Crime or Tragedy? Murder & Suicide at Villanova

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On January 20, 2005, Villanova University dedicated a memorial to the late Professor Mine Ener, director of the university's Center for Arab and Islamic Studies. The last six months of Mine's life, and the circumstances of her death, had shaken the campus. The year after she was married, Mine gave birth to a daughter, Raya Donagi, who suffered from Down syndrome and associated medical complications. As time went on, Raya's condition did not improve and Mine sank more deeply into postpartum depression. By the time Raya was six months old, Mine appeared to be gripped by postpartum psychosis. On the morning of August 4, 2003, she killed Raya, later telling police that she could not bear for the baby to continue in such suffering. A few weeks later, Mine Ener took her own life.

Shocked and heartbroken, the Villanova community nonetheless …