One Year Later, Elizabeth Hamel’s Friends Remember Her in Life, While Questions Surrounding Her Death Remain 

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This article was underwritten in part by the Mickey Flacks Journalism Fund for Social Justice, a proud, innovative supporter of local news. To make a contribution go to sbcan.org/journalism_fund.

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Elizabeth Hamel, said her family and friends, lived her life with compassion and optimism. 

On February 14, 2025, UC Santa Barbara freshman Elizabeth “Liz” Hamel seemingly fell from the third-story breezeway at San Rafael Residence Hall. Hamel sustained critical head injuries from the fall; she passed away in Cottage Hospital about six days later. Hamel’s family is still seeking to understand the details of what happened that night, especially after investigation revealed a young man left a celebration at Lao Wang’s, an Isla Vista restaurant and bar, with Hamel; the man allegedly watched her fall, but did not call 9-1-1.

Before the one-year anniversary of Hamel’s fall, the Independent spoke with a few of her friends about the compassion and joy she fostered in life. 

‘She Made Everybody in Her Life Feel So Loved’ 

Charlotte Kester met Hamel before either arrived at UCSB. Kester said she and Hamel were initially paired as roommates upon committing to UC Irvine. Hamel lived in Bellevue, Washington, while Kester said she is from San Diego. 

She said they became fast friends on calls and on FaceTime. They both appealed to attend UCSB — their dream school. Both received acceptances and enrolled.

Kester said she remembers Hamel’s loyalty and kindness to her friends, how Hamel would make time to hang out with Kester on a rough day, regardless of her own busy schedule. 

“She made everybody in her life feel so loved,” Kester said. 

Hamel, Kester said, made the little things fun. 

“You could be going to do laundry, and it would be the most fun thing ever,” she said. 

Brianna McGahan said Hamel’s laugh was contagious.

“You always knew from her laugh she was there. It was just one of those infectious laughs,” she said. 

McGahan recalls meeting Hamel during freshman move-in. The two were next-door neighbors. She said she appreciated how, in this new place, Hamel made her feel at home, welcoming her and her roommate into her room. McGahan said they stayed close friends, with McGahan, Hamel, and a few other friends joining a sorority, Pi Beta Phi.

McGahan said she was out of town last Valentine’s Day weekend, but she remembered Hamel and other friends spent the evening before at a Pi Beta Phi event. She said it was nice knowing that their last interaction was a happy one. 

Hamel was studying biology and chemistry; her family said she wanted to pursue a career in science. 

UCSB sophomore Danielle Breitweiser said she met Hamel in the fall of 2024 in a chemistry class. They shared a math class, too. Breitweiser said she remembers plenty of late nights studying and laughing at the library. 

“She was just so positive,” Breitweiser said. “She could come into a room, and you could be in the worst mood possible, and she would make you feel better.” 

Hamel’s roommate, Maddie Thurnblom, roomed with Hamel her freshman year. She said some of her favorite memories with Hamel include late nights laughing in their dorm, and going to get Starbucks drinks on-campus in the mornings. 

Hamel’s love for Starbucks got a shout-out in her eulogy. Last year, Hamel’s family flew from Bellevue to Santa Barbara for her funeral on March 2. A GoFundMe page from shortly after the incident says that more than 115 people attended Hamel’s service. 

Hamel’s father, Alain, gave the eulogy, and shared it with the Independent for this story. In it, he spoke about Hamel’s mental toughness. 

“She was a fighter, and nowhere was that clearer than on the tennis court,” he said. “Liz was always small — which only made it more fun to watch her take on players twice her size, playing with so much heart.” 

Hamel played varsity tennis in high school. Her friend Kester told the Independent that at UCSB, Hamel was always looking for someone to play a game of tennis. 

In the eulogy, Alain Hamel also spoke about his daughter’s empathy for others, her playfulness, her proclivity to procrastinate (but also her ability to get the job done), her love for her dog, and her happiness at UCSB, among other things. 

“She was my daughter, my friend, my TV buddy, and my constant source of pride. I miss her with every breath, but I’m endlessly grateful for every moment we had,” he wrote.

Credit: Courtesy of the Hamel family

Hamel’s Fall 

Hamel’s parents are still seeking answers on what happened to her last Valentine’s Day. Shortly after 10:06 p.m. on February 14, 2025, Hamel left a celebration at Lao Wang’s, an Isla Vista restaurant and bar, with an unknown man. About 20 minutes later, someone else found Hamel unconscious in front of San Rafael Residence Hall and called 9-1-1.

Hamel did not live at San Rafael Residence Hall. She did not have her phone or her ID, her father told the Independent last spring.

Because the fall occurred on campus property, the University of California Police Department investigated the case. UCPD did not issue a press release about the man seen leaving with Hamel until after Hamel’s father, the family’s lawyer Tyrone Maho, and private investigator Michael Claytor held a press conference and circulated fliers with the man’s image on April 30. 

In December 2025, UCPD released a statement saying the department had concluded the fall was accidental. The case is still under investigation at the District Attorney’s office. 

On February 5, the Santa Barbara News-Press reported that they had obtained the coroner’s report through a public records request. In the report, the News-Press stated, a UC police officer said the young man in question watched Hamel climb the third-floor railing along the dorm’s outside walkways and fall, and then panicked and left Hamel unconscious on the concrete. He brought forward this information only after police interviewed him. 

The coroner’s report says her blood alcohol content was at approximately 0.25 percent. 

The Hamel family’s attorney Tyrone Maho said that UCPD’s assessment that Hamel’s death comes from an accidental fall comes from the statement of the young man who fled from the scene. That begs further investigation, he said. For Hamel’s family, her case isn’t closed. 

Maho said he does not think that UCPD should have concluded their investigation, and that there is a possible conflict of interest in UCPD investigating the case. 

“For investigations to maintain public trust, they must be independent,” Maho wrote in a statement. “When UCSB PD reports to university leadership, this structure may compromise — or appear to compromise — their investigative independence.”