Kathleen Roskot, a sophomore at Columbia University, was found dead of a stab wound to the throat last Saturday in her dorm room. The lone suspect, Thomas Nelford -- Roskot's former boyfriend -- killed himself by jumping in front of a subway train later that day the police said.
The police told The New York Times that Nelford is "believed to be responsible for this homicide."
Roskot, 19, a midfielder on the lacrosse team, was found murdered by her Residence Advisor who entered her room -- after Roskot's coach had expressed concern at her absence from practice -- with a security guard at approximately 2:05 p.m. She was later pronounced dead by the police who found the murder weapon, a kitchen knife, in the adjoining bathroom.
Nelford, a former wrestler whose friends describe him as an introverted and passive artist, committed suicide by jumping in front of a train at the 181st St. and St. Nicholas Ave. subway station at 3.10 p.m.. New York Police Assistant Chief William Taylor confirmed that Roskot's wallet was found on his body.
According to The New York Times, Roskot and Nelford, who had been on academic leave since 1997, were recorded entering the residence hall at 12:30 a.m. by a lobby video camera. A suitemate reported hearing loud noises coming from the room at 1:30 a.m. but did not suspect anything because the suite was often used for parties.
The two checked in as is required by university regulations. "All security procedures were followed," said Mark Burstein, Vice President for Facilities Management.
Friends reported that Roskot and Nelford had been dating since the middle of last semester but may have split recently. A team member who saw them two weeks ago said, "They didn't seem to have any problems. No one could have predicted this."
The last murder at Dartmouth was in 1991 when Haile Selassie Girmay murdered physics graduate student Selamawit Tsehaye, who was Girmay's former fiance, and her roommate Trhas Berhe with an ax in their Hanover apartment.
The last Hanover murder before that was in 1948. However, this is the second incident in three years for the New York City Ivy.
In 1998 a Columbia law student was killed by her boyfriend in a university-owned building according to the Columbia Spectator.
