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Elliot Oliver Robertson Rodger (July 24, 1991 – May 23, 2014) was a British-born American who killed six people and injured fourteen others during the 2014 Isla Vista killings. The murders he committed, his suicide, and his manifesto have been cited as an early influence on the incel and manosphere subculture.
Born in London, England, Rodger relocated to California with his family as a child. Son of British filmmaker Peter Rodger, he grew up in a privileged household. Rodger struggled with social isolation, mental health issues, and rejection. As a teenager, he was diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), but did not meet the criteria for an autism diagnosis. He started treatment and received special education resources and therapy for most of his life. He endured bullying during his time in middle and high school. Several incidents of Rodger's strange behavior during his time in Isla Vista, California, along with videos and other writings that mentioned violent intentions, worried his family and acquaintances. Before starting his planned shooting rampage, Rodger uploaded to YouTube a video announcing his intention to "punish" women—as well as the men to whom they were attracted—for their lack of interest in him. He also e-mailed a 137-page manifesto—in which he described his major life events, personal struggles, and frustrations at having remained a lifelong virgin—to several of his family members, acquaintances, and therapists.
On May 23, 2014, Rodger murdered six people and injured fourteen others using knives, semi-automatic pistols, and his car as a weapon in Isla Vista near the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). Rodger first killed his two roommates and their friend in the apartment they shared, ambushing and stabbing them one at a time as they arrived. Hours later, he drove to the Alpha Phi sorority house, where he intended to murder its occupants but was unable to enter the premises. Rodger instead shot at three women from the Delta Delta Delta sorority who were walking near the Alpha Phi sorority house, killing two of them while critically injuring the third. He later drove by a nearby delicatessen, shooting and killing a man inside. Afterward, Rodger drove around Isla Vista, indiscriminately shooting and ramming into pedestrians with his vehicle. He exchanged gunfire with sheriff's deputies twice, getting shot in his hip. Shortly after, he crashed his vehicle into a parked car. As police examined the vehicle, they found Rodger dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head.
In the years following his death, Rodger's attacks became a topic in conversations about mental health, online radicalization, and misogyny. He is cited as an early figure of the incel and manosphere subculture, being referred to as a "hero" and "saint" in internet forums. Rodger's attacks have often been praised by incels around the world. He has both influenced and been referenced by perpetrators of other mass killings, with some referring to their actions as "going E.R.", including those who perpetrated the 2015 Umpqua Community College shooting and the 2018 Toronto van attack. Rodger's killings have sparked social media campaigns like #NotAllMen and #YesAllWomen and have contributed to ongoing debates about toxic masculinity, gender-based violence, and the influence of internet forums in radicalizing young men who intend to commit copy-cat crimes.
Following Rodger's birth, his family moved to Sussex, England, where he enjoyed an affluent and privileged childhood. Li Chin left her nursing career to take care of Rodger and soon bore a daughter, with whom Rodger's maternal grandmother, who later moved into the family home, developed a strong connection. He initially attended Dorset House School, a private, all-boys school in West Sussex. When Rodger was five, due to his father's directing career, his family moved to Woodland Hills, an upscale neighborhood of Los Angeles. Rodger claimed that his first friend in the United States was the daughter of British musician Paul Humphreys, and that she was his first and only female friend. Rodger then attended Topanga Elementary School.
Rodger's parents when he was seven years old. Custody of Rodger was split between his parents' homes, and a year after their divorce, Rodger's father married Soumaya Akaaboune, a Moroccan-born French actress. Rodger expressed shock at how quickly his father remarried and came to respect him. He soon viewed romantic relationships with women as a marker of social status. Rodger struggled with social interactions from an early age. In elementary school, he was withdrawn, whispered responses, and wrote answers instead of speaking. He avoided peers at recess and was overwhelmed by social gatherings. A trip to Disneyland around age five brought him to tears due to the crowds. He also exhibited repetitive behaviors like noises and foot-tapping. He viewed his sister sibling rivalry, which according to Rodger, he threw tantrums over issues in which his parents took her side over him.
