Police think Kathleen Roskot was murdered by her former boyfriend, who killed himself. The campus of Columbia University was rocked this weekend by brutal killing of a popular Columbia sophomore. Police said her former boyfriend -- believed to be her killer -- later threw himself in front of a subway. The body of Kathleen Roskot -- a 19-year-old varsity lacrosse player originally from Bay Shore, N.Y. -- was found in her Ruggles Hall dormitory room at about 2:05 p.m. on Saturday by Columbia security officers and residential staff members, according to Gary Cillo, a New York Police Department spokesman. Roskot had sustained a stab wound to the throat, though the exact cause and time of death "is not yet certain, pending the report of the medical examiner," Cillo said. The search for Roskot began when the athlete failed to show up for lacrosse practice. Upon finding her body, police immediately began looking for Thomas Nelford, an Oxnard, Calif., native and ex-boyfriend of Roskot's who friends said had visited and fought with Roskot Friday night. Before police located Nelford -- a troubled, 23-year-old Columbia drop-out who acquaintances said had mixed an involvement with collegiate wrestling with a growing drug habit -- he flung himself in front of a subway car, dying instantly at about 3:10 p.m., just an hour after Roskot's body was found. "[Nelford] leapt in front of a northbound No. 1 train at the St. Nicholas Avenue and West 181st Street station," Cillo said. Police suspect that Nelford -- who had Roskot's wallet in his possession at the time of his death -- is responsible for the murder of his ex-girlfriend, though they have not yet established a motive or closed the investigation. "The investigation is still active, though [Nelford] is believed to be responsible," Cillo said. The Columbia community was thrust into a state of extreme shock as news of the tragedy began to filter out on Saturday and a horde of media attention suddenly descended upon the Morningside Heights campus. On Sunday, Columbia University President George Rupp sent a letter to all students expressing his condolences and pledging the university's support in helping students and faculty get through the difficult period. "We mourn the loss of Kathleen Roskot, a beloved daughter, sister, friend, teammate and mentor, who for two brief years at the university set a standard of dedication, leadership and caring for others that future generations of Columbians will strive to reach," Rupp wrote in the letter, which was posted on the school's Web site. Students treated the news with a mixture of sadness and bewilderment. "Well, everyone is obviously shocked right now," said Ariel Newman, spokesman for the Columbia College Student Council. "We're all dealing with it the best we can." Several memorial services have already been planned for Roskot. Last night's Catholic mass at St. Paul's Chapel was celebrated in her memory and a campus-wide memorial service -- as well as a student council-organized candlelight vigil -- are both being planned for later in the week, Newman added. Still, the mood on Columbia's 22,000-student campus remains solemn. "Everyone is obviously shaken by the incident," Columbia freshman Emily Pressman said. "People have been talking about it an awful lot and I think that helps to just get it out in the open." "[The mood] is one of shock and surprise," Newman said. "Everyone's trying to figure it out -- figure out how to deal with it themselves and how to help their friends get through it." Roskot's murder was Columbia's second student homicide in the past two years. In March 1998, 26-year-old graduate student Lynda Hong was found dead with her throat cut in her off-campus apartment. Hong's ex-boyfriend was charged with the crime and is currently awaiting trial.
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