College track athlete killed in stabbing as girlfriend gets charged with murder

A college sprinter was stabbed to death in Missouri, and his girlfriend is behind bars for allegedly committing the act, according to multiple reports. 

Lincoln University track and field athlete Kevaughn Goldson was killed in a stabbing off of the school’s Jefferson City campus. “Our thoughts are with family, friends, faculty, staff and all who have been impacted by this tragic situation,” the university said in a press release issued on Tuesday, according to KRCG. 

Police in Jefferson City were called to a home in the early hours on Monday morning, and Goldson, a 23-year-old senior from Jamaica, died from his injuries after he was taken to a hospital. 

Cole County prosecutors have charged Denita Jackson, who is also a track and field athlete at the school, with second-degree murder and armed criminal action.

“The well-being of our University community is our greatest priority,” Lincoln University continued in its statement. “Students and employees are reminded of counseling and other support services for those who need them.”

Goldson and Jackson were involved in a romantic relationship, but there were past issues of domestic violence incidents, according to court documents viewed by ABC17. 

Jackson told investigators that she believed Goldson was having an affair with one of her roommates.

Court documents also stated that Jackson told police that she found Goldson in the bed of her roommate, both of whom were dressed, after returning home from work early and unlocking the roommate’s door with a hairclip when she heard the roommate talking with someone in the room. 

Jackson alleges Goldson was in her bedroom when she left for work, but was not there when she came back around 1 a.m. on Monday. 

The court docs also stated that Jackson jumped on the bed and grabbed Goldson by his shirt — along with grabbing a bottle of cologne that had apparently been missing — which started a fight. 

Eventually, Goldson allegedly ended up on top of Jackson and started choking her, which is when she grabbed a knife under the bed and stabbed Goldson in the back and the chest.

Jackson allegedly called police about the stabbing, and Goldson was first taken to Capital Region Emergency Room and then airlifted to University Hospital. 

He died during surgery. 

Jackson was taken into police custody and booked into Cole County Jail.