Louisiana State University freshman Nicole Boover faces charges of attempted murder after allegedly firing three shots at her mother before driving back to her dorm room, the Times-Picayune and other local news outlets are reporting.
Boover's mother Sherri -- who was not injured -- told police she heard a knock at the door of the family home at 4:30 a.m. When she opened it, she says her daughter was standing there pointing a gun. Sherri Boover told police that she shut the door. Her daughter allegedly fired the gun three times before fleeing the scene.
Police found Boover's car on campus with another LSU student, Nathan Yuhus, sitting inside. They then tracked down Boover in her dorm room and arrested both, reports say.
According to police documents obtained by WLBT, Yuhas told authorities that Boover had offered him $50,000 to help carry out the murder -- with inheritance money as motive. He said the two bought duct tape and Scream masks and that they'd planned to leave the state.
A friend of Boover's has since spoken out to say that she never suspected the young woman was capable of the crime.
"I really didn't see it coming. I didn't expect it at all," Monica LaForge, a high school friend of Boover's told WWLTV. "She definitely was not a violent person. I couldn't imagine her hitting anyone, like at all."
LaForge also told the news outlet that Boover and her mother had a somewhat strained relationship but nothing amounting to the level of hostility required for murder.
Even acquaintances who have spent time with Boover more recently seemed surprised by the allegations. Cera Wollgast told the Daily Reveille, LSU's newspaper, that the two had spent nearly all their time together over the past few months.
“There were no events leading up to this. It’s a complete shock,” Wollgast said.
The family's minister told the Times-Picayune that Sherri Boover would be declining to give the media a statement but that the family is staying strong.
The Times-Picayune did reach Boover's father Richard by phone, but he declined to speak about the incident.
"It's a high-profile case, and my attorney advised me not to say anything," he said.