Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 9-11-15 Edition

Feature
Suspect In Stabbing Death Of Former USF Athlete Surrenders To Police
After turning himself in to police Wednesday night, a 23- year-old man was charged with the stabbing death of one former University of South Florida football player, and injuring another.
Randolph Graham is being charged with killing Elkino Watson, 23, and wounding Desmond Horne, 22.
Police said Graham al- legedly stabbed Watson at 3 a.m. Sunday in a parking lot in Ybor City after they had left an after-party at The Or- pheum Club.
Witnesses told police that Watson and friends attended a party related to the Univer- sity of South Florida versus Florida A&M Rattler football game. During the event, a man approached a woman and asked her for her phone number. She refused, and wit- nesses said the man punched the woman, who was known to Watson.
At the end of the event, pa- trons left the bar and gathered along 7th Avenue. Watson and the suspect, Graham, began to speak to each other. Graham reportedly removed his sunglasses as they spoke, and a fight started.
Witnesses said they saw Graham with a knife and he tried to stab Watson. A sec- ond victim, Horne, was en- gaged in a fight with another patron.
Police said Watson was try- ing to pull the two apart when he was approached by Gra- ham and stabbed. Police said
Graham allegedly stabbed and/or cut Horne before he disengaged and then went after Watson again, stabbing him several more times. A witness pulled Graham away from Watson after which Graham fled on foot. Wat- son continued to walk east on 7th Avenue before he col- lapsed near 20th Street.
Diamond Hall, a woman identified as the mother of Watson’s 6-month-old daughter, told reporters Wat- son was stabbed four times in the chest and upper arms. She also said a man she didn’t’ know inside the club made ad- vance at her and when she re- sisted, he punched her in the face.
Hall told authorities when Watson confronted the man outside the club, he stabbed Watson several times. Hall, a 21-year-old math education major at USF, said she could- n’t’ see the type of weapon the man used in the attack.
Detectives secured video from witnesses at the scene and began identifying individ- uals involved in the fight. The investigation led to Graham whose lawyer contacted police Wednesday.
According to detectives, Graham has not confessed to the stabbings during inter- views. He is being held with- out bond at the Hillsborough County Jail on charges of sec- ond-degree murder with a weapon, and attempted sec- ond-degree murder with a weapon.
Authorities said surveil-
RANDOLPH GRAHAM .....charged in the stabbing death of one man and the at- tempted stabbing death of a
second.
ELKINO WATSON .....stabbing victim.
These are surveillance photos of Randolph Graham taken the night of the stabbings.
lance photos and statements from witnesses helped in their investigation of identifying Graham as the person who committed the stabbings.
More than 600 students and faculty filled the USF Sun Dome Tuesday evening to re- member a friend, a son, a fa- ther and former football player.
A GoFundMe account was created by Derrick Hop- kins, Todd Chandler, and
Stephen Bravo-Brown, former USF football players. They are seeking support for Watson, a father of two. The money raised will be used to cover funeral expenses and a donation to his family and to his daughters, Elkiria and Kennedy.
Rumors have circulated throughout the community about what led to the fatal stabbing. Some have said there were more football play- ers than the two stabbed in- volved in the fight.
Police spokesperson Steve
Hegarty said based on their investigation, there were at least a dozen people involved in the fight.
“We are still investigating the incident, but we have not determined how many foot- ball players were fighting, and some people were just trying to get out of the way.”
Hegarty also said the in- vestigation is continuing into the homicide, and even if there had not been a fatal stabbing charges pertaining to the fight could be forthcom- ing.
PAGE 2-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2015