The University of Utah has settled two lawsuits with the parents of Lauren McCluskey, a 21-year-old student who was killed by an ex-boyfriend she had complained about to police more than 20 times. Lauren McCluskey was killed by her ex-boyfriend in October 2018. Reaching out to a supervisor for advice on what to do with evidence is understandable, he said, but it should have been a one-on-one meeting and not a hallway discussion with other officers present. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Jeremy Harmon/The Salt Lake Tribune . pg.acq.push(function() { Lauren McCluskeys parents, Jill and Matt McCluskey, filed a $56 million lawsuit last year alleging the University of Utah had failed to protect their daughter. We need safeguards in place to help our students. Senator Iwamoto was the Chief Sponsor of S.B. We are engaged in making meaningful and lasting changes in our approach to campus safety, particularly in how we respond to and assist crime victims and through focusing on research-based approaches to violence prevention, Watkins said. A copy of the former officers' legal notice against the university, submitted to the state attorney general's office, was first obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune via a public records request. Anyone can read what you share. A campus police officer in whom a college student confided that she feared for her life after a recent breakup shared nude photographs that she had given him with officers not involved in the matter just weeks before she was murdered, her parents contend in a new lawsuit. Lauren McCluskey killing A former University of Utah police officer is accused of sharing an explicit photo of slain student Lauren McCluskey, 21, days before her Oct. 22, 2018, murder at the . Its hard for them to change if they dont acknowledge their failures, and that has to happen going forward.. Deras reportedly showed the pictures initially to a supervisor on October 13, 2018, and asked how the photos could be uploaded on the department's evidence database. He asked her to hand over some questionable and explicit photos mentioned in the case. Now, a year and a half later, we are finding out that one of the officers involved in ignoring McCluskey's pleas for help, kept explicit photos of her on his cellphone and bragged about them to his coworkers. A Change.org petition titled "Fire and Press Charges against Miguel Deras for Distributing Lauren McCluskey's Photos," which launched three months ago, has at least 135,446 signatures as of . A Warner Bros. How do you protect your children from predators? She was a Washington State Champion in the high jump and ranked 10th in the heptathlon at the USATF Outdoor Junior Championshipsshe had several other colleges and scholarships to choose from. The university said in the settlement that the murder of Lauren McCluskey was a brutal, senseless, and preventable tragedy and acknowledges the unspeakable loss the McCluskey family has suffered and continues to suffer.. After leaving the University police, he landed a job at the Logan Police Department, wheres he currently employed. A Utah cop who showed off explicit photos of a sexploitation victim days . As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The information was not disclosed until The Salt Lake Tribune pushed for, and ultimately obtained records connected to the case. eventAction: 'click_image_ads' She had been shot and killed by 37-year-old Melvin Rowland, a convicted sex offender who had spent more than a decade in prison. Lauren McCluskey was "being sexually and physically abused, stalked, and threatened by her eventual killer," a complaint filed by Lauren's parents read. } eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Family devastated as mom and unborn baby tragically die after 'unexpected' medical emergency, All for publicity? University officers are accused of dismissing the stalking claims made by McCluskeysuggesting she was the victim of an online scam, according to the 51-page lawsuit. Its more than likely that the singular officer who is quoted misremembers what occurred nearly two years ago, especially when others do not share that recollection and when this account was not raised during two prior investigations., Jones said the real takeaway from the report is that Deras account of events has been confirmed. A Utah officer who responded to a call from slain college student Lauren McCluskey in 2018 is accused of keeping and showing off her explicit photos, which were intended only as part of a criminal investigation. He did not boast about being able to access the photos whenever he wanted. },false) }); At 8:23 p.m. Matt McCluskey, Laurens father, alerted campus security that his daughter was in danger. When McCluskey learned Rowland had a criminal conviction, and had lied about his age and name, she ended the relationship. He told her that he was in the military and trained as a security officer, and afterwards they met up a few times. Lauren McCluskey's parents said they hope the suit can help protect other women at risk of dating violence on college campuses. On October 22, 2018, 21-year-old track and field athlete, Sean Fields Lauren McCluskey, was tragically murdered on the campus of the University of Utah by Melvin Rowland, a man she had briefly dated. Oct 22, 2021 Updated Oct 25, 2021. In the two years since McCluskey's passing, the university has introduced plans to implement changes to campus safety, including a $13 million building to house the school's police department. reporters on a platform technologically tailored to meet the needs