Prosecutors: Witnesses ID suspect in stabbing

From combined dispatches

Several witnesses identified the man charged with fatally stabbing a University of Connecticut football player as the killer, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Two people arrested in the stabbing of 20-year-old Jasper Howard were arraigned in Rockville Superior Court in Vernon, Conn. John William Lomax III, 21, is charged with murder while his friend and co-worker, 20-year-old Hakim Muhammad, is charged with conspiracy to commit assault.

Police have not discussed a motive, and the investigators’ affidavits and arrest warrants are sealed.

But prosecutor Matthew Gedansky argued for a high bond, saying that several witnesses reported seeing Lomax and Muhammad involved in a minor altercation with others outside a university-sanctioned dance early Oct. 18. He said the two went back to Lomax’s car and returned “in a rage” with knives and escalated the violence. Several witnesses also identified Lomax as the person who stabbed Howard, he said.

Lomax’s attorney, Deron Freeman, denied that his client stabbed Howard and said no witnesses in the affidavit could identify Lomax with 100 percent certainty. Even if all the allegations in the affidavit were true, “this was a mutual combat situation where my client was engaged,” he said.

Gerald Klein, Muhammad’s attorney, said that while some witnesses claim his client had something in his hand that looked like a knife, no one has offered evidence that he swung it at anyone.

“The mere presence at the scene of a crime does not make someone guilty,” Klein said.

OKLAHOMA: Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Sam Bradford had surgery on his injured right shoulder, and the school called it a success.

In a release by the school, Bradford’s father says Dr. James Andrews informed him that the procedure went “just as we expected.”

Kent Bradford said his son was experiencing some soreness but was otherwise resting comfortably in Alabama after a 35-minute surgery. The quarterback, who had sprained the AC joint in his shoulder, was expected to return to Oklahoma within the next day or two.

Bradford has said he plans to enter the NFL Draft if his recovery goes as planned. That process is expected to take four to six months.

MICHIGAN STATE: Reserve running backs Caulton Ray and Andre Anderson have been removed from the team’s active roster.

Spartans coach Mark Dantonio confirmed the move but did not elaborate.

Ray is a redshirt freshman who has rushed 40 times for 156 yards and a touchdown this season. Anderson, a sophomore, had two carries for 4 yards.

Both played on special teams and appeared in seven of Michigan State’s eight games. Both had fallen behind freshmen Larry Caper and Edwin Baker on the depth chart.

MICHIGAN: Cornerback Boubacar Cissoko was kicked off the team after being suspended earlier this month.

Coach Rich Rodriguez late Tuesday released a one-sentence statement: “Boubacar Cissoko has been dismissed for a violation of team rules.”

Rodriguez suspended Cissoko on Oct. 10, also citing a violation of team rules, some of which were related to academics. The sophomore missed the Iowa and Delaware State games but played briefly in Saturday’s loss to Penn State.

ACC: The Chick-fil-A Bowl and the ACC have agreed to a four-year extension that will keep the conference’s first selection after the BCS coming to game at the Georgia Dome.

The bowl will have the first pick of ACC teams after the BCS selections through the 2013 season. The game has held that selection since 2006.

This year’s Chick-fil-A Bowl will be played Dec. 31 and matches an SEC team against an ACC team.