Sister Of HBCU Student Charged In Deadly Multiple On-Campus Stabbings
A Philadelphia woman was arrested Wednesday (Feb. 23) in connection with the stabbing of three students, one of them fatally, during a dorm room fight at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania last week.
The Chester County District Attorney’s Office charged Nydira Smith, 39, with first- and third-degree murder, homicide, possession of an instrument of crime, four counts of aggravated assault, and three counts each of reckless endangerment and simple assault, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Prosecutors say Smith’s brother attends the historically Black university. She became concerned about him after hearing that his roommate possibly stole items from a group of students, according to CBS Philadelphia.
District Attorney Deborah Ryan believes that the fatal stabbing of Jawine Evans, 21, was premeditated because Smith allegedly drove an hour and a half with a knife from her home in Northwest Philadelphia to the campus “to join in a fight with the intent to kill.”
At a news conference Thursday (Feb. 24), police explained that security allowed Smith onto the campus because her brother was a student.
“We treat close family members as extended members of the community. When Smith drove to the front gate she presented her identification, verified her brother’s information, and said she was there to pick him up,” Marc Partee, Lincoln’s director of public safety and chief of police, told the Inquirer.
Investigators obtained three videos of the brawl. One of them purports to show Smith wielding a knife that she plunges into Evans’ neck. He’s heard yelling, “She stabbed me.” Officials said he suffered a traumatic arterial bleed. Two other students, Eric Dickerson and Clifton Walker, both 22, were also stabbed but survived the attack.
In a statement after the stabbing, the university said, “We are deeply saddened by the incident that occurred on campus last night. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. We take the safety of our students seriously and are working with local authorities as there is an ongoing investigation.”
The police tracked Smith’s vehicle to her home, where they recovered a set of knives of which one was missing. Investigators also discovered blood inside her car and home, as well as documents showing that she obtained treatment at a hospital for a laceration.
Smith was arrested and held without bail. She’s scheduled for a preliminary court hearing on March 8.
Meanwhile, Evans’ family planned a funeral, which was expected to be held on Friday (Feb. 25) at The Met in Philadelphia. He was a basketball player and a senior set to graduate in May before his life was taken.
“My husband and I are devastated over the loss of our beloved son, Jawine. We thought he would be safe on the campus of Lincoln University, and never dreamed such a terrible thing could happen there,” his mother, Beverly Evans, said in a statement.
