By MORGAN ADDERLEY
Tribune Staff Reporter
madderley@tribunemedia.net
A Florida Atlantic University student raised in the Bahamas was arrested last week for allegedly threatening to kill his professor for scheduling a 7am exam.
Rafael Decomas was arrested by campus police on November 28 after an officer was “made aware” of a “concerning Twitter post” by the account @Ashelaniqua, according to a criminal probably cause affidavit.
The post read: “Bey I gern f—ing kill dis professor bey this is my confession to a premeditated murder (sic).”
Mr Decomas is a former student of St John’s College, according to his Facebook account.
A FAU campus officer discovered Mr Decomas’ identity after realising the Twitter account was associated with the school’s Caribbean Student Association and cross-referencing the information.
According to the officer’s statement, Mr Decomas admitted to authoring the post, saying his anger was due to the fact that he would have to leave home at 5am to sit the exam.
“When I asked Decomas why he created such a post, he advised that he was only reacting to the news that his final exam for Data Structure…was scheduled to (7am),” the statement reads. “Decomas advised that he was upset at the news since he lives in Riviera Beach and would need to wake up at (5am).
“Decomas stated he did not intend to harm anyone, and tweeted the post out of frustration. Decomas advised that he deleted the post soon after publishing it.”
Mr Decomas was charged with written threats to kill or do bodily injury. He was released on $5,000 bond.
According to court documents, Mr Decomas will be arraigned in January in West Palm Beach.
Comments
John 5 years, 4 months ago
Cultural Lag. Everyone who knows Bahamians know they use the word 'kill' loosely. But unfortunately, with the current climate in the US, with mass shootings and the like, that statement will not be taken lightly there and even here would warrant closer scrutiny of the person making the statement. And maybe those few words, uttered in distress, destroyed the young man's college career, at least as a student in the US.
Clamshell 5 years, 4 months ago
The per-capita murder rate in the Bahamas is far, far higher than the U.S. — 5 times higher, in fact. We have the 11th highest murder rate in the world.
So, indeed, the “cultural” factor would be of concern when a threat like that comes from a person from the Bahamas. Apparently, when we say “kill”, we mean it.
rawbahamian 5 years, 4 months ago
Make your words soft and sweet in case you have to eat them !!! Well shooting off his mouth got his career blown out of the water and for a college boy that was smart, very smart !!!
BahamaRed 5 years, 4 months ago
Notice they didn't say a Bahamian student, they said raised in The Bahamas. Which may mean he isn't actually Bahamian by nationality.
Sad though... social media gets people everytime.
ThisIsOurs 5 years, 4 months ago
He say "bey I gern...", he Bahamian
newcitizen 5 years, 4 months ago
What's the difference?
BahamaRed 5 years, 4 months ago
I say that because he may be American but grew up in The Bahamas. Had he been just Bahamian they might have deported him already. #ijs
SP 5 years, 4 months ago
His professor scheduled a 7am exam and only got ONE death threat?
Sickened 5 years, 4 months ago
LOL!
Clamshell 5 years, 4 months ago
So what does he do when he gets a job that starts at 7 a.m.? Kill the boss?
sheeprunner12 5 years, 4 months ago
Exactly ......... these kids nowadays do not want to get out of bed till midday
mandela 5 years, 4 months ago
well, he is in the USA, now he will see the difference between here and there. A lesson leave your foolish attitudes at the LPIA until you return back, in the bush
ThisIsOurs 5 years, 4 months ago
Weird, but this is a common Bahamian thing to say, you could say it about a friend. Weird that we do think it's normal. I even do the hands around the neck thing with a smile of course
BMW 5 years, 4 months ago
its sad, out of the 11 comments 9 of them are excuses for a very foolish statement from an entitled dummy! To write and post a threat of death is against the law. PERIOD ! He will learn that in 1st world countries they take the laws of the land seriously. He will lose his education and more than likely be deported. Why do we always make excuses for law breakers?
ThisIsOurs 5 years, 4 months ago
You takin it to sear-ree-us. The comments that is. What people saying is knowing how we speak, "we" know he didn't mean he was going to kill anyone. Yes in wake of all the recent school shootings, it was beyond foolish to post something like that about a professor on a US campus. Especially while breathing black(?)
BMW 5 years, 4 months ago
More excuses!
B_I_D___ 5 years, 4 months ago
Idiot...we've had to fire numerous people for those same type of words...what ends up with a small disagreement between staff members ends up in death threats...at which point you get a swift police escort off property...
sheeprunner12 5 years, 4 months ago
Agreed ........... we say the meanest things to each other ........ like dummy, nigger, picky head, stink mouth, ........ it seems we think its cute/cool as black Bahamians to say to each other .......... And what you learn at home, goes with you to school and work ......... now, overseas.
John 5 years, 4 months ago
One time ago when someone wanted to delay taking an exam they would call in a bomb threat. Meaning the exam had to be delayed or cancelled while the building was evacuated and searched. Then when the 'all clear ' was given, innocent students who had studied and prepared for the examination still could not function and perform as they should. And there were foreign or out-of-state students who had already made plans to travel and had to go through the who process of rebooking flights or bus travel. So they inconvenienced a whole lot of people because they were not prepared for an exam.
sheeprunner12 5 years, 4 months ago
Different time ......... Different media ........... Different mentality ....... Different laws & consequences now.
Sickened 5 years, 4 months ago
Why would a parent call their daughter Rafael? That is a picture of a bearded girl right? She needs to pluck that chin growth if she wants to find a man.
Gotoutintime 5 years, 4 months ago
Brilliant!!
Bahamianfriend 5 years, 4 months ago
Sadly, foolishness and entitlement attitude seems to be everywhere especially with today's youth. But I do find it particularly disappointing when I see a foreign student make this type of mistake. Unfortunately, I have seen and heard of many situations regarding foreign students getting into trouble when they go away to school.
It is unfortunate and a waste that such a inappropriate comment that came from laziness may derail this young man's future. Consequences for your actions? Hmmm...what a wild concept?!!!
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