A man shot and killed two women - one an ASU student - before turning the gun on himself at a Tempe apartment complex early Sunday morning, police reported.
Carol Kestenbaum, an education major, was shot by a friend's angry boyfriend after she said she didn't approve of their relationship, police reported.
Nicole Schiffman, a 20-year-old University of Maryland student, was also shot outside Lakeview at the Bay Apartments near Rural and Baselines roads, where Kestenbaum lived.
Sunday was Kestenbaum's 20th birthday.
As of 4 p.m. Sunday, Kestenbaum's friends were posting "happy birthday" messages on her facebook.com wall. A few hours later the messages turned to "rest in peace."
Schiffman had flown in from New York to help Kestenbaum celebrate her birthday, police reported.
Joshua Mendel, 22, confronted the women as they returned to Kestenbaum's apartment from a night of celebration around 4 a.m., said Tempe Police spokesman Dan Masters.
Mendel fired multiple shots at Kestenbaum as she exited her car, instantly killing her, Masters said.
Mendel then shot Schiffman multiple times in the upper-body as she was running away, Masters said.
Schiffman was alive when police arrived at the scene and was transported to Maricopa County Medical Center where she died in surgery around 5:30 a.m., Masters said.
Masters said Mendel walked about 10 feet away from Schiffman's body and shot himself one time in the head.
The gun that police believe was used in the shooting was found next to Mendel's body. Police found another fully loaded semi-automatic handgun and additional rounds of ammunition in the pockets of the jeans Mendel was wearing, Masters said.
Police believe Mendel went to the up-scale apartment complex with plans of shooting Kestenbaum, Masters said.
There were no eyewitnesses to the shooting but neighbors called police after hearing the gunshots and a female screaming, police reported.
Jared Guy, a resident at the complex, said he saw Mendel eating candy bars as he waited for the women to return to the apartment.
Police said both girls' possessions were still there and there were no signs of a struggle.
"Both girls' purses were there, their wallets, their money, their keys, their jewelry. So no apparent motive, no signs of a robbery gone bad or anything like that," Masters said. "It appears it was a murder - just a murder in cold blood."
Kestenbaum's parents were not available for comment, but a family friend who answered the phone at their residence said Kestenbaum "was a fantastic person."
State Press reporter Jed Dougherty contributed to this report. Reach the reporter at: samuel.good@asu.edu.