of the modern reader. sltrib. She added that the university believes these changes will build a culture of safety that prioritizes needs of crime victims and provides them with the full response and support they need. Two officers remember hearing some unprofessional comments being made when the pictures were displayed. The third officer denies having any knowledge about this event.. Lauren stated she sent $1000 to an account as demanded in hopes of keeping the photos private. The DPS inquiry, released in August 2020, found that Deras had shown the images to at least three other male officers without a work-related reason. }); At the time, McCluskey said she thought Rowlands friends sent the messages to lure her from her dorm, as Rowland was still posting on social media, despite it being a violation of probation to have social media accounts. They are values that I expect every officer and staff member in my department to live up to every day, he said. He said that the university was negligent in its handling of Ms. McCluskeys repeated requests for help and violated an equal protection provision in the State Constitution. Brophy and Deras had both stepped down from their positions in 2019. The officer shared the photographs just days before McCluskey was shot dead in her car by the same person. Because Rowland was a con and highly manipulative, things were difficult to discernshe didnt always believe he was a threat, or that her life was in danger, and she wished to take care of the situation by herself. Lauren's mother stated all the money from the settlement will go to support the Lauren McCluskey Foundation to help improve campus safety. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('impressionViewable', function(event) { McCluskey wired the money to an account after someone sent text messages threatening to post the photos online. A detailed report was released by the university from the Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) on Wednesday, August 4, nearly three months after the university concluded that its internal review in the case was not enough and it needed the attention of state authorities. Furthermore, the report found that the former acting police chief never actually looked at an internal affairs investigation conducted by University of Utah police in February regarding the allegations of misconduct until after a news article was published. SALT LAKE CITY ( ABC4) - On Oct. 22, 2018, University of Utah student-athlete Lauren McCluskey was shot and killed on campus. 'Sister Wives' star Kody Brown feels ex-wife Christine Brown's engagement to David Woolley is 'staged for TV' amid family drama, 'I'd do the same again': Donna Delbono, who turned in killer teen son to cops, says she has 'no regrets', Jacob Stevens: Family shares heartbreaking photo of teen who died attempting viral TikTok challenge, Was Beckett Rex edited out of 'American Idol' Season 21? On the night McCluskey was murdered, a sergeant who was performing security detail on the perimeter of the crime scene was talking to Deras and stated that he wondered what the homicide victim looked like. pictures a killer was using to blackmail her . August 9, 2020 9:23am. A University of Utah police officer saved explicit pictures of college student Lauren McCluskey and shared them with at least three men after a staff briefing about the 21-year-old's complaints of being blackmailed by her ex-boyfriend. The university will also rename the newly launched Center for Violence Prevention as the McCluskey Center for Violence Prevention. The termination was announced days after an investigation found Wednesday that he and a group of officers made inappropriate comments about explicit photos she [] MEAWW brings you the best content from its global team of On October 12, McCluskey filed a report with campus police after receiving text messages that claimed Rowland was dead. Student protesters pictured in September 2017 on the University of Utah campus. Martin says, Students are demonstrating with their voices and standing up for whats right and not forgetting, and not accepting the empty words or quick Bandaids from a system thats completely broken, says Martin. It is inexcusable for any law enforcement officer to discuss photos or information provided by a victim outside of clear and legitimate law enforcement reasons. pg.acq.push(function() { McCluskey and Rowland had met at a bar and dated for about a month. The parents of Lauren McCluskey contend that a campus police officer disseminated explicit images of the University of Utah student that had been used by her killer to blackmail her. He then allegedly saved the photos on his personal phone and bragged to at least one officer that he could look at them whenever he wanted, according to court documents. