Affidavit: Dispute over woman led to death of UConn's Howard
Updated 11/10/2009 1:00 PM ET
VERNON, Conn. (AP) — An arrest warrant affidavit says the fight that led to the stabbing death of University of Connecticut football player Jasper Howard began when one of his teammates "disrespected" a woman at a school-sponsored dance.
The affidavit released Tuesday accuses a 21-year-old Bloomfield man, John Lomax, of murder in the Oct. 18 killing of Howard. The document includes an array of witness statements about the encounter.
Howard's teammate, Michael Smith, told investigators that Howard threw a punch at a man matching Lomax's description before he was stabbed.
The affidavit also says Johnny Hood, one of six men charged in the case, told police that the fight began when another man, later identified as football player Brian Parker, made comments about a woman at the dance.
Hood, Jamal Todd and Christopher Mutchler are to appear in Rockville Superior Court Tuesday morning.
Hood is scheduled to enter pleas to charges of interfering with police and breach of peace. Todd is accused of pulling a fire alarm that forced dance-goers to leave the building. Mutchler is accused of posting Internet messages threatening witnesses who came forward.
Todd and Mutchler are to be arraigned.
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