William Curry is an American man who illegally lived at several dormitories at Stanford University on several occasions from 2021 to 2023.[1][2][3]
Will Curry | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Known for | Squatting at Stanford University |
Early life and education
editCurry was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama.[4] As a middle and high school student, he ran track.[5] He graduated from Vestavia Hills High School in 2021.[6]
Stanford
editAfter graduating from high school, Curry moved to Palo Alto, California and signed up for Tinder in order to meet new people.[5] From 2021 to 2023, he then illegally took up residence in several dormitories across Stanford University. He did so through breaking in windows, using other students' ID cards, and currying favor with actual students in each building.[7]
2021
editFor the 2021 fall quarter, Curry illegally resided in the Yost House at Stanford University and was removed months later by on-campus security.[8]
Curry then returned for winter break, in December 2021, and lived in nearby Roble Hall until he was removed once more, claiming that he was an unhoused person.[8]
2022
editIn January 2022, Curry moved into Murray House and described himself as a transfer student from Duke University. He socialized with other students and even made dating app and social media profiles to integrate.[9][10] Curry also told a woman he had been dating at the time that he lived off-campus and was a Coca-Cola Scholar.[8] Their relationship ended by June, after which he began stalking and harassing her.[11]
In the fall of 2022, Curry moved from Murray House to EAST House, claiming that he was on the track team and studying pre-med.[4] Months later, in October, Curry was caught living on-campus in Crothers Hall and given a "stay away order after allegedly taking a television from the dorm basement."[8]
According to Theo Baker in The Stanford Daily, Curry was removed several times from campus with stay away orders and even faced a harassment complaint reported to police, but "The University kept silent."[12] While university officials maintained close communications with individual dorms following each of Curry's intrusions, they didn't communicate with other dorms, thus allowing Curry to move into them undetected.[8][13]
As of November 2022, it was reported that the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office was reviewing Curry's case.[14] In the same month, the university made its first statement regarding Curry, acknowledging that there were "gaps" in its protocols "in place to prevent non-students from entering and living in our residences."[15]
2023
editIn April 2023, Curry returned to the Murray House, using the fake name "David," and was caught shortly after due to sightings reported to the university.[3]
References
edit- ↑ Conklin, Audrey (2022-11-02). "Stanford squatter: Man pretending to be university student stayed in dorm for 10 months". Fox News. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
- ↑ Romine, Taylor (2022-11-02). "Stanford University is reviewing its safety procedures after a man was caught living illegally in dorms, school says". CNN. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
- 1 2 Baker, Theo (2023-04-11). "Imposter who lied about going to Stanford for a year returns". Retrieved 2026-01-10.
- 1 2 Hernandez, Melissa (2022-11-01). "A man pretended to be a student at Stanford. He got away with it for nearly a year". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
- 1 2 Joner, Josiah (2023-06-21). "REVIEW EXCLUSIVE—Catch Him if You Can: Meet Will Curry". The Stanford Review. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
- ↑ Koplowitz, Howard (2022-11-01). "Vestavia Hills High School graduate posed as Stanford student, reportedly lived in dorm for 10 months". al. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
- ↑ Fuentes, Zach (2022-11-02). "Man accused of illegally living on Stanford campus for 10 months, university says". ABC7 San Francisco. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Stanford knew of a campus imposter for a year. He kept returning". 2022-10-31. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
- ↑ "Stanford removes alleged imposter student from campus". ABC News. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
- ↑ "Man pretended to be Stanford student and lived in dorms for almost a year, university official confirms - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2022-11-02. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
- ↑ "Man pretending to be Stanford student lived on campus for nearly a year". Statesman Journal. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
- ↑ Seldon, Aja (2022-11-01). "Imposter student reportedly lived on Stanford campus for nearly a year". KTVU FOX 2. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
- ↑ Flores, Jessica (2022-10-31). "Man pretending to be a Stanford student lived on campus for almost a year". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2023-07-15. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
- ↑ "Stanford removes alleged imposter student from campus". ABC News. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
- ↑ Baker, Theo (2022-11-01). "Stanford accepts blame for imposter's repeat intrusions". Retrieved 2026-01-10.