SIUE student accused of threatening Va. Tech-style rampage

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- A college fraternity president and aspiring rapper who had a history of trying to buy and sell guns online pleaded not guilty Wednesday to making a terrorist threat after a note was found in his car that threatened a "murderous rampage" similar to April's deadly shooting spree at Virginia Tech.

Olutosin Oduwole, 22, a Southern Illinois University student, was arrested July 20 after police impounded his abandoned car. Inside, they found a handwritten note demanding payment to a PayPal account, threatening that "if this account doesn't reach $50,000 in the next 7 days then a murderous rampage similar to the VT shooting will occur at another highly populated university. THIS IS NOT A JOKE!"

About a week earlier, a gun dealer had notified federal authorities that Oduwole seemed overly anxious to get weapons he had recently ordered online, according to an affidavit filed in court by a police detective. Federal authorities were investigating those concerns at the time of his arrest.

Friends and a former attorney for Oduwole called the arrest a misunderstanding that might be related to the sometimes violent lyrics of his rap songs.

The 22-year-old Oduwole was charged Tuesday with making a terrorist threat. He was being held on a total of $1.1 million bond -- $1 million on the terrorist threat charge and $100,000 for unrelated theft and fraud charges that had kept him in jail since his arrest. During a brief court appearance, attorney Patricia Dennis entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.

Dennis declined to comment on the charges.

Police said they found a loaded gun in Oduwole's campus apartment. According to a search warrant, police also seized a photograph of Oduwole flashing gang signs, a camcorder and U.S. and Nigerian passports. The court documents did not list the name on those passports.

In the note, the writer suggested the shooting would target a "prestigious" university, but that word was crossed out. There was no direct mention of the 13,500-student Southern Illinois University in this city about 20 miles northeast of St. Louis.

While the university listed Oduwole's permanent address as Maplewood, N.J., a woman identifying herself as his mother works in the St. Louis area, and a Facebook page appearing to belong to Oduwole says he's from St. Louis.

John Cernkovich, an attorney who until Wednesday represented Oduwole on theft and fraud charges filed last week alleging he had sold an M-16 machine gun online but failed to ship the buyer the weapon, said he had been told the threatening note was on the same sheet of paper that includes rap words.

"I'm not a psychologist or psychiatrist, but I understand that in this environment -- post-Sept. 11 -- authorities don't take any chances," Cernkovich said. "Unfortunately, my client now is in custody because of that."

Steve Holeman, 24, a Southern Illinois University senior and Oduwole's friend, said Wednesday the matter was "absolutely a misunderstanding." He declined to discuss it further.

A Facebook page for a Tosin Oduwole at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville lists hundreds of friends, includes a daily Bible verse and boasts of Oduwole's Nigerian heritage.

He cites interests that include "music, cars, football, real estate, day dreaming, eating bar-b-cue..." He writes of liking rap music, R&B, and performers such as Patti LaBelle, and his favorite television shows include The Sopranos and CNN Headline News.

The page lists Oduwole as president of Iota Phi Theta fraternity. University spokesman Greg Conroy confirmed Oduwole had recently been elected president of the fraternity.

Conroy said Oduwole first attended the Edwardsville school during the 2005-06 year, sat out a year on academic probation and was taking summer courses this year.

The Facebook page also lists Oduwole as working at Olad Adult Day Program in Pagedale, Mo. A woman reached at the business identified herself as Oduwole's mother, but would not give her name. She said she believes the arrest is tied to his lyrics, which she acknowledged were violent.

"He liked to write music, not to hurt anybody," she said.

On a separate MySpace page that is linked to the Facebook page and also appears to belong to Oduwole, there are songs, set over a heavy beat, that are charged with references to sex, drugs, and life in public housing projects.