Breaking News - Suspect to be charged in Howard murder

The attorney representing a suspect in the Jasper Howard murder probe said late this morning his client will be charged with killing the University of Connecticut football star.

Hartford attorney Deron Freeman, who was out of town and unable to be at the press conference, identified the murder suspect as John William Lomax from Bloomfield.

Freeman said he believes other individuals will also be arrested in connection with the murder.

State and University of Connecticut Police, however, did not confirm Freeman’s statement and were slated to conduct a press conference on the Howard murder probe at 12:30 today.

Howard, 20, of Miami, a star on the UConn football team, was stabbed to death Oct. 18 on Hillside Road outside the Student Union.

Over the weekend, the police probe was visible throughout campus.
Police expanded their investigation Friday as UConn and State Police canine units searched alongside Route 195 in the Horsebarn Hill area.

Police would not provide details as to what they were looking for, but UConn police confirmed Friday afternoon the search was part of the ongoing investigation of the stabbing death of Howard.

In addition, state police divers were seen investigating in Swan Lake, though officers had no comment about why they were in the lake.

Howard was attending a West Indian Student Organization party when a fire alarm was activated at 12:26 a.m.

As nearly 300 students and non-students were evacuated, an altercation broke out between a group of students and non-students. It was during that altercation that Howard was stabbed.

He died of a single stab wound to the abdomen, said the State’s office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Howard’s death was ruled a homicide.

While police continued the investigation, students continued the grieving process Saturday by coming together and watching to Huskies take on West Virginia in their first football game since Howard’s death.

Last week, the UConn Co-Op, the campus bookstore, sold out of Howard’s No. 6 T-shirts and began taking pre-orders for the overwhelming demand of Howard jerseys.

The shirts not only serve as a unifying garment for students, but they act as a fundraising tool for two funds established in Howard’s memory.

UConn’s Division of Athletics established “The Jasper T. Howard Endowed Scholarship Fund” and “The Jasper Howard Fund.”

The scholarship fun will be presented to a UConn football student-athlete annually. The selected player will be a cornerback who best displays the “outstanding leadership qualities that Howard embodied.”

The other fund will raise funds to support Howard’s family and his unborn child.

The shirts cost $20 each and $16 from each purchase will be donated to the two separate funds.

To donate to the scholarship, make checks payable to the UConn Foundation, Inc. and send them to P.O. Box 150430, Hartford, CT, 06115.

To donate to the other fund make checks payable to the Jasper Howard Fund and send the to People’s Bank, 2075 Hillside Road, Storrs, 06268.