In 1999, Rodger's mother filed an affidavit asking for more child support from his father, labeling her son as a "high-functioning autistic child" with special needs. Rodger's father presented a diagnosis by a doctor, who stated the autism diagnosis was incorrect because the examiner might have missed conditions like depression and anxiety. The doctor recommended additional evaluation of Rodger by a child psychiatrist to obtain a correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Rodger had a difficult relationship with his stepmother Akaaboune, whose parental authority he rejected in favor of his biological mother.
As he grew, Rodger became self-conscious about his short height and slender frame; he briefly played basketball in the belief it would make him grow taller. He also became embarrassed about his mixed-race heritage, which he felt set him apart from his entirely white peers. In an effort to blend in, Rodger dyed his hair blonde and began skateboarding, hoping these changes would help him befriend other children. Despite his extreme social awkwardness, Rodger started to socialize with his more-popular peers and attempted to approach girls. He later began experiencing feelings of resentment, convinced that his life was unfair compared to his peers. His increased difficulty in establishing friendships, particularly with women, led to a sense of isolation and frustration.
Many of Rodger's social connections in school were initiated by other students or facilitated by the parents of his peers, and he later expressed anger when they stopped. He became known as a "quiet" and "weird kid" in middle school who intentionally annoyed classmates, leading to bullying by other students. Rodger claimed one of his bullies was a blonde girl, which he stated contributed to the development of his misogynistic attitudes. Rodger's grades and social activity decreased, and he immersed himself in video games such as World of Warcraft at his parents' houses and cybercafés. Rodger's stepmother became concerned with his unwillingness to socialize and made him stop playing his video games, causing tensions between the two to escalate.
Upon reaching puberty, Rodger developed a high sex drive but began to believe he would never have sexual relationships with women. Rodger wrote that he began masturbating regularly while viewing images of women online and fantasizing about sexual activity with them. He said that he did not know how to access pornography and instead browsed general websites. When he was aged 11, a user on an AOL chatroom shared sexually explicit images of women with Rodger, which he wrote left him shocked and overwhelmed by emotion. Two years later, while at an internet café, Rodger saw another teenager viewing pornography, which left him shaken and caused him to return home crying. During this time, his stepmother became pregnant and gave birth to a son, Rodger's younger half-brother.
After finishing middle school, Rodger attended Crespi Carmelite High School (Crespi) and later William Howard Taft Charter High School (Taft). During his time at both schools, he reported experiencing severe bullying by other students, which contributed to anxiety and social withdrawal. On the last day of Rodger's freshman year, a classmate spoke about having sex with his girlfriend. Rodger did not believe him, causing the classmate to play a voice recording of himself and his girlfriend having sex. Following Rodger's subsequent outburst, his mother picked him up in the school's main office; it was the last time he would leave Crespi. Rodger subsequently enrolled at Taft. The larger student body heightened his anxiety, and he was withdrawn after experiencing an anxiety attack during his first week. During this period, Rodger spent increasing amounts of time playing video games, including World of Warcraft, mostly at home, and retreated more from in-person social interactions. His parents later transferred him to Independence Continuation High School, a smaller program they believed would provide a more supportive environment.
In 2007, Rodger was diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), a diagnosis involving difficulties in social development grouped under autism. While Rodger did not meet the criteria to be diagnosed with autism, his PDD-NOS diagnosis helped him receive special education resources. At age 15, Rodger was prescribed Xanax and Prozac, but he stopped taking both medications after a year. He later began taking Paxil, but reported that it left him feeling excessively drowsy and fatigued. Rodger claimed he had to "rely entirely" on his "mind and positive thinking" to manage his social anxiety.
At the age of 17, Rodger reacted to the suggestion of visiting his stepmother's home country, Morocco, with a temper tantrum. He went with his stepmother and half-brother but remained discontent and continuously emailed his mother until she allowed him to return to her home. His father's filmmaking career severely declined during the 2000s, culminating in the documentary film Oh My God (2009), which box-office bomb at the box office. The film's failure drove Rodger's father into debt and forced him to pause his child support payments. Rodger wrote that he read online discussions about teenage sexual activity that intensified his feelings of envy, leading him to view sexually active peers as enemies. He stated that this marked a turning point in which he began to believe that sexual activity should not be allowed for others.