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) On October 13, Lauren contacted police again, stating that she received messages demanding $1,000 in exchange for the privacy of intimate photos taken while the pair dated, according to police records. According to the Department of Public Safety report, Deras received the images in question on Oct. 13, 2018. She was on the phone with her mother at 8:20 p.m. when Rowland confronted McCluskey, violently dragged her across the parking lot in front of her dorm, causing her to drop her phone and belongings. The five include Miguel Deras, who showed explicit photos of McCluskey to male colleagues in the days leading up to her death. "'He was long gone before we had any inkling that that incident with the photo being shown had occurred," campus police department's Lt Jason Hinojosa told the paper. They never investigated to see who he really was, he said. The two officers also claim they were not given an opportunity to appeal their terminations or present information in their defense. }) Stay up to date with the latest by subscribing to our City Life newsletter, The Hive. As We Mourn The Death Of Lauren Smith-Fields, Where Is The Justic How Republicans & Democrats Weaponize Latinx Trauma to Get Votes. She had broken up with him 2 weeks earlier after she learned he had lied about his name, age, and that he was a sex offender. Her body was found just before 10 p.m. Salt Lake City Police officers spotted . The University of Utah has settled two lawsuits with the parents of Lauren McCluskey, a 21-year-old student who was killed by an ex-boyfriend she had complained about to police more than 20 times. The temperature is finally topping 70 degrees and winter storms are on the outs! June 27, 2019 - Lauren's parents, Jill and Matt McCluskey filed a $56 million lawsuit against the University of Utah. Five former university police officers are claiming $10 million in compensation from the school. In addition, the school will donate $3 million to the Lauren McCluskey Foundation. Last May, the university claimed that Deras never showed pictures of Lauren to any noninvolved officers. She said the police didnt believe her about her scary ex and she didnt know what to do., It turns out that McCluskey was victimized not just by her killer. Here is our latest episode. Rowland made frequent attempts (sometimes successful) to visit her at her university dorm. On October 22 at around 10:39 a.m., McCluskey contacted police and said she received a text from someone claiming to be Deputy Chief Rick McLenon and asking her to go to the police station. ", "They should've investigated," her father added. Deras attorney said Wednesday that his client did not show the photos to other officers following the briefing. Death Photos And Case Update. He did not electronically share them with another officer. The Lauren McCluskey Foundation helps provide funding for research and education programs on campus safety and provides financial assistance for student track and field athletes. McCluskey, a 21-year-old student at the university, was shot dead on . He would have picked up in an instant., Police Officer Shared Nude Photos of Student Before She Was Murdered, Lawsuit Says, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/08/us/lauren-mccluskey-utah-lawsuit.html. Former Salt Lake Magazine Associate Editor Jen Hill is a SLC transplant from Bloomington, Ind. She and her husband, Matt McCluskey, now want another investigation. Utah State Senator Jani Iwamoto has a long-standing interest in dealing with public safety issues and sexual assault. He is not, nor has he ever been, a boogeyman.. While attending the U, Lauren belonged to the Capital Church in downtown SLC, and would invite others to come along, encouraging them to sing. Too late for McCluskey, changes are coming about, somewhat ironically in a year when campus population and social interactions will drastically decrease due to the coronavirus. Officer Miguel Deras on Tuesday denied the allegations unearthed by the Salt Lake Tribune, which quoted unnamed officers as saying he had "bragged" about having the images of Lauren McCluskey . After leaving the university police, Deras took a job in northern Utah with the Logan Police Department. Jill and Matt McCluskey speak on the two-year anniversary of their daughter Lauren McCluskey's death. Over the course of the next two weeks, she called campus police a number of times to report he was sending her harassing messages, as well as attempting to extort money from her. "The University did not seek or receive consent from any officer to change these policies, did change them to the detriment of officers who relied on the prior policies, and used the changes to damage the officers in question," the notice states. Oct. 22, 2018: Rowland confronts McCluskey outside her dorm around 8:20 p.m. Lauren McCluskey was found dead in a parked car near a residential hall on campus in October 2018. Rowland was on parole and could have been taken into custody. On Oct. 19, 2018, McCluskey emailed detective Kayla Dallof with Rowlands offender information. UU Police Chief Rodney Chatman stated that the report found no evidence that Deras downloaded the picture files, but of course that is irrelevant to him being able to view them whenever he wanted on his phone. An internal investigation found that Deras 'mishandled sensitive evidence' regarding the 2018 murder case of Lauren McCluskey; Deras showed explicit photos of McCluskey to at least three co . When Lauren McCluskey decided to attend the University of Utah, she was recruited to become a member of the Womens Track & Field Team. It tells the story of McCluskey's tumultuous relationship with her killer . The photos were part of her ex's extortion plan. Deras was never disciplined for the incident. As the city warms upand preps for Salt Lake is a city built on secrets. Although the state DPS could not confirm whether Deras saved the photos on his phone because he changed phones shortly after McCluskey's death, the report states that the officer accessed the pictures from his work mail at least four times. And while youre here,subscribeand get six issues ofSalt Lakemagazine, your guide to the best of life in Utah. This investigation did not find any physical evidence to suggest that officer Deras ever downloaded the pictures in question to his phone. . He was long gone before we had any inkling that that incident with the photo being shown had occurred, U. police Lt. Jason Hinojosa told the outlet. McCluskeys family sued the university in federal court and in June 2020 filed a second lawsuit, contending that, just weeks before she was murdered, a police officer in whom Lauren McCluskey had confided she feared for her life shared nude photographs she had given him with officers not involved in the matter. We made it. