Accused student quit meds, police say

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Authorities say a Gettysburg College student charged with killing a classmate told police that he had recently stopped taking an antidepressant.

Sophomore Emily Silverstein, 19, of Roosevelt, N.J., died of a combination of stabbing and choking, Adams County officials say.

Senior Kevin Schaeffer, 21, of Oley, Berks County, is being held without bail on criminal-homicide and other charges pending a preliminary hearing Wednesday.

The two had recently ended a romantic relationship, investigators said. Police found Silverstein's body Thursday in Schaeffer's off-campus apartment.

According to a police affidavit, Schaeffer told investigators that he had been drinking but had not been intoxicated, and had recently stopped taking Zoloft.

Police said they had recovered the knife used in the attack. A spokesman declined to comment on a motive.

Silverstein was an anthropology major and active in groups such as Amnesty International and Free the Children. She was taking courses in Arabic and planned to study in Morocco next year.

"She was the biggest pacifist around and the sweetest, most gentle soul you'd ever encounter in your life," said her uncle, Matthew Black, 42, of Tinton Falls, N.J.

"Her one great hope was that she would just make the world a better place."