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Amanda Strous' roommate: 'This can't be real'


"You come across a lot of people in your life," Katie Shoop said. "She left an impression."

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Katie Shoop said she can close her eyes and still hear Amanda Strous' laughter.

The two played and coached field hockey together at Shippensburg University, and for the past four months, they were roommates at an apartment in Charlotte, North Carolina.

They shopped, hung out by the pool, and spent time with friends, including Strous' fiance, Cory McCleaf.

"You come across a lot of people in your life," Shoop said. "She left an impression."

Shoop, who grew up in Shippensburg, said she was attending a wedding in Harrisburg over the weekend when Strous was murdered at their apartment. Police have arrested Mathew Benner, who lived in the same apartment complex, in connection with the killing.

Shoop said she received a call late Saturday night from a detective, saying there had been "an incident." Shoop called Strous' cellphone, but it immediately went to voicemail. Early Sunday morning, police informed her that Strous had been killed.

"My heart instantly sunk to my chest," Shoop said. "...I kept saying: 'This can't be real.'

"It just didn't make sense," she said.

She was shaking so hard that she couldn't write down the detective's phone number.

Authorities arrested Benner in Nevada on Monday. The Nye County Sheriff's Office said it obtained a confession from Benner. He waived extradition on Tuesday to return to North Carolina, but he was still being held in the Nye County Detention Center on Thursday.

Benner lived in an apartment above them, Shoop said. He always seemed to be around. He would be at the pool or walking through the parking lot. He would ask Strous about Shoop. They tried to be polite to him.

Strous' fiance also was out of town last weekend, Shoop said. The two had offered for Strous to come along, but she wanted to relax. She had just been home recently for her bridal shower.

The bride-to-be and the groom-to-be were planning to tie the knot on July 30.

McCleaf was planning to move into the apartment after the wedding, and Shoop was planning to move to another place.

Shoop said she had wanted to move to the South after visiting friends, and her boss offered her the opportunity to work remotely. That's how she and Strous ended up becoming roommates.

"She kept saying it was God's will," Shoop said.

Strous acted like a big sister to her younger brothers. She was a selfless person, the roommate recalled.

Strous and Shoop played in beach volleyball and kickball leagues. They attended a Kenny Chesney concert in the pouring rain.

Strous' favorite place was the beach, Shoop said.

She was planning to take Strous to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for the Fourth of July weekend. Her bridal party, family and friends were planning to meet them there. It was supposed to be a surprise for the bride-to-be.

The last thing they did together was go to a roof bar to watch the Pittsburgh Penguins game, Shoop said. Strous and McCleaf are "big Penguins fans." The ice hockey team won the Stanley Cup earlier this month.

A celebration of Strous' life will be held on Saturday at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in York Township.