(AP Photo)įour years later, he threatened a parole officer, but his attorney in the case questioned whether Rowland was actually violent. McCluskey's parents have two years later settled a lawsuit with the university, which admitted its failure to protect her in the weeks before her murder. Lauren McCluskey murder Melvin Shawn Rowland, 37, shot and killed his ex-girlfriend, University of Utah student-athlete Lauren McCluskey, 21, on Oct. At his parole hearing eight years later, he told the board he’d raped the girl, as well as two other women. Rowland admitted in 2004 that he attempted to sexually assault a teenage girl, the Tribune reported. He also failed to mention he was a registered sex offender on parole for previous crimes. Rowland, 37, lied to McCluskey about his name, calling himself Shawn Fields, as well as his age, convincing McCluskey and her friends he was 28 years old. 2, 2018, at a Salt Lake City bar where he worked as a bouncer, according to the independent review, the Salt Lake Tribune and a timeline from the University of Utah. ‘An evil, violent, manipulative, predatory sex offender’ McCluskey had turned the images over to campus police, desperately hoping they could protect her from the extortion. Rowland, 37, had used the images to extort cash from McCluskey in the days before her murder. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that the officer, Miguel Deras, downloaded explicit photos of McCluskey to his personal cellphone and showed at least one of them to a male co-worker, bragging about being able to view the image whenever he wanted. One of the police officers handling the case was fired in May from his new job with the Logan Police Department. > Related story: Campus cop shared explicit photos of Utah student Lauren McCluskey days before her murder, report states Read the settlement agreement between the university and the McCluskeys below. The settlement acknowledges progress the university has made on that front since Lauren McCluskey’s murder. “With our commitment to learning from our mistakes, we honor Lauren and ensure her legacy will be improved campus safety for all students,” Watkins said. Watkins said campus officials share with the McCluskeys an interest in working to improve safety for students at the university, as well as on campuses across the U.S. “When Lauren refused to go along with his manipulation and reported his actions to the police, he stalked her and killed her,” the report stated. It also laid bare everything that took place in the 50 days after McCluskey, described as a “well-liked, kind, trusting and caring” young woman, met Rowland, who the report described as a “master con man” who “manipulated people and events to benefit himself.” ![]() (Utah Department of Corrections via AP, AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)Īn independent review of campus officials' response to McCluskey’s complaints found that officials did take the complaints seriously, but it laid out a multitude of flaws in the university’s response to the campaign of harassment the student-athlete faced. 22, 2018, on campus before taking his own life at the Trinity AME Church, seen at right. Lauren McCluskey murder Melvin Shawn Rowland, 37, shot and killed his ex-girlfriend, University of Utah senior Lauren McCluskey, Oct. ![]() Watkins described the slain 21-year-old as “a stellar student, a gifted athlete and a person we were honored to have at the University of Utah.” “It addresses how Lauren died, but it also honors how she lived.”Īs part of the settlement, the university will also build an indoor track facility named after Lauren McCluskey. “This settlement is important for many reasons,” Jill McCluskey said Thursday. The remaining $3 million is being donated by the school directly to the Lauren McCluskey Foundation, which, according to its website, “honors Lauren’s legacy by supporting charitable works in her name.”Īll the funds from the settlement will go toward improving campus safety, financially assisting student and youth track-and-field athletes, and offering support for animal shelters and other animal welfare programs, according to McCluskey’s mother, Jill McCluskey. The McCluskeys will receive $10.5 million of the settlement, due to be paid no later than March 31, 2021, from the university’s insurance company.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |