A 19-year-old Nigerian national accused of fatally stabbing a University of Massachusetts Dartmouth football player came to the country on a tourist visa in 2015 and overstayed it, federal authorities said.
The suspect, Chukwunonso Uzoma David Uzoma-Eze, now faces a murder charge and felony assault with a knife. He made his first appearance in Providence District Court Monday, Sept. 28 in Providence, Rhode Island. Judge Stephen M. Isherwood ordered him held without bail.
Uzoma-Eze first entered the United States on a B-2 tourist visa in 2015 before receiving deferred action under both the Biden and Trump administrations, Fox News reported.
Uzoma-Eze, who told the judge he is from Hyde Park, Massachusetts, is accused of stabbing two players on the UMass Dartmouth football team. The altercation occurred outside Mezzo Lounge early Sept. 19 in Providence, Rhode Island.
BREAKING: Federal law enforcement sources confirm to @FoxNews that the suspect arrested for stabbing two UMass Dartmouth football players over the weekend, killing one, is a Nigerian national who had been in the U.S. illegally as a B-2 visa overstay, but was shielded from… pic.twitter.com/m7GJnBodtO
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) September 25, 2026
Uzoma-Eze was arraigned in Massachusetts’ New Bedford District Court Sept. 21, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer request against him Sept. 22, WPRI 12 News reported.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Uzoma-Eze initially entered the country legally as a minor in 2015, but is now considered a “criminal illegal alien from Nigeria” for violating the terms of lawful admission after his murder arrest.
One UMass player, 19-year-old Marvins Antoine, of Fall River, Massachusetts, sustained fatal injuries after being stabbed in the chest. He was a freshman running back for the UMass Dartmouth football team.
His teammate, Kensley Macean, also a freshman player from Dighton, Massachusetts, was injured during the attack. Macean suffered non-life-threatening injuries to the head and neck and was treated at a Rhode Island Hospital, the Providence Police Department said.
Uzoma-Eze also attends UMass Dartmouth, police said. His attorney, Noah Kilroy, told WPRI 12 News he will be claiming self-defense in the case.
According to the criminal complaint, Uzoma-Eze allegedly stabbed the two victims with a pocket knife. Macean suffered stab wounds to his left ear, neck and left arm, The Herald News reported.
According to Providence police, the stabbing took place at about 12:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 19 in the parking lot outside Mezzo Lounge. Police said the incident stemmed from an altercation involving people who had been inside the lounge before the stabbing.
The main UMass Dartmouth campus is about 30 miles east of Providence, Rhode Island, where the stabbing occurred.
Uzoma-Eze left the scene and was later located and taken into custody by the UMass Dartmouth Police Department, police said.
The Herald News also reported Uzoma-Eze disclosed to UMass police he had previously attempted suicide and made the statement “Can you just shoot me?” after his Sept. 19 arrest.
Uzoma-Eze was transported to a behavioral health center, then a hospital in New Bedford, where he was interviewed by a forensic psychologist.
Authorities then transferred him to Bridgwater State Hospital where pre-trial detainees are sent for competency and criminal responsibility evaluations by the court, per The Herald News.
According to federal sources, Uzoma-Eze entered the United States on March 18, 2015, at Boston Logan International Airport on a B-2 visitor visa. Based on his age, he would have been a minor child.
Uzoma-Eze received two extensions on his visa under the Obama administration before remaining in the country after his authorized stay expired, Fox News reported.
Immigration officials approved two extensions of his nonimmigrant status, one that was filed Sept. 17, 2015, and approved five months later. He filed a second on March 18, 2016, which was approved in June 2016, The Herald News reported.
The Biden administration approved Eze’s request for deferred action in September 2022, federal sources said.
When deferred action is granted, the federal government has discretion on whether an immigrant can remain in the United States. The government can temporarily delay an individual’s deportation, but it does not provide lawful immigration status.
Uzoma-Eze applied for employment authorization on Aug. 24, 2023, but the request was rejected Sept. 25, 2023, DHS said.
Weeks after President Donald Trump returned to office, on Feb. 10, 2025, he filed two applications. The first was for employment authorization, based on deferred action, which remains pending, officials said.
He filed a second application on the same date for deferred action. It was approved Oct. 8, 2025, and is set to expire Oct. 7, 2027.
If convicted of murder, Eze will lose his deferred action, according to DHS.