Rodger harbored a fixation on becoming rich, believing it to be the key to gaining attention from women. He urged his mother to marry a wealthy man but she refused to remarry, and Rodger later pursued screenwriting and inventing, believing they could serve as shortcuts to success, but gave up on these pursuits after encountering difficulties he found discouraging. Disliking high school, Rodger attended classes more regularly and earned better grades at Independence Continuation High School, graduating in 2010.
Despite his mother's encouragement to seek employment, Rodger spent his time frequently wandering around her house or reading at a bookstore, hoping to find friends. Later, he would sit alone in cafés, hoping for any woman to approach him. Rodger's parents worried about his direction in life and offered him help to find work, but Rodger deemed many jobs suggested to him to be "beneath him". Rodger's father referred him to his friend Karl Champley for construction work, and Rodger worked in construction for a time. When his half-brother began to show signs of sociability despite his own social disadvantages at that age, Rodger grew envious but enjoyed his company nonetheless.
Rodger soon enrolled at Moorpark College, attracted by its smaller size and appealing aesthetics. He was hopeful at the prospect of meeting blonde women and showing a potential girlfriend around his new campus. Rodger quickly experienced feelings of loneliness and unhappiness at Moorpark, and developing feelings of envy towards a couple in one of his classes. His discomfort was exacerbated by his social anxiety, particularly when he was called upon by a professor. Rodger dropped out of Moorpark after completing a year.
Rodger took comfort in the knowledge that his best friend, whom he had known since childhood, was also a virgin, but could not understand why his friend was not angry with women, as he was. Seeing his friend as weak, Rodger eventually confessed to him his thoughts of taking over the world and killing people. Their friendship grew strained, and Rodger's friend began to distance himself. Rodger shared his disturbing fantasies with other friends, which led those friends to also distance themselves.
On June 4, 2011, Rodger moved into the Capri Apartments in Isla Vista near the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) campus. After enrolling at Santa Barbara City College (SBCC), he was angered when one of his roommate's black friends said he had lost his virginity at the age of 13. Rodger retreated to his room in tears and called his mother, expressing his frustration over the attention black men received from blonde women instead of him.
While eating with his father, Rodger noticed a Hispanic man seated with a blonde woman and became jealous after seeing them kiss. He said he nearly confronted the couple and considered pouring soda on them, but refrained because his father was present, stating that the incident left him feeling humiliated and believing he deserved blonde women.
Rodger found it difficult to form relationships with several roommates and chose to spend much of his time alone. When he shared a room with two Hispanic roommates, he would call them racial slurs and insist he was "superior". When his next roommate took his girlfriend to their apartment, Rodger began arguing with him, telling him he was "foolish" for being happy in a relationship with an "ugly whore". The roommate asked to be assigned a new apartment, stating that Rodger had "huge psychological issues", expressing that he was a "ticking time bomb waiting to explode", and that he was "at the point where I fear for my safety".
Rodger soon began developing hostility toward the people in Isla Vista, viewing himself as deserving of relationships with attractive blonde women and resenting those he perceived as more socially successful. Rodger started to have thoughts of killing women and couples, envisioning himself murdering couples when they were engaged in sexual activity.
In July 2011, during a visit to a Starbucks coffee outlet, Rodger noticed a couple kissing; he followed them outside and threw his coffee at them. The man yelled at Rodger, who fled the scene. That same month, Rodger saw another couple kissing at a food court; he followed them in his car and splashed them with iced tea. At SBCC, Rodger dropped a sociology course after seeing a blonde woman with her boyfriend in class. He became attracted to a woman in his math class and later discovered her Facebook profile, where he saw she had a boyfriend. He became angered by this and subsequently dropped the class. In January 2012, while driving past a bus stop, Rodger attempted to engage two blonde women by smiling; when they did not return the smile, he turned his car around and splashed them with his latté.
