Nigerian Student Charged With Murder

After Deadly Rhode Island Stabbing. A night out turned deadly after a fight erupted outside a Providence lounge, leaving a University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth football player dead and another injured.

Chukwunonso Uzoma Eze, 19, a Nigerian student at UMass Dartmouth, has been charged with murder in connection with the stabbing death of 18-year-old Marvins Antoine of Fall River, Massachusetts.

Antoine was fatally stabbed shortly after midnight Friday in the parking lot of a Wendy’s on Charles Street, according to investigators. He was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

His teammate, 19-year-old Kensley Macean, was also injured, suffering non-life-threatening wounds to his head and neck.

Investigators say the victims had been at Mezza Lounge with other members of the UMass Dartmouth football team when a fight broke out in a line outside the venue. The confrontation later spilled into the area near the Wendy’s, where the stabbing occurred.

Eze, who was arrested and charged with murder, waived extradition Monday. Rhode Island authorities are expected to take custody of him by Sept. 28.

His attorney, Jay Odunukwe, said Eze had no prior history of violence or other problems and suggested that evidence would eventually show his client was not involved in provoking the confrontation.

“I won't say anything else further,” Odunukwe said.

The killing has sent shockwaves through the UMass Dartmouth community, where Antoine was remembered as a teammate, classmate and friend.

University Chancellor Mark Fuller expressed condolences to Antoine’s family, friends and teammates and offered support to Macean as he recovers.

A candlelight vigil is scheduled for Sept. 23 at 5:15 p.m. on the UMass Dartmouth Quad in front of the library.

As investigators continue to piece together what happened during the chaotic night, a young football player is dead, another is recovering, and a fellow student now faces a murder charge in Rhode Island.

The case remains pending, and the charge against Eze is an allegation; he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.