Melvin Rowland Obituary – Death: McCluskey’s former boyfriend Cause Of Death

The family of Lauren McCluskey, a track and field star at the University of Utah who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2018, has reached a multimillion-dollar settlement with the university. The settlement was announced by McCluskey’s parents and University of Utah President Ruth V. Watkins on Thursday. According to the family’s complaint, McCluskey had been “sexually and physically abused, stalked and threatened” by her ex-boyfriend, who had also blackmailed her with sensitive personal photos. Despite her requests for help, campus police failed to intervene and protect her.

The settlement funds will support the Lauren McCluskey Foundation, which aims to improve campus safety. The lawsuit also involves former campus police officer Miguel de Las, who allegedly showed “highly sensitive, personal and private images” of McCluskey to at least one other officer not involved in the case. The pictures were later used by McCluskey’s ex-boyfriend to blackmail her. According to a report by the Utah Department of Public Safety, de Las showed the photos to at least three male co-workers in a non-work setting. The settlement represents a recognition of the university’s failure to protect McCluskey and a commitment to preventing similar tragedies from occurring in the future.