Rodger soon developed an obsession with designer clothing, purchasing items in an attempt to elevate his status. He would roam around Isla Vista every day, often sitting outside a Domino's Pizza outlet hoping a woman would find him attractive and initiate a conversation with him. In an attempt to find social connection, Rodger made a friend who introduced him to other acquaintances in hopes of integrating him into their circle. By February 2012, Rodger withdrew from all of his classes at SBCC due to his frustration with his social interactions, particularly with women. He began to contemplate what he called a "Day of Retribution", a planned attack on women and couples. With these plans in mind, on March 11, 2012, Rodger traveled to attend a private Katy Perry concert, tickets for which his family were given by friends. The next day, Rodger went to the red-carpet premiere of The Hunger Games with his father and stepmother, where he met Jack Ross, the 16-year-old son of the film's director Gary Ross. Rodger began to buy lottery tickets for the Mega Millions jackpot in June 2012, but he did not win. He began saving money for his planned attacks (eventually saving up to $5,000) to buy supplies, money he had saved from gifts from his grandparents and the $500 monthly allowance from his father. The following month, while walking alone in a park, he saw college students playing kickball. Rodger was overwhelmed with envy when seeing blonde women interacting with men; he purchased a Super Soaker and filled it with orange juice. He returned to the park, yelled at the students and sprayed them.
In August 2012, Rodger's father gave him The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, a self-help book that promotes the law of attraction. Motivated by its principles, Rodger spent a month meditating in his bedroom, imagining himself walking through a park alongside a beautiful woman. The following month, after failing to win a $120 million Mega Millions jackpot, Rodger broke his laptop in frustration. While traveling to Oxnard the following day to purchase a replacement, he visited a shooting range to learn how to use a firearm, which he later described as reinforcing his belief that his planned “Day of Retribution” needed to proceed. Still hopeful of becoming rich, Rodger drove to Arizona in November 2012 to buy tickets for the Powerball jackpot, which had been raised to $500 million. Thinking this meant he would remain a virgin, Rodger began to prepare for his "Day of Retribution", choosing the city of Isla Vista as his target. In December 2012, Rodger bought a Glock Long Slide semi-automatic pistol for $755.57 at a firearms dealer in Goleta, California. handgun Rodger purchased]]He purchased another handgun, a SIG Sauer P226, in Burbank for $1,100 in March 2013. Rodger initially scheduled his attacks to take place around Halloween 2013, but realized the heightened police presence during the holiday would likely thwart his plans. He replanned his attacks for sometime in November 2013. Rodger and two new roommates were placed in a new apartment complex after taking a questionnaire about their personalities. Rodger initially joined them for social activities but after a few outings, he began to distance himself. One of the roommates suspected Rodger possessed a firearm after hearing a clicking sound from his room numerous times. Both of his roommates moved out in June 2013, having become uncomfortable living with Rodger.
The following day, Rodger's father took him to a hospital, where Rodger was given surgery for his ankle. He helped his son file a police report, which caused two sheriff's deputies to attend the hospital to question Rodger. Rodger claimed that he was pushed off the ledge by four men after insulting one of their appearances. He stated that he then went to the front yard of another house and sat down on a chair, where he was approached by approximately ten men who told him to leave. Rodger claimed he was grabbed by them and dragged to the house's driveway, where the men began hitting and calling him a homophobic slur; he remarked he struck one of them once before being further beaten. The police would classify it as a possible hate crime. When asked why he did not call the police, Rodger said he did not know who to contact. A deputy remarked on Rodger's dishonesty, deeming him too timid to tell the truth. A man at the party confirmed Rodger instigated the incident, noting he acted strangely and did not talk to anyone. A neighbor also reported seeing Rodger returning home in tears, swearing to kill his assailants and contemplating suicide. The sheriff's office concluded Rodger was the instigator, and the investigation was closed without further action. Rodger was not arrested nor further interrogated.
