Probe: Slain student’s friends spoke out
University of Utah altering policies to spot warning signs
SALT LAKE CITY — An investigation into the death of a University of Utah student shot by a man she briefly dated found that her friends had reported his controlling behavior and interest in getting her a gun nearly a month before the shooting, but that warning never made it to police.
The probe released Wednesday also shows that university detectives looking into a subsequent harassment report from 21-year-old student Lauren Mccluskey did not discover 37-year-old Melvin Rowland was a sex offender who had been released from prison months before.
University President Ruth Watkins said the institution is “acting on every single recommendation” in the report by university and state officials. But she maintained that nothing in the review indicated Mccluskey’s death could have been prevented.
“Instead, the report offers weaknesses, identifies issues and provides us with a road map for strengthening security on our campus,” she said. She denounced Rowland as a “manipulative, evil criminal” who “exploited vulnerabilities” in the system.
The probe also says campus police are overtaxed and need more training in handling domestic violence cases.
Mccluskey, a track athlete and communications major, was fatally shot by Rowland on Oct. 22, after she ended their relationship because he had been lying about his identity, criminal history and age. Rowland shot and killed himself as police closed in.
More than a week before her death, Mccluskey had reported to police that her ex-boyfriend was harassing her and demanding money in exchange for not posting compromising photos of her online. Police investigated, but they never checked him against state records, where they could have discovered he was a parolee.
Running those checks wasn’t required or typically done under university police policy, something the institution is now changing.
Even if they had discovered he was an ex-convict, it’s not clear whether the harassment complaint would have been enough to send him back to prison because he had appeared to be meeting the conditions of his parole otherwise, Utah Public Safety Commissioner Jess Anderson said.
Still, Mccluskey’s friends had long been concerned about the relationship. In late September, they told a residence-hall official that she was in “an unhealthy relationship with an older man who was controlling her,” the report states. He’d also said he wanted to bring a gun on campus to give to Mccluskey, which could have been a violation of his parole if authorities had discovered he was an ex-convict.