JEFFERSON CITY, MO – A Lincoln University track and field athlete has been charged with second-degree murder after allegedly stabbing her boyfriend to death when she discovered him in bed with her roommate early Monday morning.
Denita Jackson, 27, a sprinter on the university’s track team, faces charges of second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of Kevaughn Goldson, 23, who was also a sprinter at Lincoln University. Jackson was arrested Monday and is being held without bond at Cole County Jail.
According to court documents, Jackson left work early Monday morning around 1 a.m. because she was feeling ill. She had left Goldson in her bedroom hours earlier. When she returned home, Jackson heard her roommate talking to someone and used a hair clip to unlock the roommate’s bedroom door after finding it locked.
Police say Jackson discovered Goldson and her roommate in bed together, both fully clothed. Jackson allegedly jumped onto the bed and began fighting with Goldson, who responded by kicking her in the stomach, causing her to fall off the bed.
Jackson told investigators that Goldson then got on top of her and began choking her. She claims she grabbed a knife from under the roommate’s bed and stabbed Goldson in both the back and chest. Court documents indicate the couple had a history of violent encounters in their romantic relationship.
Jefferson City Police Department officers responded to the home in the 800 block of Fairmount Boulevard at 1:09 a.m. Monday after Jackson called 911. Emergency responders transported Goldson to Capital Region Emergency Room before he was airlifted to University Hospital, where he died during surgery.
Lincoln University released a statement expressing condolences: “Our thoughts are with family, friends, faculty, staff and all who have been impacted by this tragic situation.”
The case remains under investigation by the Jefferson City Police Department. Jackson is scheduled to appear in Cole County Circuit Court for preliminary proceedings related to the charges.
