Gunman Apprehended in Murder of Justin-Jinich ’10

, by Alison Cies, News Editor

On Thursday night, Stephen Morgan, the alleged gunman in Wednesday’s fatal shooting of Johanna Justin-Jinich ’10, turned himself in to authorities. According to The Hartford Courant, at about 9 p.m. Morgan walked into the Cumberland Farms store in Meriden and bought a smoothie. He then told Sonia Rodriquez, the store clerk, to hand him the phone because he needed to call the police. After talking on the phone, Morgan walked outside of the store and was grabbed by police officers.

“We have received confirmation from the Middletown Police Department that Stephen Morgan, the suspect in the recent shooting at the Red and Black Café, has been apprehended,” wrote President Michael Roth in an all-campus e-mail sent at 10:47 p.m. on Thursday.

Morgan was later turned over to Middletown Police and held with bail set at $10 million. He is to be charged with first-degree murder. Morgan will be arraigned today in the Middlesex Superior Court, located on Court Street.

“The Wesleyan community is grateful for the work of the law enforcement agencies involved in this process,” Roth wrote. “We are all breathing a little easier with this news.”

Beginning Friday morning, the University has resumed its normal operations; all facilities and residential houses have been reopened. A vigil for Johanna will take place at 1 p.m. in the Huss Courtyard of the Usdan University Center, located on Wyllys Avenue.

  • CT Attorney

    Sincere condolences to Ms. Justin-Jinich’s family and the Wesleyan community. The alleged gunman clearly comtemplated mass killings on the Wesleyan campus and only he knows why he didn’t follow through, thank God. What I do know that had he went on a campus rampage, the university public safety officers would have been useless as first responders as they are unarmed. Wesleyan University is obliged to provide a safe living and learning environment and the means to protect the community from depraved individuals or other criminal activity. A well trained and armed public safety department is required to meet the minimum standard of need for public safety in a residential college. Wesleyan University is continues to expose it’s students, faculty and staff to needless risk and is creating a huge civil liability to itself.

  • Concerned Student

    I agree with CT attorney that the university needs to provide better security for its students. This year alone there have been several attacks, burglaries and finally one fatality. I think it’s time the university looks into providing real security.

  • Middletown worker

    CT ATTY – Give me a break. The Middletown police responded almost instantaneously. They are a stone’s throw from the campus. Giving more guns to more people only raise the possibility of disaster.

  • Parent of Wesleyan student

    Arming Wesleyan’s public safety officers is not the solution. We need fewer guns, not more. There is no way that a handful of armed P-Safe officers could protect 3000 students. This tragic incident is yet another reason to push for gun control. The University did a great job with its emergency notification system, which is a model for other colleges. Students were sent accurate and timely information.

  • Anonymous

    I, too, was very impressed by how the Middletown police and Wesleyan’s Public Safety officers responded. Technology was used effectively, messages were sent out quickly, and things seemed to be handled very smoothly by those in charge despite the chaos caused by one man.

  • Truth

    The gunman clearly contemplated mass killings ??? Based on what ??? Where is the evidence or suggestion that the gunman contemplated mass killings ???

    I don’t see that !!!

    The dude was probably rejected by the victim and instead of acting like a mature person …..

  • Anonymous

    Many news reports said that he had written in his journal about going on a “killing spree” across the Wes campus.

  • Anon, UK

    Sadly, you live in an insane, violent and gun-riddled society. We have murders here, some by firearm, but very, very few. Work on getting rid of the right to arm every idiot in sight and a lot of this will cease. Ignore your stupid ‘freedom’ laws, and it’ll just carry on, and on, and on…

    Don’t waste your intellect by arguing – this is a basic truth. (And I won’t bother revisiting to read your excuses for all the gun murders in the USA).

  • @ Anon, UK

    Are you going around the Argus site finding every opportunity to rag on Americans and the American government? Holy shit.

    Unfortunately for you, you’re preaching to the crowd a bit here. As you may or may not know because you live in the UK, Wesleyan is a very liberal institution and many students are just as concerned as you are about domestic violence and just as supportive as you are about gun control.

    And by the way, your tone is totally needlessly hostile. It would seem that someone who wants more peace in the world might be a little kinder to strangers he/she meets on the Internet (especially ones that, as it turns out, support the meat of what you’re arguing, which you might have noticed if you browsed through the Argus a little more before rushing to type out your nasty comments). “Your stupid ‘freedom’ laws,” “don’t waste your intellect by arguing,” “I won’t bother revisiting to read your excuses”… Please stop being a dick. Thanks.

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