Man charged with killing UConn football player Jasper Howard may file for speedy trial

Man charged in UConn killing may seek speedy trial

VERNON, Conn. — The lawyer for a man charged in the fatal stabbing of University of Connecticut football player Jasper Howard is expected to file a speedy trial motion and possibly hear a plea offer from the state.

Attorney Deron Freeman and his client, 22-year-old John Lomax III of Bloomfield, are scheduled to appear in Rockville Superior Court on Friday morning. Freeman says he wants a trial date set as soon as possible.

Lomax is accused of killing Howard, a 20-year-old cornerback from Miami, last October during an on-campus fight between a group of football players and a group that included Lomax.

Freeman says Lomax maintains his innocence and will reject any offer that has him pleading guilty to causing Howard’s death.