UMass Dartmouth student accused of killing football player to face murder charge in Rhode Island
Louisa Moller | 9/23/2026, 10:49 a.m.
The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth student accused of killing a football player from the school over the weekend will be sent to Rhode Island to face a murder charge.
Chukuwnonoso Uzoma Eze, 19, was in handcuffs as he pleaded not guilty to a fugitive from justice charge in New Bedford District Court Monday afternoon. He was ordered held without bail and agreed to be extradited to Providence within a week.
Eze is accused of stabbing two UMass Dartmouth football players in a Wendy's restaurant parking lot in Providence after an altercation early Saturday morning at a nightclub across the street.
One of the players, 18-year-old freshman running back Marvins Antoine died. His teammate, 19-year-old freshman defensive back Kensley Macean, was rushed to the hospital with wounds to his head, neck and left arm.
Providence police said Eze is not on the football team and there was no indication that he knew the players. Investigators are still looking into what led to the stabbing.
Police said they used Flock cameras in the area to track down Eze about 30 miles away back on campus in Dartmouth early Saturday morning. He was arrested by campus police and held over the weekend.
Eze was sent to a mental health facility after allegedly telling police he had previously attempted suicide and, "Can you just shoot me."
But attorneys for Eze painted a different picture of their client, saying he has no criminal record. "He's a very bright student, very nice guy, goes to church with his family regularly," said Jay Odunukwe, Eze's defense attorney. "The evidence will show eventually that he was basically minding his business."
According to the university, Antoine graduated from Durfee High School in Fall River. His former teammates told WBZ-TV he was a role model for younger players.
"Marvins was never the person to start anything. Even if the situation was out of hand, he would still try to diffuse it," said former teammate Orlando Delgado. "He was always the type of person to always have your back. He was super loyal."
Macean graduated from Dighton-Rehoboth High School.
UMass Dartmouth is about 60 miles south of Boston.



