We have a few more details on this morning’s arrests up in Connecticut. John W. Lomax III, 21, is charged with murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder (which means the police believe this was both willful and premeditated, meaning Lomax either planned to kill Jasper Howard, or lay in wait for him) assault and is being held on $2 million bail. Hakim Muhammad, 20, is charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree assault; his bail is set at $750,000. And Jamal Todd, 21, is facing two charges for pulling the fire alarm that sent everyone rushing out of the student center and preceded the fight.
At his weekly press luncheon today, UConn coach Randy Edsall said he knew little of the arrests, and even made a joke about being Sergeant Schultz. (Sergeant Schultz was the good-hearted, bumbling sergeant of the guard on Hogan’s Heroes whose catchphrase became, “I know nothing-NOTHING!” I had to look that up. I’ve never seen Hogan’s Heroes.)
Edsall did say, however, that these little steps are helping his team get somewhat back to “normal.” He said, “I think it is important for everyone to see justice be brought to the case.” And then he said, “at the same time it doesn’t bring Jasper back.”
The funeral in Miami yesterday (which the entire team attended, via a charter flight) brought a lot of closure, Edsall said, and if Tuesday’s meeting really was the most focused he’s seen his team in a week, he said it’s because of that. “It was important to us to get down there and see what kind of support he had and what he meant to the community. I think now, we are already to get back on to the field and just keep getting better, competing and getting wins on the board.”
Running back Jordan Todman essentially echoed his coach, saying, “We are happy that the person who did this is going to be held responsible for it. It brings closure. (But) it is not the same feeling as if we could have Jazz back.”
Tragically, no. But closure does have intrinsic value. I don’t know that a wound like this, one of losing – as Todman called Howard – a brother, ever fully closes. But it can get smaller, or at the least, stop gushing one day. I suppose this is why they say time heals wounds.
Ed. czqxa, thanks for noting the error. The wonders of the internet – I can change a mistake.
Aditi Kinkhabwala has written a regular column for SI.com and been published in Sports Illustrated.
Aditi, his second charge was conspiracy to commit first degree assault, not murder. He’s not being charged with first degree murder, they won’t charge conspiracy to commit first degree murder. Either way the kid’s toast, as he well deserves, but it seems the story is going to be that Lomax and Muhammad went after Jazz specifically after the dance looking for a fight…