2 students charged in Santa Cruz koi killing / UC authorities not amused by fraternity brothers' fishy prank

Two fraternity brothers who admitted snatching and killing a beloved koi from a fish pond at UC Santa Cruz were charged Friday by indignant authorities who said as many as six others may have joined the caper.

But it appears that only UC seniors Casey Loop and Matthew Cox will face misdemeanor counts of theft and malicious mischief because investigators have been unable to identify their cohorts or flush out anyone who can.

The May 20 incident involving Goldie, a favorite among children at a campus day care center, stunned the student body and outraged alumni and animal lovers throughout the state.

Although the students -- who could not be reached for comment -- have apologized for killing the jumbo goldfish and spent $654 on a replacement that they dumped in the pond last month, District Attorney Bob Lee said "a message must be sent" that such shenanigans have no place in Santa Cruz.

"This was an ill-advised and cruel fraternity prank," Lee said. "Pranks of this type, particularly against defenseless animals, should not be tolerated."

Goldie's slaying has angered many at UC Santa Cruz, a liberal campus where vegetarianism, animal rights and counterculture ideals prevail. Many gathered around the pond at the university's Porter College on Friday for a memorial and jotted their thoughts on cards left there.

Compounding that anger is the fact that the confessed fish-filchers belong to the Delta Omega Chi fraternity, which is being filmed for an MTV networks reality program "Fraternity Life." That has some accusing the network of encouraging the prank to enhance the program -- a charge MTV steadfastly denied Friday.

"We started shooting in April, long before this koi incident occurred," said Eileen Quast, a spokeswoman for MTV. "We have no plans to use this incident in the story line."

Quast said MTV has adhered to a university stipulation barring it from filming on campus, and she denounced rumors that the students arrived at the fish pond in an SUV emblazoned with the MTV logo by insisting that the network's vehicles are not marked in any way.

Fraternity leaders could not be reached for comment, but voiced their disapproval of the prank in an open letter posted around campus on Thursday and Friday.

"We . . . do not condone cruelty to animals, and are fully prepared to reprimand any associate of Delta Omega Chi that may feel otherwise," it reads in part.

Campus police believe others participated in the crime but have exhausted their leads without identifying the men or finding anyone who can, said university spokeswoman Elizabeth Irwin.

In addition to the criminal charges, which could land them in jail for a year, Loop and Cox are the subjects of an inquiry by the Campus Judicial Affairs office, university spokeswoman Elizabeth Irwin said. The results are confidential under federal law, she said, but they could face suspension or even permanent expulsion if the panel finds they violated the code of student conduct.

"We're taking this very seriously," Irwin said.

Loop and Cox have already made restitution for Goldie, whom they apparently whacked with a rake and took away to be barbecued, by placing another koi in the pond about a week or so after Goldie vanished.

But even that has created problems, because tossing a new fish into the pond could introduce disease and parasites that could threaten the other koi and goldfish in the pond, Irwin said. Such concerns prompted university officials to summon a koi expert, who will monitor the pond for any problems. So far, none have been found, she said.