OU alleged stalker fit to stand trial

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NORMAN, Okla., Dec. 12 (UPI) -- A former University of Oklahoma student is mentally fit to stand trial for death threats he made against a soccer player for alleged stalking, a judge said.

Naasik Ferdous, 21, was expelled from the school in 2011 after two female athletes at the school, soccer player Kelsey Devonshire and gymnast Sara Stone, were granted orders of protection against Ferdous, The (Oklahoma City) Oklahoman said Wednesday.

Ferdous has been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a part of the autism spectrum that can lead to near-compulsive interest in certain subjects by people who have the disorder. But police allege things went well beyond a greater-than-average interest between Ferdous and Devonshire.

Investigators said what began as a seemingly innocent Facebook friend request and some fan appreciation turned into much more, the newspaper reported. After he was expelled, Ferdous called authorities to say he was driving from Ohio to Norman, Okla., to kill Devonshire, with whom he'd become obsessed.

"At first it was just a friend request on Facebook, then a message saying he wanted to meet me because he was a huge fan," Devonshire wrote in her petition. "Next thing I knew he was walking around the OU campus asking other athletes if they knew where to find me."

He was arrested Oct. 17 on the school's campus after making the threatening call to police and is being held in lieu of $2 million bail at the Cleveland County jail.