Rodger's parents also engaged a life coach named Gavin Linderman, who provided Rodger with instructions to improve his social life, requiring him to travel to Los Angeles for the sessions. During their meetings, Rodger told Linderman about his struggles with his virginity. Linderman suggested moving away from Isla Vista would be beneficial for his mental health, but Rodger dismissed the idea. Li Chin met with Linderman, a therapist, and the counseling director, after which she advised her son to move out of Isla Vista temporarily. She later presented Rodger with two options: either she would help him find a residential treatment center where he could get therapy every day, or he could move back home and receive intensive treatment from a therapist and social worker. Rodger responded by asking his mother to continue paying his rent, saying he had made new acquaintances, and promising to focus on his classes and meet with counselors. Because Rodger was now an adult, his mother could not legally force him to leave Isla Vista. After discussing with the therapists, his mother was told that she did all she could and was advised to support her son's wish to stay and complete his education.
In October 2013, Rodger's envy of his half-brother intensified upon learning from his stepmother he had secured opportunities to appear in television commercials. Rodger began plotting to murder his half-brother, fearing his sibling would surpass him in popularity with girls and social status. Additionally, he devised a plan to kill his stepmother by stabbing her in the neck due to their strained relationship and finding she would get in the way. Rodger planned to commit the murders while his father was away on a business trip, as he was concerned he might hesitate if confronted with the task of killing his father as well.
According to Wang, Rodger was antisocial and spent most of his time either out of the apartment or alone in his room. Wang filed a complaint with the building's management stating that Rodger played loud music during the night. On January 15, 2014, Rodger and Hong got into a fight when Rodger accused Hong of stealing three of his candles that were valued at $22. The conflict began when Rodger became irritated by Hong's cooking; Rodger took his measuring cup and rice bowl, and Hong retaliated by taking Rodger's candles in an attempt to initiate a trade. Rodger then called the police and placed Hong under a citizen's arrest. After officers arrived, Hong said that Rodger had taken his possessions and tampered with other items in the apartment. Rodger denied the allegation, and police later found the candles on Hong's bed. After refusing to return the candles, Hong was arrested and charged with petty theft and warned against further contact with Rodger or he would face additional charges.
Rodger later emailed the building manager, demanding the eviction of Hong and Wang from the apartment due to the stolen candles. He also complained they were always too loud and constantly played video games. Hong and Wang were angered by Rodger's actions but refrained from confronting him, concerned it might worsen their living conditions. Their parents grew concerned about their interactions with Rodger, but they reassured them that they were alright. Hong and Wang distanced themselves from Rodger, and signed a lease for a different apartment for the following semester. Rodger began to plan to murder Hong and Wang, finding them irritating and feeling they would obstruct his attacks. By January 2014, Rodger contemplated launching his planned attacks during Valentine's Day or Deltopia, a spring break event in Isla Vista in early April. He dismissed these dates due to heightened police presence and his realization he required additional time for preparation. Rodger eventually chose to mount his attacks on April 26. In February 2014, Rodger called his sister while drunk and wandering alone through Isla Vista while complaining about women ignoring him. Rodger's sister reassured him and calmed him. Concerned about his social isolation, she became worried the social scene in Isla Vista would further damage her brother's mental health.
In February 2014, Rodger bought another SIG Sauer P226 handgun for $1,132 in Oxnard, in case the other two firearms jammed. Throughout February and March of that year, Rodger visited gun ranges and made multiple ammunition purchases. On two separate occasions, Rodger visited the library at SBCC, where a librarian helped him find books about serial killers and mass murderers. He read the books in the library but never checked them out.
