A 37-year-old woman pursuing a PhD in Criminology at the University of Illinois Chicago has been charged with second-degree murder for allegedly killing her ex-boyfriend at an apartment in Washington, D.C.
According to NBC Chicago, Nijinsky Latassia Dix, who also works at the University of Notre Dame as director for its Talent Search Upward Bound (TRiO) program, was hit with the murder charge after police say she fatally shot 44-year-old Terry Hickman on November 14. The two had been dating for three months before their breakup.
Per court documents, officers responded to the scene of the incident after someone called to report shots being fired. When they entered the apartment, they saw Dix kneeling next to Hickman’s body with her right hand raised while also armed with a gun. She, however, complied with orders to drop her weapon.
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The documents also stated officers realized the defendant was on the phone with an unidentified person who had been put on speaker while they were at the crime scene. When they eventually asked who the person was, she identified herself as Dix’s mother, NBC Chicago reported.
“The individual stated the defendant called her and stated, ‘He pushed me, and I shot him,’” the document stated.
Dix was later transported to the hospital for assessment and while there, she complained to the doctor of back pain. She also reportedly “blacked out” at a certain point and claimed she had lost her memory. The doctor, however, said she had no idea of what may have caused Dix’s memory loss. The doctor also told detectives Dix did not make mention of being assaulted.
After Dix was taken to the police station from the hospital, she again reiterated she had lost her memory to detectives, and asked for any information in relation to the incident that may help her recollect what happened, court documents stated, according to NBC Chicago. After detectives showed her Hickman’s photo, she broke down in tears and repeatedly said “get it away from me”, later adding: “You don’t do people you love like that, that’s not love, I don’t want that, he can’t do people like that, you don’t do people you love like that. I’m sorry.”
An individual who knew the deceased told detectives Dix was “stalking” Hickman, and “she was from out of state but somehow found out where he [Hickman] resided.”
