UC grad, nature educator identified as Berkeley homicide victim

Emilie Inman, killed in a Berkeley stabbing, is seen playing guitar a few weeks ago at a campsite in Joshua Tree. Emilie Inman, killed in a Berkeley stabbing, is seen playing guitar a few weeks ago at a campsite in Joshua Tree. Photo: Courtesy Of Lili Nakita Photography Photo: Courtesy Of Lili Nakita Photography Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close UC grad, nature educator identified as Berkeley homicide victim 1 / 4 Back to Gallery

A nature educator and graduate of UC Santa Cruz was identified by police as the victim of a deadly stabbing last week in Berkeley allegedly committed by a UC Berkeley student, who is also suspected of stabbing a second woman.

Alameda County prosecutors have yet to lodge charges against Pablo Gomez Jr., 22, who was arrested over the weekend in Southern California in the killing of the young woman, 27-year-old Emilie Inman. A spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office said Thursday it had not yet reviewed the case.

Gomez of North Hollywood was arrested Saturday in Burbank. Investigators were expected to bring the suspect back to the Bay Area to face murder and assault charges in court next week.

In addition to Inman’s stabbing death, Gomez is accused of stabbing another young woman, a student at UC Berkeley, whose injuries weren’t fatal.

The suspect — who friends say uses the nonbinary gender pronoun “they” — is enrolled at the UC Berkeley campus with a major in Chicano studies, according to Janet Gilmore, a school spokeswoman. Gomez is an undergraduate senior, Gilmore said.

Police first got wind of the killing Friday just before noon, when they were called to the intersection of La Loma Avenue and Ridge Road — just north of the UC Berkeley campus on a block where several student cooperative houses are located.

A student who lives in one of the co-ops had been stabbed and flagged down a passing motorist, who stopped and helped her call 911, officials said.

Paramedics transported the student to a nearby hospital, and she is expected to make a full recovery.

The stabbing led detectives to Inman’s apartment on Ashby Avenue near Telegraph Avenue in South Berkeley, where they found the scene of an apparent violent crime. Police said it wasn’t until “much later” that they discovered the body of Inman, who had been stabbed to death.

Investigators have yet to disclose a motive for the stabbings.

A musician who is a native of France, Inman graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 2011 with a degree in environmental studies. Her SoundCloud is filled with original folk songs that touched on progressive issues. In one song she sings, “Wake up and live while you can, you don’t have to side with the man” and “When you look out from your eyes, do you see what you want to see? It’s time to realize the potential for humanity.”

Most recently, Inman worked as a science teacher for fifth- and sixth-grade children at Sienna Ranch, an outdoor nature program in Lafayette.

The director of Sienna Ranch, Chris Lauf, said he has been inundated with messages from parents whose children were influenced by Inman, whom he described as a “brilliant, passionate, creative teacher and a sparkling, joyful, sincere person.”

A parent of a child with special needs sent Lauf a message saying, “Emilie knew just how to transport this diverse group of friends from one world to another filled with fascinating plants, fuzzy-tailed friends, mud puddles, hillside daydream, and original songs she had written. As the group evolved to include more students from our extended community, Emilie continued to embrace ALL children, especially those with special and complex needs.”

Inman’s longtime partner, Matt — who asked that his last name not be published — said in an email, “She had nothing but positive energy, love, passion, creativity, and kindness radiating from her mind, body, and soul. From her deeply caring hugs, to her passion for educating and relentlessly being the change she wanted to see in the world, Emilie has been nothing but a source of encouragement and inspiration to those who interacted with her.”

The slaying suspect, Gomez, was involved in progressive issues, too. In high school, Gomez worked for the Alliance for Climate Education and in college gave a speech at a summit held by the organization.

A spokeswoman for the climate program said Gomez’s arrest came as a “total shock to us.”

On Facebook, Gomez frequently posted about transgender issues, Palestinian liberation and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Friends of the suspect said they are in disbelief that Gomez would attack anyone and didn’t know Gomez to be violent.

Matt, 29, who was with Inman for eight years, encouraged those hoping to honor her memory to “constantly strive to be the very best version of yourself you can be.”

“In my experience, she was happiest seeing people passionately pursuing what they love to do,” he said. “I know that she helped many of us find our purpose or provided validation that we were on the right path. Simply put — and in language she would use — she got stoked seeing other humans stoked on what they love to do.”

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov