Sophomore John Taylor Skilling overdoses, friends are surprised

   Friends were shocked when sophomore John Taylor "J.T." Skilling, 20, son of the former CEO of Enron, was found dead last Tuesday in his apartment. Investigators are trying to determine whether his death was an accidental overdose or a suicide.    

   Sophomore Luke Sikura, a close friend who hosted a Chapman Radio show with Skilling, had dinner with him Jan. 31, the night before Skilling's body was discovered.

   "He was in great spirits as he always was," Sikura wrote in an e-mail. "J.T. was one of the kindest, happiest and most artistic people I have ever met … I'll never forget him, and Chapman will never be the same without him."

   Friends at Chapman were surprised that Skilling might have taken his own life. Some are adamant that it was out of character.

   "It's bullcrap. He would not have killed himself," said senior Eric Zimmermann, one of Skilling's friends. "He was a happy guy. If anything, it was an accident." 

    Two friends called the Santa Ana police department on Feb. 1 when they peered through Skilling's window and saw his body on a bed. Officers went to The Aspens, Skilling's apartment complex, on Fairhaven Avenue.

    Prescription pills were found near his body but not a suicide note. A toxicology report will be processed in four to six weeks.   

   Cpl. Anthony Bertagna, public information officer for the Santa Ana Police Department, will not release the names of the friends, both Chapman students, to protect them from media questioning.  

   "They knew he was distraught over the recent break-up with his girlfriend," Bertagna said. He did not know whether the girlfriend was a Chapman student.  

   Roman Sheremeta, assistant professor of economics, met Skilling when the student expressed interest about Christian fellowships on campus. Sheremeta described Skilling as pleasant and easy-going.  

   "It bothered me a lot just because I knew him. I reached out to him, I invited him, but I never followed up," Sheremeta said. "It gives me, right now, even bigger motivation to work with students right now to make sure that we do everything [so] that something like this doesn't happen again." 

   Skilling spoke to Zimmermann about his father's Enron scandal and about how the fall-out affected him.

   "J.T. wasn't some scandal baby," Zimmermann said. "He said that it was misdirected at him. He said that he felt some hate, but he said that you just have to ignore it."

   Jeffrey Skilling, former CEO of Enron, will seek a temporary release from prison to attend his son's funeral, his attorney, Daniel Petrocelli, told CNBC. Jeffrey Skilling was convicted in 2006 and is serving prison time at Englewood Federal Correctional Institute in Littleton, Colo.  

   An on-campus memorial will be arranged in the coming weeks, said Jerry Price, vice chancellor for student affairs and dean of students.

  Price sent out an e-mail on Monday morning to the Chapman community, asking that no conclusions be drawn about the cause of Skilling's death.

   "I have heard rumors that many are inferring that his death was a suicide," Price wrote. "Please know that the circumstances do not support such an assumption. The cause of death is still undetermined, and reports from police, family and friends suggest this tragedy just as likely could have been an accident."