Woman charged with murder after death of fellow Lincoln University sprinter
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Lincoln University sprinter has been charged with stabbing her boyfriend, who is also a Lincoln University student-athlete, on Monday.
Cole County prosecutors charged Denita Jackson with second-degree murder and armed criminal action. Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson later identified the victim as Kevaughn Goldson, 23. Goldson was a senior from Jamaica who was a sprinter on the LU track and field team, according to the LU Athletics website.
Jackson is also a senior sprinter, whose hometown is listed as Berbice, Guyana.
Court documents state that Jackson was in a romantic relationship with Goldson, but there was a history of domestic violence incidents between the two. She said the most recent fight was about a missing bottle of cologne.
Jackson told police she thought Goldson was having an affair with one of her roommates.
Police said Jackson had left for work late Sunday night but came home early after not feeling well. She told police that the victim was in her bedroom when she left, but was not there when she came back around 1 a.m. Monday.
Court documents state that Jackson said she could hear a roommate talking with someone in their room. She used a hairclip to unlock the door and told police she found Goldson and the witness in the bed, but fully dressed with the missing bottle of cologne.
Jackson allegedly jumped onto the bed, grabbed the bottle and Goldson by his shirt, starting the fight. Police said Jackson said Goldson kicked her in the stomach, causing her to fall off the bed.
Police said Jackson reported Goldson was on top of her and started to choke her. This is when she told police she grabbed the knife from under the witness's bed and stabbed Goldson in the back and chest.
Officers arrived after Jackson called 911 about the stabbing. Goldson was taken to the Capital Region Emergency Room, where police took photos of his injuries. Police said they tried to interview him, but he was not cooperative.
Goldson was later taken by helicopter to University Hospital, where he died during surgery.
Jackson was arrested and booked into the Cole County Jail on Monday. As of Tuesday morning, no court hearing had been set for Jackson.
This marks the third homicide investigation in Jefferson City in 2026. Malcolm Mayes, 29, is accused of shooting and killing Jeremy Greer, 39, on Jan. 9, 2026. And Malang Akbari, 46, allegedly stabbed his wife to death on Jan. 13.
Police say this many homicides in a short span of time is unusual.
"Three so soon into the year like this. Concerning," Jefferson City Police Department Lt. Curtis Finke said. "It's something worth a look at and look into the dynamics of what's contributing to those and how we should communicate with our partners and our teams and our assets."
According to court documents, the stabbing death of Goldson and Malang AKbari's wife both allegedly stemmed from relationship violence.
Finke said JCPD has recognized the trend.
"Any time we can identify an increase in something or identify a situation, maybe progressively going the wrong direction, we can certainly work with our leaders, have our law enforcement partners work with our leadership," Finke said.
Though resources like victim advocates and mental health liaisons are available that people experiencing domestic violence, Finke said some conversations may need to be had about the trend.
"Any time there is a violent situation and it comes from households or a domestic situation, people need to know resources exist before they reach a volatile point," Finke said.
JCPD can also be called to diffuse situations or offer support to domestic violence victims.
"We can get them to a safe area, we can get them out of a dangerous situation before it gets to a point where death does occur or there's some sort of serious physical injury," Finke said.
Besides police, Jefferson City is focusing on domestic violence in offices like the county prosecutor's.
"Recently, our office has spearheaded a domestic violence task force in conjunction with our local law enforcement, Probation & Parole, and the courts," Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson wrote in an email Tuesday.
Thompson and his office have tracked the amount of cases involving such violence.
"Since the beginning of 2018, the Cole County Prosecutor’s Office has prosecuted 27 murders, 5 of which have been classified as intimate parter violence, including the recent Akbari and Jackson cases," Thompson wrote.
He believes the city's violent start to the year is not a trending concern.
"This is a clear anomaly in a community that has averaged 3.375 murders per year over the past 8 years. While we have had 3 homicides early in the year, overall violent crime rates have decreased, particularly weapons offenses, and I consider the number of homicides to be a brief spike as opposed to any sort of trend," Thompson wrote.
