Double murder shocks Michigan campus

A University of Michigan student's boyfriend was killed by police after he stabbed her to death. and Mike Spahn The Michigan Daily ANN ARBOR, Mich. (U-WIRE) --A University of Michigan senior was stabbed to death early yesterday morning in an apparent case of domestic violence, which ended when a Michigan Public Safety officer shot her boyfriend to death. Tamara Sonya Willliams, a "talented and gifted" student who planned to celebrate her 21st birthday on Monday, was so close to graduating that she had ordered a class ring this past weekend. She balanced classes with a part-time job, while raising her 2 1/2-year-old child. But her life ended in tragedy, when her live-in boyfriend stabbed her to death early this morning at her home in the Northwood apartment building complex. The incident caused such an enormous commotion that several neighbors called 911 for help and tried to break up the dispute with baseball bats. When Michigan Public Safety officer arrived there early this morning, they found Kevin Nelson, 26, outside the home, standing over Tamara Williams, 20, and repeatedly stabbing her, officials said. The officer then fired two shots, killing Nelson, who is not affiliated with the University of Michigan. Both Williams and Nelson died during surgery at University Hospitals. This is the first time a Michigan police officer has used deadly force in the line of duty since the campus patrol force formed in 1990. At 12:17 a.m. yesterday morning, Michigan police received a call regarding a domestic dispute at the Northwood Family Housing Complex on the university's North Campus. "I was awoken out of my sleep by screaming," said Chris Balmann, one of Williams' neighbors. "I dialed campus security." A number of neighbors heard the screams and attempted to stop the attack. "I went out to try to stop it, but when I was about 15 feet away, I saw the knife," said Desmond Flagg, a 16-year-old Northwood resident, whose mother is a Michigan student. "I just kind of panicked. I didn't know if he would come at me." Flagg said Nelson did not acknowledge that he was there, even when Flagg repeatedly yelled for Nelson to "get off her." "Everyone was begging him to get away from her," Balmann said. "He just kept yelling, 'Look what she made me do' and 'I've had enough, it's over'," Flagg said. Balmann also heard Nelson "ranting and raving about dying." "I ran to the house, called the cops, and looked for a bat or something," Flagg said. A Michigan police officer arrived on the scene to find Nelson bloody and wielding a knife. The officer told Nelson to put the weapon down. When he did not respond, the officer shot Nelson twice, fatally wounding him. "I saw the sparks in the night," said Flagg, who had returned to the scene. "I'm very disturbed," Pennamon said. "I can't believe that I saw her just yesterday." The two friends planned to work together on a paper for their class that is due next week. Pennamon said her boyfriend called Nelson yesterday and Nelson spoke positively about his relationship with Williams. "Kevin told my boyfriend that everything was OK, that he and Tamara were back on track and that they were straight again," she said. Pennamon said something must have happened late in the night. "I just don't understand because Tamara told me everything," Pennamon said. "She would have said last night when I called that something was wrong." Williams lived in the Northwood complex with her daughter, Kiara, who is 2 1/2 years old. Nelson, who has been Williams off-and-on boyfriend for about three years, moved into the apartment about six months ago. Another neighbor, who asked that his name be withheld, said that this was not the first time the two had fought. "They have a history of fighting. I've seen Tamara bruised a couple of times," he said. In 1995, Nelson was arrested and convicted for domestic abuse against Williams, who also asked for a restraining order against him that year. Flagg added that he had heard the two "argue about three weeks ago."