Denita Jackson is an accused killer who is charged with the murder of fellow Liberty University track star Kevaughn Goldson
According to police reports Denita Jackson allegedly walked into her residence to find her boyfriend Kevaughn Goldson in bed with her roommate. Jackson and Goldson began an altercation which would end when she grabbed a knife and stabbed Kevaughn Goldson causing his death
Denita Jackson would be arrested and has been charged with murder
Denita Jackson News
A college sprinter was charged in connection with the stabbing of her boyfriend, who was an athlete at the same university.
Denita Jackson was charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with the murder of her boyfriend, Kevaughn Goldson, according to local outlet KMIZ, citing Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson.
Goldson, who is from Kingston, Jamaica, was a senior and Men’s Track and Field runner at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Mo. He was 23.
Denita Jackson, also a senior and Women’s Track and Field runner at Lincoln University, is from Berbice, Guyana.
According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, a warrant for Jackson’s arrest was issued on Monday, Feb. 23. She was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action, and held without bond, per the documents.
A probable cause statement obtained by PEOPLE says that Jackson allegedly called the Jefferson City Police to the scene, “stating that she had been in a disturbance with the Victim and had stabbed him at her residence.” When police arrived, they discovered Goldson in the living room of the residence with “a stab wound to his chest, and a stab wound to his back,” as well as minor scratches consistent with a physical altercation, per the documents.
Goldson did not cooperate with police and was not interviewed regarding the stabbing, the documents allege. He was brought to the Capital Region Emergency Room, where evidence photos of his stab wounds were taken. He later died in surgery after being air-lifted to MU Hospital in Columbia, Mo., according to the documents obtained by PEOPLE.
In an interview with police, Denita Jackson allegedly admitted to stabbing Goldson, according to the probable cause statement. The document states that Jackson said she and Goldson had been in “a volatile relationship” with Goldson “for years,” and “was involved in previous domestic violence reports, and had been told by multiple friends to stay away from the Victim [Goldson].”
Jackson told police that her most recent altercation with Goldson stemmed from “a fight over a broken bottle of cologne”, and that she agreed to buy him a new one, the documents allege, adding that Goldson and Jackson previously lived together, but Jackson now lives with two roommates, one of whom witnessed the stabbing. The witness’s identity has not been made public yet.
Goldson allegedly came over to Jackson’s residence on Feb. 21 and stayed the night. Jackson told police she was not feeling well the next morning on Feb. 22, but still went to work, leaving Goldson sleeping in her bed, per the probable cause affidavit. She left work early and found that her bedding was left in disarray and that Goldson was no longer in the room.
Denita Jackson allegedly suspected that Goldson was having an affair with the witness, who was also her roommate, when she forced entry into her room with a hair clip and found them in bed together, albeit clothed, with the bottle of cologne they had fought over in between them.
Jackson “lunged on to the bed, grabbed the bottle of cologne, and grabbed the Victim [Goldson] by his shirt, initiating a physical assault,” she told police according to court docs. She alleged that Goldson kicked her in the stomach, and that she fell off the bed and into a nearby mirror.
Denita Jackson said the witness told the couple to “stop fighting” and ran from the room. Jackson alleged that Goldson “got on top of her as she was lying on the floor, pinned her left arm to the ground, and began choking her,” according to the documents. She then claimed she “observed a knife under the Witness’ bed, grabbed the knife, and stabbed the Victim [Goldson] in the back.” After Goldson “did not react as if he had been stabbed,” she stabbed him in the chest, before calling 911 herself to report the stabbing.
As of publication, no court hearings have been scheduled for Jackson.
When reached by PEOPLE for comment, a spokesperson for Lincoln University said in a statement that it “is aware of an off-campus incident resulting in the death of one of our students.”
“Our thoughts are with family, friends, faculty, staff, and all who have been impacted by this tragic situation,” the statement continued. “The well-being of our University community is our greatest priority. Students and employees are reminded of counseling and other support services for those who need them.”
PEOPLE has reached out to Cole County Prosecutor Thompson regarding the status of the case
College Sprinter Charged with Murder of Fellow Athlete Boyfriend
