair,” and “he’s thin,” US media outlets have reported, adding that drones and canine units are being used in search efforts to find him.
Two days before the murder, another stabbing claimed the life of David Breaux, a US citizen in his 50s, in the same city. A graduate of Stanford University, Breaux was known in his community for his tolerance and empathy. Investigators are trying to find out if the two crimes are linked.
The Davis Police Department reported Tuesday a third knife attack in the city, this one involving a woman. The victim, who according to a police statement remains in critical condition at UC Medical Center, was attacked Monday night in the city. Following the attack, police issued a shelter-in-place order to the area’s residents, but lifted it a day later having been unable to find a suspect for the stabbing..
Fear was visible on the faces of young students who spoke to US TV channels, most of whom said they were now afraid to be out of doors after dark.
L’Orient-Le Jour could not reach the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment on the tragedy.
‘We came here hoping for safety’
Speaking to the US media, Majdi Abou Najm said his son was killed on “the same path we do every day.”
“I just call on every person in a capacity to help to capture whoever did this, to please do so,” he told a reporter who spoke to him. “We came here hoping for safety.”
“Karim went to Davis High School first, and was full of ambition. We are proud of him,” he continued, noting that his son, a computer engineering student, “was six weeks away from graduating.”
“Karim is gone. We were just doing his funeral arrangements rather than preparing for his graduation party or his wedding later on,” the father said.
On LinkedIn, Karim Abou Najm had shared the experience he had gained during a yearlong internship at Amazon, particularly in the web development and configuring departments.
“I've found a niche in Java backend engineering …,” he wrote. “I enjoy working on personal projects in my free time,” adding, “Insanely busy for the foreseeable future, but please message me with any opportunities.”
On her Twitter account, MP Najat Saliba, friend of Majdi and Nadine Abou Najm, said she was shocked at the horrible news.
Speaking to L’Orient-Le Jour, she said that the student “was very talented and brilliant.”
“He had no enemies,” she said.
“His parents were also peaceful and dedicated to their work,” she said, noting that “they both hold academic positions at UC Davis, after they worked as professors at the American University of Beirut.”
Originally from Shemlan in Aley, Majdi taught environmental civil engineering at AUB, while Nadine taught business courses there.
According to the US media, the couple is already thinking of creating an association to offer scholarships in memory of their son.
On Twitter, several academics close to the young man, alongside professors and students, expressed their shock at the news of his murder. “By all accounts, he was an exceptional student, son and friend,” UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May wrote in a statement issued on April 30.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour. Translation by Joelle El Khoury.
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