Dozens gathered in the Memorial Chapel on Jan. 20 to commemorate the life of Justin DeSha-Overcash, a senior astronomy and physics major, who was shot in his College Park home earlier this month in a robbery gone wrong.

Although DeSha-Overcash’s death has been stained by controversy — Prince George’s County Police called the incident targeted and drug-related — his parents and close friends, who told tales of DeSha-Overcash’s positive attitude, natural humor and studious nature at last week’s vigil, said they find police’s allegations hard to believe.

Karen DeSha said although her son was killed, she still carries with her the memories and the close bond the two shared.

“We confided in each other,” she said. “And we had so much fun. Last Christmas we had a Silly String fight.”

A Baltimore native, DeSha-Overcash, 22, moved to Salisbury, N.C., at a young age and then to Bucks County, Pa., in 2002 before returning to his Maryland roots for college. He created a niche for himself at this university; friends said DeSha-Overcash was so involved he spent limited time in his 38th Avenue home.

During the vigil, high school and college friends recounted countless memories of their time with the senior, from playing with a Slip ‘N Slide on a mattress during his freshman year to just hanging out in his Pennsylvania home.

They said Justin always took time out of his busy schedule for those he cared about.

“He was a down-to-earth, genuine guy,” said Nam Nguyen, a university alumnus and close friend of DeSha-Overcash. “He always took everyone in with open hands.”

DeSha said her son, a football player in high school, graduated with a 4.2 GPA and took this work ethic with him to college.

“I never had to say, ‘Did you do your homework?'” DeSha said. “He was focused by day one.”

Since he was 7 years old, DeSha-Overcash wanted to become a physicist, DeSha added.

“This kid started asking me to give him math problems from the time he was 5 years old,” she said.

DeSha-Overcash — who recently received the physics department’s Angelo Bardasis Fellowship scholarship — tutored athletes in math and science, operated a telescope at the university’s observatory and worked last spring as a teaching assistant for ASTR 101: General Astronomy.

To Elizabeth Warner, coordinator of the university’s observatory, DeSha-Overcash was more than just a student employee.

His silly pranks — from knocking on one door and quickly running to the other to putting a sign on Warner’s door that read “Warning: Nerd at Work” — were a welcome distraction.

“He would come by my office and visit, sometimes just for the heck of it, to say hello,” she said. “He was a good kid. Some of us here in the office were talking … and he’s kind of like the pesky little brother with the huge age difference; it was kind of nice. He was funny; he didn’t mind joking around with us in our office.”

Besides his harmless pranks, DeSha-Overcash was known for his love of sports — particularly North Carolina.

He was often seen sporting a Tar Heels T-Shirt around the campus, and eventually, his mom said, her son received an e-mail saying he couldn’t tutor Terrapin football players while wearing their rival’s garb.

DeSha said he had taken on three jobs to help his family with daily expenses.

“The last time I talked to him, I was trying to get a full-time job,” DeSha said. “‘He said, ‘Mama, I’ll pray for you.’ Those were the last words from my son: ‘I’ll pray for you.'”

Friends who attended the vigil said they will remember DeSha-Overcash for his warm demeanor.

“He took me under his wing, and eventually he was my best friend,” senior biology major Josh Jagirdar said. “He was an older brother figure to me.”

“Justin, to me, he was like my brother. I just felt good around him,” Nguyen added. “He was always there for me. No matter what, I never saw him in a bad mood.”

DeSha said she wants to restore her son’s honor after police quickly pegged him as a drug dealer.

To her and many others who spoke at the vigil, his positive aura is what he should be remembered for.

“His smile — when he walked in the room, he lit it up. He just had his own style and his own swagger,” she said. “He was a good guy — not perfect, but a good guy.”

He is survived by his parents, DeSha, who lives in Bel Air, and Randy Allen Overcash of Warminster, Pa.

roubein at umdbk dot com