Jasper Howard

VERNON, Conn. — The man who killed University of Connecticut football player Jasper Howard during an on-campus fight in 2009 was sentenced yesterday to 18 years in prison during an emotional court hearing at which he and Howard’s mother wept. John Lomax III, of Bloomfield, stabbed the 20-year-old defensive back in the abdomen during a fight between a group of football players and a group that included Lomax, authorities said. Investigators believe the fight started over a comment a player made about a woman.

VERNON, Conn. — The man who killed University of Connecticut football player Jasper Howard during an on-campus fight in 2009 was sentenced yesterday to 18 years in prison during an emotional court hearing at which he and Howard’s mother wept. John Lomax III, of Bloomfield, stabbed the 20-year-old defensive back in the abdomen during a fight between a group of football players and a group that included Lomax, authorities said. Investigators believe the fight started over a comment a player made about a woman.

VERNON, Conn. — The man accused of fatally stabbing a University of Connecticut football player outside a campus party in 2009 pleaded no contest yesterday to first-degree manslaughter. John Lomax III of Bloomfield, who had faced a murder charge, entered his plea to the lesser charge in Superior Court in Rockville, according to the court clerk’s office. Lomax faces up to 20 years in prison at sentencing. An investigation of the case was ordered ahead of the sentencing, set for March 25. As he was questioned by the judge about his plea, an emotional Lomax...

VERNON, Conn. — The man accused of fatally stabbing a University of Connecticut football player outside a campus party in 2009 pleaded no contest yesterday to first-degree manslaughter. John Lomax III of Bloomfield, who had faced a murder charge, entered his plea to the lesser charge in Superior Court in Rockville, according to the court clerk’s office. Lomax faces up to 20 years in prison at sentencing. An investigation of the case was ordered ahead of the sentencing, set for March 25. As he was questioned by the judge about his plea, an emotional Lomax...

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Over two tumultuous days, Connecticut coach Randy Edsall identified the body of slain cornerback Jasper Howard, delivered the news to his devastated teammates, and met with the 20-year-old’s parents. The Huskies coach has consoled grief-stricken athletes, choked back his own tears, received words of kindness and consolation from people too numerous to count, and sought out advice from mentor Tom Coughlin, the New York Giants coach, and others. He’ll fly the team to Howard’s funeral on Monday in the player’s hometown of Miami.

STORRS, Conn. - For the University of Connecticut community, celebration turned to tragedy when a starting member of the football team was stabbed to death in a fight early yesterday, hours after helping his team to a homecoming victory over Louisville. “I was in the locker room after the game yesterday. It was such a joyous moment,’’ said UConn’s president, Michael Hogan. “To go from that game and such a victory to the developments at 12:30 last night is such a tragedy.’’ Jasper Howard, 20, of Miami, and another student were stabbed just after 12:30...

VERNON, Conn. - The fight that led to the stabbing death of University of Connecticut football player Jasper Howard began when one of his teammates insulted a woman at a school-sponsored dance, according to a police affidavit released yesterday. The affidavit charges 21-year-old John Lomax III with murder in Howard’s Oct. 18 death. The document includes an array of witness statements about the encounter and reveals what sparked the fight, according to the police investigation.

STORRS, Conn. - A Bloomfield man will be arrested in the stabbing death of a University of Connecticut football player, his lawyer said last night, as police continued to sort out what happened during a fight outside a school-sponsored weekend dance. Attorney Deron Freeman declined to identify his client, but said the man and several others fought “with about six’’ UConn football players early Sunday. Freeman said his client did not stab Jasper Howard, but was present when Howard was mortally wounded.

Austin Davis threw for 155 yards and ran for 61 yards and a touchdown to help Southern Mississippi beat Kansas, 31-16, last night in Hattiesburg, Miss. The Golden Eagles broke the game open late in the first half, when Tim Green blocked a punt and Deron Wilson scooped up the ball for a 7-yard TD return and 21-3 lead. Southern Miss (2-1) has won 10 straight home games dating to 2008. Kansas (1-2) couldn’t build off its momentum after beating then-No.

HARTFORD — The University of Connecticut is planning to put at least a one-year moratorium on the annual tradition of pre-exam partying and drinking known as Spring Weekend. Yesterday, UConn’s president, Philip Austin, accepted the recommendations of a task force that was formed in the aftermath of last year’s April parties, which resulted in 84 arrests and the death of junior Jafar Karzoun, who died after being punched outside a campus restaurant. Among other things, the task force called for banning guests in UConn dorms during the weekend before spring exams and...

VERNON, Conn. - The fight that led to the stabbing death of University of Connecticut football player Jasper Howard began when one of his teammates insulted a woman at a school-sponsored dance, according to a police affidavit released yesterday. The affidavit charges 21-year-old John Lomax III with murder in Howard’s Oct. 18 death. The document includes an array of witness statements about the encounter and reveals what sparked the fight, according to the police investigation.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Over two tumultuous days, Connecticut coach Randy Edsall identified the body of slain cornerback Jasper Howard, delivered the news to his devastated teammates, and met with the 20-year-old’s parents. The Huskies coach has consoled grief-stricken athletes, choked back his own tears, received words of kindness and consolation from people too numerous to count, and sought out advice from mentor Tom Coughlin, the New York Giants coach, and others. He’ll fly the team to Howard’s funeral on Monday in the player’s hometown of Miami.

STORRS, Conn. - A Bloomfield man will be arrested in the stabbing death of a University of Connecticut football player, his lawyer said last night, as police continued to sort out what happened during a fight outside a school-sponsored weekend dance. Attorney Deron Freeman declined to identify his client, but said the man and several others fought “with about six’’ UConn football players early Sunday. Freeman said his client did not stab Jasper Howard, but was present when Howard was mortally wounded.

STORRS, Conn. - For the University of Connecticut community, celebration turned to tragedy when a starting member of the football team was stabbed to death in a fight early yesterday, hours after helping his team to a homecoming victory over Louisville. “I was in the locker room after the game yesterday. It was such a joyous moment,’’ said UConn’s president, Michael Hogan. “To go from that game and such a victory to the developments at 12:30 last night is such a tragedy.’’ Jasper Howard, 20, of Miami, and another student were stabbed just after 12:30...

VERNON, Conn. — A man who stabbed a University of Connecticut football player during a fight in which another player was killed was sentenced yesterday to 30 months in prison after apologizing for what he called “senseless violence.’’ Hakim Muhammad, 22, of Bloomfield was sentenced in Rockville Superior Court after pleading guilty to second-degree assault and hindering prosecution. He will serve 30 months of special parole after the prison time. Muhammad apologized for stabbing UConn player Brian Parker during an October 2009 fight on the Storrs campus.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Andre Dixon rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown and resilient Connecticut ended a trying season with a 20-7 victory over South Carolina in the Papajohns.com Bowl yesterday. The Huskies (8-5) are 3-1 in bowl games since moving up to the Bowl Subdivision in 2002. They won their final three regular-season games and overcame the October stabbing death of cornerback Jasper Howard to reach a bowl. UConn made the most of the trip. The nation’s 95th-rated pass defense throttled South Carolina (7-6)