Rainer Reinscheid, a UCI professor, was recently discovered to have sent emails to his wife, detailing a massacre at his late son’s school in Irvine, CA. Following the death of his son, Claas Stubbe, a University High School student who committed suicid
e, Reinscheid experienced many struggles. He was arrested for five acts of arson and is currently held in jail without bail due to his potential danger to the community.
Many people had mixed feelings and reactions, and questions were raised asking, “Why did Claas committ suicide?” and “Why would Reinscheid plan that?” Students who knew Stubbe think that the reasons for his suicide were more than just because he was disciplined by the administration for a theft from the student store.
A neighbor of Reinscheid said, “Claas was always a very nice kid. Even though we hadn’t been close acquaintances in years, it was devastating and shocking. The way it never became public was also strange and I think made it harder for people to cope with his loss.”
Many students are horrified by the plotted murder spree, but others try to understand where Reinscheid is coming from and wonder whether the plans were his true intentions or merely ways to cope.
“The community’s reaction to the news about his dad was not one of fear, but one of sadness. We all feel sorry for his dad because we knew that he loved his son dearly and that Claas’s loss had clearly caused him severe grief. Many members of the UCI community think that his dad never intended to do any of the things in the emails, but just used them to cope”, an anonymous student from University High School stated, “But it’s really all speculation since many of us hadn’t interacted with him and his family in a long time.”
When the community learned about Stubbe’s suicide, the school Adminstration did not dwell on the incident, but let the community know that the counseling staff was available to anyone and reminded everyone to be mindful and sensitive to others.
Rae Hung, a senior from University High said, “I think his death really raised awareness for others who commit suicide and how to prevent incidents like his from happening again. I do not know why he committed suicide, nor why his dad planned revenge. I imagine he was very upset with the way the school handled Claas’s passing.”