On the week leading up to April 26, Rodger uploaded twenty-two videos on YouTube, describing his loneliness and frustration due to his unsuccessful attempts at attracting a girlfriend. In the videos, he would question why women would prefer "inferior" men over him, questioning why his perceived good looks, high end clothes and expensive car failed to garner any attention or acknowledgment from them, with video titles such as: "Why do girls hate me so much?", "Being lonely on Spring Break sucks", "Life is so unfair because girls don't want me", and "My reaction to seeing a young couple at the beach, Envy." In additional YouTube videos, Rodger recorded himself driving around California in his BMW while dancing to music from musicians including Whitney Houston, George Michael, and Phil Collins. He posted his videos to forums like Bodybuilding.com; while some users mocked him as desperate and insecure, Rodger rejected help and advice offered by others. Rodger subscribed to multiple YouTube channels associated with the men's rights movement that posted content advising men on attracting and talking with women. He had a second YouTube channel named "Valtharion". Rodger would leave negative comments across several videos, calling women derogatory terms and accusing other men of lying about their relationships with women. He also boasted about his affluent family background and expressed a sense of superiority due to being half-white.
His online activities also included searches related to the , such as researching Adolf Hitler, Joseph Goebbels, and Heinrich Himmler, and searching topics like: "Did Adolf Hitler have a girlfriend", "Adolf Hitler and the law of attraction", "Nazi curbstomp", "Holocaust of black people", and "Nazi anime". Rodger also searched topics like: "shooting range Los Angeles", "Racism against Asian", "modern torture devices", "Spanish Inquisition torture devices", "Guangzhou train station knife attack" and "Xingjian railway station terrorist knife attack explosion bombing". Rodger frequently engaged with online forums such as ForeverAlone and PUAHate, which are connected with the manosphere. Within these forums, Rodger and other men identified themselves as "", a shorthand term for involuntary celibate, and discussed their struggles to find a romantic or sexual partner, criticized each other, and expressed disdain towards women and .
When a user suggested having sex via lucid dreaming could serve as a substitute for a lack of intimacy in real life, Rodger argued incels needed to initiate a "revolution", saying it was essential to "destroy" the issues they faced by recognizing their "true strength and numbers". He advocated for the overthrow of what he termed the "oppressive feminist system", envisioning a world where women would live in fear of incels. Rodger also expressed racist views of interracial couples, mocking an Asian man trying to date a white woman and stating it was "rage-inducing" after he saw a black man socializing with white women. After users accused him of being racist, Rodger said he was shocked white women would choose "undeserving" men over himself. When Rodger told his father about the forums, his father confronted him, warning him that the content was negative and inappropriate and that he should not visit them. Rodger also informed his mother about the forums, though she did not give them much attention. Rodger later claimed that when he sent his parents a link to PUAhate.com, neither of them reviewed the forum's posts.
On April 30, 2014, Rodger's mother became worried after she had failed to contact him for several days. Li Chin looked him up online and found one of his videos he had posted on YouTube. Becoming disturbed by the content, she tried calling her son again, but he did not answer. She then contacted Linderman and told him what she found. Linderman contacted a crisis hotline and spoke with a staff member, voicing concerns about Rodger mentioning self-harm, causing the staff member to request a welfare check on Rodger. Responding to the request, four sheriff's deputies, a university police officer, and a dispatcher in training visited Rodger's apartment.
When the police arrived at Rodger's apartment, he said the videos were his way of expressing his social difficulties in Isla Vista and that he had no intention of hurting anyone or himself. A deputy asked Rodger to call his mother to update her on his situation. He did so, told her he was fine, and handed his phone to one of the deputies. The deputy asked his mother if the videos caused her concern about Rodger harming himself or others. After she said she was not concerned, the deputies handed Rodger back his phone and he told his mother he would call her later. Because they did not enter Rodger's apartment, watch his videos, or check whether he owned any weapons, they determined he did not pose an immediate risk to himself or others. The deputies determined Rodger did not meet the criteria for an involuntary hold and provided him with information on local support services.
Rodger was relieved after the police officers left because a search of his apartment would have uncovered his firearms and manifesto, and thwarted his attacks. He retained possession of a gun and several loaded magazines close at hand, and intended to use them if police returned. Rodger removed most of his videos from YouTube, believing the way he acted on them had raised suspicion that could potentially ruin his plans. Rodger planned to repost the videos in the days leading up to his attacks in May. The following day, Rodger's mother contacted the counseling office at SBCC to report the incident, but was unable to speak to anyone. She felt relieved after hearing from her son again and planned to meet with him a few weeks later at Montecito with his sister. As pressure mounted in anticipation of his planned attacks, Rodger took Xanax to alleviate his anxiety.
