The former second-year Law student who faces charges of attempted murder has withdrawn from the Law School, Penn Law Dean for Student Affairs Gary Clinton said yesterday.
Joseph Cho, who had previously been temporarily suspended from the Law School, made the offer to leave the school, Clinton said.
Clinton did not elaborate on Cho's decision but said Cho expressed a "very straightforward desire to withdraw from the program."
Cho, who was arrested after he allegedly tried to kill his downstairs neighbors, has stated he has no intention of returning to Penn Law, Clinton added.
Clinton would not say if Cho would be allowed to return to the Law School, citing privacy reasons, but he said there currently are no formal conditions on Cho's withdrawal that would prevent such a return.
Clinton added that, because Cho is no longer a Penn Law student, school officials are not seeking further punishment.
Peter Bowers, Cho's lawyer, did not return phone calls for comment.
On Jan. 31, Cho allegedly fired roughly 15 shots into the door of his downstairs neighbors' apartment at 4339 Pine St because he thought his neighbors, two male Drexel University undergraduates, were spies.
Cho was charged with attempted murder and other related offenses, but he was declared incompetent to stand trial on Feb. 7.
His trial was put on hold and he is currently being treated and evaluated at an in-patient medical facility.
If doctors at the facility determine that Cho is competent to stand trial, criminal proceedings will continue.
According to court documents, a status hearing is currently set for April 10.
A graduate of Yale University, Cho enrolled at the New York University School of Law for a few weeks in 2000 but did not complete his first semester for undisclosed reasons.
He came to Penn in fall 2005, following three years of service in the U.S. military, in which he enlisted following the Sept. 11 attacks.
Cho's lawyer has said that he did not know if post-traumatic stress disorder could have influenced Cho's mental state.
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