Family, friends and USF St. Petersburg mourn loss of student killed in home invasion

Pictured Above: “I’m sad and disappointed that he’s not able to fulfill his dreams,” said Matthew Lee, a longtime friend of Owen Melin.

Courtesy of Charles Melin

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By Sophie Ojdanic

When Owen Melin was deciding where to complete his college education, he considered several schools, including the University of Florida and the University of Central Florida, before settling on USF St. Petersburg.

He attended orientation sessions for potential students and watched videos that the schools provided.

“I kept saying, ‘You should go to USFSP,’” said his father, Charles Melin, who joined Owen on a tour of the waterfront campus. “Within 15 to 20 minutes at most, he turned to me and said, “Dad, this is it – everything I ever wanted, right here in my backyard.”

Family, friends and faculty say he thrived at the university, enjoying his studies in psychology, joining a book club, walking dogs to earn money and indulging his passion for bodybuilding.

Now, they are mourning his sudden death on May 27.

Melin, 22, was visiting a friend just six blocks from campus when armed robbers burst into an apartment at 458 Fourth Ave. S at 10:04 p.m. and shot and killed him.

St. Petersburg police have released few details on the case, which they describe as a home invasion that was not random.

Owen’s father, Charles Melin said the police have not shared much about their investigation.

This is the second time that Melin and his wife, Mary, have lost a son. Fifteen years ago, their son Christopher John Melin was killed in a motorcycle accident.

A third son, Emerson Jake Melin, 30, is among the survivors who mourned Owen’s loss at a funeral June 2 at Holy Family Catholic Church in St. Petersburg.

Owen, who was born at Bayfront Medical Center just west of the university campus, was “solid St. Pete born and raised,” his father said.

One trait that echoes through the voices of his friends and family was Owen’s positive energy.

“Owen loved his family and friends, and his goal was to leave a positive mark on the world by helping people in his own creative way,” said Matthew Lee, a friend of Melin’s since their days at Meadowlawn Middle School. “He truly was one of a kind and will be missed dearly.”

Owen’s mother, Mary Melin, said Owen was very spiritual in his beliefs.

“Owen was all about positive energy – not so much focused on any religion, but just spiritual,” she said.

Thanh Nohn, a friend of the family who had known Owen’s eldest brother, Christopher, recalled Owen’s positivity.

“He saw a lot of good in people,” Nohn said. “He didn’t leave people behind. He always saw the better in people.”

Melin was curious about his late brother, and took to asking Nohn questions about him.

“Owen was really little when Chris passed away,” Nohn said. “He didn’t really know what was going on, you know. Recently, in the last year and a half, he started asking me about his similarities with Chris.”

Though Owen’s older brothers were born outside of Florida, the Melin children grew up in the Old Northeast and Brighton Bay neighborhoods of the city.

Owen attended Holy Family Catholic School, Meadowlawn Middle School, Northeast High School and St. Petersburg College before transferring to USF St. Petersburg last fall to study psychology.

Owen’s positivity and curiosity fit well with his major in psychology.

“He was fascinated in why people did things,” Mary Melin said. “He talked about trying to understand people before trying to change them. He wanted to understand people.”

“He had a strong inner belief that he was put here to help people and make the world a better place,” Charles Melin said.

Owen’s mother fondly remembered her son’s enthusiasm for helping others.

“He always would tell us: ‘I’m gonna help so many people, you’re gonna see. You’ll see,’” she  said.

Kemesha Gabbidon, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Psychology, said Owen Melin was in her health psychology class last fall.

“He was often quiet but engaged with the course content,” Gabbidon said. “He was always so intentional and disarming in how polite and respectful he was in his interactions with me and his peers.

“As simple as it is, I’ll always remember that about him.”

Tiffany Chenneville, the chair of the Psychology Department, reached out to her faculty on behalf of The Crow’s Nest.

“Faculty described Owen as a ‘bright student’ and expressed heartbreak over the tragic loss of his life,” Chenneville said. “On behalf of my department, I would like to express my sympathy to Owen’s family. I regret that I did not have the opportunity to teach and to learn with him.”

According to Charles Melin, the Melin family has spoken to the USF St. Petersburg administration about a possible honorary psychology degree for their son, who was roughly a year from graduating with a bachelor’s.

The family has also mentioned establishing a scholarship for psychology students in his memory.

In his time at USF St. Petersburg, Melin had made many connections with other students.

“Several of his classmates mentioned that Owen had a positive influence on them,” Charles Melin said. “Owen told people that all things were possible.”

Owen had just started dating Alison Doak before his death.

“It was always so easy,” said Doak, a fellow psychology major who said she was drawn to his ideals.

“He wanted people to be the best they could be,” she said.

Dean of Students Jacob Diaz shared his condolences with the Melin family.

“I can’t imagine the depth of sadness they must be feeling at this time,” Diaz said in an email to The Crow’s Nest. “I am thankful Owen chose USFSP as his university home and wish his family and friends peace during this difficult time.”

Nohn said he is looking to support the Melin family.

“I’m doing what I can to be good to his family,” Nohn said. “They’re all my family.”

Lee also described Owen as more than a friend.

“To say Owen was a friend is an understatement,” Lee said. “He was family … It was sad to see such a vibrant guy pass away so soon.” 

Lee looked forward to spending more time with Melin.

“He was always talking about how he loved USFSP,” Lee said. “He was about to get his bachelor’s in psychology and he was about to apply to a master’s program.

“I got accepted to USFSP too, so we were talking about hanging out on campus. I’m sad and disappointed that he’s not able to fulfill his dreams.”

Owen’s faith and positivity extended to more than people. One of his passions was rebuilding cars.

In the weeks before his death, he was working on a 1985 Toyota Celica Supra with friends and had just ordered parts for it.

Now, his mother said, “his brother and friends he worked on cars with … are going to finish the car he was working on for him.” 

This story is developing. Stay with crowsneststpete.com for updates.

Catherine Hicks contributed to this report.

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Editor’s Note:

This article was edited on June 4, 2020, to remove details of the case at the request of Owen Melin’s family.