As forensic technicians piece together what police said is a "messy scene," friends of Penn State student Youngcheol Park are beginning to pick up the pieces of his complicated and unclear death.

"No matter how many times I hear the story, I still can't believe it," Steve Enama, Park's friend and former roommate, said. "This could not have happened to Young, he was too good of a kid."

Park, called Young by his friends, was a senior majoring in aerospace engineering. He was found dead earlier this week in Andrew A. Rogers' residence, 224 Nimitz Ave., early Tuesday.

Rogers faces first- and third-degree murder charges in connection with Park's death.

Enama, who graduated from Penn State in the fall and now lives in Philadelphia, said Park, 24, was a quiet guy, who often struggled with his English.

Despite the differences in their cultures, Enama and Park, who came from Korea, grew close during the last two years.

Enama said that last semester they played poker together often and went bowling every week. He even brought Park to his beach house in the summer and home to Philadelphia to watch the Super Bowl.

"He didn't have a bad bone in his body," Enama said.

Enama said he knew Rogers, but they were not close friends.

"He didn't seem like a bad guy, though," Enama said.

Joe Galm (sophomore-division of undergraduate studies) said he and Park developed a friendly rivalry after they met in the fall semester through poker tournaments.

"Playing poker with someone for hours a day lets you get to know them quite well," he said. "Young preferred to let loudmouths, such as myself, do the talking, and he sat politely and laughed."

Galm said they would playfully criticize each other about their playing strategies, but behind his great sense of humor, he seemed to be a "standout student."

"He's one of the few players that I've ever seen working on homework or reading for a class during a poker tournament," Galm said.

Brett Freeman (junior-crime, law and justice), who also met Park through the poker tournaments, said Park was a nice, shy guy who never wanted to cause any trouble, which he said, makes the incident seem even more unbelievable.

"I am completely shocked about what we've heard, especially that it might have been drug-related," Freeman said. "He seemed to be a guy with a great future ahead of him, who wasn't stupid enough to get mixed up in some drug ring or whatever it was."

The head of the Penn State aerospace engineering department, George Lesieutre, said although he taught a class Park was in, he wasn't close to the student.

"He was a quiet guy in a big class," he said.

Lesieutre said Park entered Penn State in the fall of 2000 and was scheduled to graduate this semester.

Lesieutre said Park's family is living in Korea, and as of yesterday, the university couldn't reach the family.

Enama said Park and his father came to the United States so he could attend a "prestigious" high school in Buffalo. His father then went back to live in Korea after Park came to Penn State.

"His family was so close," he said. "He was the only child, and I can only imagine how his dad will respond to the news."