A man accused of killing seven people in a shooting rampage at Oikos University in Oakland in 2012 entered a no contest plea to murder charges on Tuesday, and now faces multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole, an Alameda County prosecutor said.
One Goh, 48, was found guilty of seven counts of murder, three counts of premeditated attempted murder and the special circumstance allegations of committing a murder during a kidnapping and committing multiple murders for the shooting at Oikos, a Christian vocational school located near Oakland International Airport, on April 2, 2012.
Alameda County prosecutor Stacie Pettigrew told Alameda County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Horner of Goh's plea and said prosecutors do not plan to seek the death penalty against him.
Goh will be sentenced to seven consecutive terms of life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 271 years to life, Pettigrew told the judge.
"This defendant will be in prison for the rest of his life and will never again be in a position to harm anyone in our community in the way he so horrendously did, five years ago," said Teresa Drenick, a spokeswoman for the Alameda County District Attorney's Office.
Oikos University students said Tuesday that the community still experiences the devastation of that one day.
"I like this school despite what happened," said Christina Williams, who is studying to be a nurse. Her aunt was working toward the same goal when she was gunned down by Goh.
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"She was a very nice person, very down to earth, helpful," she said.
Criminal proceedings against Goh were suspended after his lawyers doubted his mental competency to stand trial, but he was recently deemed by court-appointed doctors to be restored to competency.
Williams expressed relief that Goh had finally been sentenced.
"Many people lost their lives," she said. "That's good that justice finally came to pass. I'm happy to hear that."
Prosecutors said Goh had dropped out of Oikos several months before the shooting and wanted his tuition refunded and targeted an administrator who wasn't present on the day of the shooting.
"I think a lot of people were traumatized because of that," Daniel Lee, an Oikos student, said.
Goh's attorney said his client suffers from a mental illness and is deeply sorry for the pain he caused.
Oikos University issued a statement, which said in part: "It's a heartbreaking memory for all of us. Justice is served, but we feel sorry for Mr. Goh's soul."
