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ASU student strangled abroad
Scottish transient charged with robbing, murdering 20-year-old

By Sarah Muench
Media Credit: Courtesy of Steve Bennett
Arizona State University State Press

Former ASU freshman Alyson Kaplan was strangled while vacationing in England in January. The man accused of killing her, Robert Noble is a 28-year-old Scottish transient.

British authorities are currently investigating the strangling death of a former ASU student vacationing in England.

The body of Alyson Ilene Kaplan was found by police in a London hotel room on Jan. 31.

On her way to meet friends in Bristol, Kaplan was stranded at the Victoria Station in London after an unexpected blizzard shut down the transit system, according to authorities.

Police believe she was lured away from the closed platform by Robert Noble, a 28-year-old transient from Scotland.

"There she was, vulnerable, cold, stranded, and there he was befriending her," said Martin Lee, detective chief inspector of the London Metropolitan Police Service Serious Crime Group West.

Police believe the man took Kaplan to a hotel in central London and ultimately robbed and strangled her to death.

The hotel manager discovered Kaplan's body the next afternoon.

Lee told the Los Angeles Daily News that Kaplan arrived at Victoria Station just blocks from Buckingham Palace on Jan. 30 after a week of traveling through Italy and England. The trip to Europe was an early 21st birthday present from Kaplan's parents.

Within two days of the discovery of Kaplan's body, Noble turned himself in at a police station in Brighton.

Noble appeared in court and was officially charged with Kaplan's murder on Feb. 3. He will enter a plea and receive his sentence during a trial at Central Criminal Court on April 7.

"The senseless tragedy that took her from us must serve to remind all young people that they can indeed strive for anything they dream of," said family friend and spokesman Steve Bennett.

"Unfortunately, they must pursue their dreams with care and caution for the few who would deceive or harm them. Our Aly fell victim to one of those few."

Kaplan attended ASU for less than a semester from August to Nov. 16 of 2000 as an undeclared freshman and lived in Palo Verde Main before moving back to her hometown of Agoura Hills, Calif.

There she continued her education at Moorpark College, where she studied public relations and public speaking.

Upon returning to the United States, Kaplan planned to complete her general requirements at Pierce College in Agoura Hills and then embark on a Semester at Sea program through the University of Pittsburgh.

Bennett said Kaplan's main interests laid in oceanography and marine biology.

"Her passion was in anything that had to do with animals at all," Bennett said.

Bennett's 20-year-old stepdaughter was the friend Kaplan was supposed to meet in Bristol.

"They were like twins," Bennett said.

The Kaplan family created a memorial Web site for their daughter featuring photos, a form for condolences and news stories.

Kaplan's memorial service will be held Sunday in Westlake Village, Calif.