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function(event) { While soft spoken, she delivered her speech in a profound way, Clark says. We have hope for the future, Jill McCluskey said on Thursday, and we hope not only that the University of Utah is a safer place, but that campuses will be safer nationwide because of what were doing with the foundation.. Speech, Jim Jordan's Crime Hearing Takes Surprising Turns, China's 'Artificial Sun' Smashes Nuclear Fusion Record, Putin Issues Ominous Warning About How Russian Navy Could be Deployed, Who Is Ralph Yarl? The University of Utah continues to mislead, continues to cover up the facts and continues to fail to take responsibility for the murder of our daughter. Lauren McCluskey is seen here in this Aug. 30, 2017 file photo in Salt Lake City, Utah. McCluskey made numerous calls to police after the breakup, but her parents claim that authorities mishandled the case and waited until it was too late. And some who saw the pictures allegedly as part of their police duties recalled crass and unprofessional comments being made, according to the final report looking into the situation. "They would've very quickly found his parole status in one call and it would we wouldn't be sitting here today.". Its too late now, too: Rowland killed himself hours after McCluskeys death and the man who loaned Rowland the gun he used was sentenced to three years in prison. } A University of Utah spokesperson declined to comment when approached for comment. Rowland shot her multiple times once he had her inside the car. She had been shot seven times. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Apparently, Giving Money To People Reduces Poverty & Hunger. Two years to the day after the brutal murder of University of Utah athlete Lauren McCluskey, her parents, Jill and Matt McCluskey, and the university announced a $10.5 million settlement in a lawsuit against the school. Along with ongoing investigations into whethe. He showed the photos to other officers on at least four occasions, including to the officer in charge after receiving them, at a meeting where he walked around a table with multiple officers showing pictures to each one of them, in a hallway where inappropriate comments were made, and at the scene of Laurens murder, which is especially hurtful, she said in the statement. The McCluskeys joined U President Ruth . Miguel was dumb for showing his spank bank to other dudes on the force. That afternoon, Laurens ex-boyfriend Melvin Rowland had waited for Lauren in her resident hall for several hours. As Rowlands actions escalated, McCluskey began voicing concerns to her immediate family and closest friends. When Lauren McCluskey decided to attend the University of Utah, she was recruited to become a member of the Women's Track & Field Team. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much A frightened McCluskey paid the money to Rowland but when the threats did not stop, she sent copies of the threatening messages along with the explicit pictures to the police. CNNs Madeline Holcombe, Eric Levenson and Chuck Johnston contributed to this report. eventAction: 'load' As a result, we failed Lauren and her family.. "Listen" premieres on ESPN+ and ESPN+ on Hulu on March 28. But as friends can attest, she was growing more and more concerned and even frightened by his actions toward her. He was on the state's sex offender registry in 2018. Yet she did it with ease and grace on a regular basis with everyone she knew. KYLE KEPLER, U OF U TRACK AND FIELD COACH, As a Communications major, Lauren was enrolled at the U in Professor Dan Clarks Advanced Public Speaking class. But he did not grant an interview with the Department of Public Safety for its investigation, the report states. But today, the independent investigation shows the universitys representation was totally false.. Deras also showed the pictures to the officer who was in charge at the time, and asked for supervisory guidance regarding the elements of the crime of extortion as well as how to handle the pictures, specifically how to attach them, or even if he should attach them to his police report.. The logo for the Lauren McCluskey Foundation includes a winged running shoe. This type of behavior is not acceptable in my department and will not be tolerated, Chatman said Wednesday. A student at the University of Utah, Lauren McCluskey, was murdered by a stalker in 2018 after police officers ignored her pleas for help.It was not the murderer, Melvin Shawn Rowland, who got away with the loathsome crime.He took his own life after murdering Mccluskey, police said. Both lawsuits are seeking $56 million in damages for the Lauren McCluskey Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving campus safety. The Salt Lake Tribune has learned through an independent review that an officer handling the case of slain University of Utah student Lauren McCluskey showed people explicit photos of her . A Utah cop kept explicit photos of a terrified college track star who was being sextorted by her ex and showed them off to a colleague just days before the young .
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