Background
His father, Agustin Eastwood De Mello (1929–2003), had set the goal that his son would become a Nobel Prize laureate by age 16.
His father, Agustin Eastwood De Mello (1929–2003), had set the goal that his son would become a Nobel Prize laureate by age 16.
At the time, he was the youngest college graduate in United States. history (a record since broken by Michael Kearney). Although a college graduate, he opted to enroll in Sunnyvale Junior High School (now Sunnyvale Middle School) under the assumed name of James Gunn. He found it "nice because no one knew who was" and was "upset" when local papers identified him after his graduation.
In 1994, he graduated from Homestead High School.
In 2000, he was training to be an estimator for a commercial painting company. On March 15, 2001, the elder De Mello, who had allegedly called 9-1-1 claiming to be suicidal, was involved in armed standoff with Santa Cruz police.
He was subsequently charged with assault with a deadly weapon. Agustin de Mello died on May 30, 2003.
As of 2003, De Mello was working for The Home Depot.