Rodger detailed his plan for his "Day of Retribution" and divided it into three phases. The day before starting his proposed phases, Rodger planned to drive to his father's house to kill his stepmother and half-brother. He would then steal their Mercedes SUV and drive it to Isla Vista. Rodger's first phase involved killing his two roommates and then luring victims into his apartment, slowly torturing them before killing them. In the second phase, which he dubbed the "War on Women", he aimed to target "the very girls who represent everything I hate in the female gender", specifically focusing on the Alpha Phi sorority house with the intent to kill as many occupants as possible before setting fire to the building. In his final phase, after setting the sorority house on fire, he would proceed to shoot and run over as many people in Isla Vista as possible with his parent's SUV.
Rodger showed a section of his manifesto describing his childhood in England to his mother, who was impressed and encouraged him to continue writing. Rodger's father knew he had been writing something, but Rodger refused to show it to him. During a hike together, Rodger's father expressed interest in his son's writing and asked to see it. Rodger declined the request, assuring his father he would share it with him soon.
On May 20, one of Rodger's videos was posted on Reddit's "r/cringe" subreddit, where users discussed Rodger's mental health and debated calling the police, with some making fun of Rodger and saying it was a fake, while others compared him to the fictional serial killer Patrick Bateman from the film American Psycho (2000). On May 21, after being called a "low-class incel" on PUAHate, Rodger linked a video of himself, his father, and stepmother at The Hunger Games premiere, saying: "You're all jealous of my 10/10 pretty-boy face. This site is full of stupid, disgusting, mentally ill degenerates who take pleasure in putting down others. That is all I have to say on here. Goodbye." On May 22, Rodger accessed and viewed PUAHate and Bodybuilding.com before discovering and viewing anxietyzone.com. That same day, Rodger reposted a number of his videos on YouTube, including the "Why do girls hate me so much?" video.
Rodger's father repeatedly hit redial on his phone while trying to reach his son. As they neared Isla Vista, they heard radio reports of an active shooter in a black BMW near UCSB. Rodger's parents then received a call from a sheriff's detective, who asked whether their son had ever owned any guns. Li Chin was shocked by the inquiry because Rodger had never shown any interest in guns. She told the detective that Rodger had social problems and saw a therapist, and that she had been unable to contact him. The detective instructed Rodger's parents to meet them at a parking lot near Isla Vista. Li Chin arrived there first, and was followed by Peter, Akaaboune, and their friends. When a sheriff arrived around 1 a.m., Li Chin demanded to know her son's whereabouts. The sheriff said Rodger had been found dead and that his driver's license confirmed his identity. Devastated by the news of Rodger's death, his parents thought he was a victim and didn't know he was the perpetrator of the incidents until hours later, when they saw reports on the internet.
In early June 2014, Rodger's father met with Richard Martinez, the father of Michaels-Martinez, to talk about Michaels-Martinez's life and death. In a June 2014 interview, Peter told journalist Barbara Walters that although Rodger had a long history of social problems and had gone through years of therapy, he did not believe his son was capable of murder. He stated his son was good at hiding his true emotions and described him as an "incredible liar". Rodger's father and stepmother would relocate to Tangier, Morocco, staying at an upscale hotel owned by Akaaboune's father, Abdeslam Akaaboune; Peter later started sharing photographs of the city on Instagram.
Li Chin started reading about violence prevention, and later reached out to others affected by mass violence. She subsequently got in contact with Scarlett Lewis, whose 6-year-old son, Jesse Lewis, was shot and killed during the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, and the two soon developed a close bond. Five years after his attacks, Rodger's mother researched mass shootings online and learned about threat assessment. She took part in threat assessment sessions, sharing her experiences to help others identify warning signs of those in mental distress. Li Chin later participated in further training sessions, including ones conducted for school districts and corporate groups.
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