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Police: Former Olympian Killed Wife, Jumped to His Death
Associated Press ^ | Aug 16, 2004 | Peggy Harris

Posted on 08/16/2004 9:22:15 AM PDT by Pharmboy

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Police said Monday they believe a former Olympic athlete killed his neurosurgeon wife before jumping to his death from a 10th-story dormitory window. Investigators identified the man as Robert Howard, a University of Arkansas medical student who competed in track and field in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, said medical school police Capt. Bryan Patterson.

"Nobody that I know of had any kind of a hint that there were any kind of problems at all, let alone problems to that degree," said Dick Booth, an assistant coach at Arkansas who helped Howard prepare for the Olympic trials last month.

Leslie Taylor, a spokeswoman for University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, said campus police received a call early Saturday from someone concerned about a medical student.

Police arrived at the dormitory room and tried to talk to the man, but he jumped out of the window about 20 minutes later, Patterson said.

Later that morning, investigators went to a private residence and found the student's wife, Dr. Robin Mitchell, stabbed to death. Mitchell was chief resident in neurosurgery at the medical school.

"There is evidence that the student killed his wife," Little Rock police said in a news release.

Howard finished eighth in the triple jump at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and seventh at the 2000 Games in Sydney. The former All-American and NCAA champion, who competed for the university from 1994-98, took last year off from medical school in an unsuccessful bid to make the Olympic team this year.

Howard graduated from Shea High School in Pawtucket, R.I., in 1994 where he was one of the state's all-time top high school track performers.

"This is the last thing you would expect from somebody like Rob, but you never know what's going on in people's lives," said Thom Spann, Howard's high school coach.

AP-ES-08-16-04 1138EDT


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Front Page News; News/Current Events; US: Arkansas
KEYWORDS: arkancide; doctors; medstudents; murdersuicide
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To: stayathomemom

Thanks..I always thought a chief resident was a fairly importamt, and well paying staff position in a hospital..


21 posted on 08/16/2004 9:51:47 AM PDT by ken5050 (We've looked for WMD in Iraq for LESS time than Hillary looked for the Rose Law firm billing records)
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To: Pharmboy
...and I wonder how he was doing in medical school. It's not easy, y'know.

I guess the dummy didn't know he could've made more money in the NFL.

22 posted on 08/16/2004 9:54:11 AM PDT by Willie Green (Go Alan Go!!!)
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To: Pharmboy

The headline is a bit misleading. It's not the jump that'll kill ya, it's the sudden stop at the end....


23 posted on 08/16/2004 9:54:50 AM PDT by b4its2late (John John Kerry Edwards change positions more often than a Nevada prostitute!!!)
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To: Pharmboy

"Later that morning, investigators went to a private residence and found the student's wife, Dr. Robin Mitchell, stabbed to death."

It looks like he was living in the dorm and she was living in a private home. It's possible that they had separated and he was having problems with it.


24 posted on 08/16/2004 9:55:16 AM PDT by SilentServiceCPOWife (A proud member of the bourgeoisie since 1966)
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To: Pharmboy
The story has been a big shocker in Little Rock for a couple of days.

Somehow, a lot of psychos have managed to graduate from that medical school. I know of a couple of more who are likely to go on a killing spree at some point.

25 posted on 08/16/2004 9:58:27 AM PDT by HAL9000
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To: stayathomemom; ken5050
Later that morning, investigators went to a private residence and found the student's wife, Dr. Robin Mitchell, stabbed to death.

Maybe the private residence where the wife was found was their home. Or they were living separately, perhaps.

26 posted on 08/16/2004 9:58:32 AM PDT by shhrubbery!
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To: PBRSTREETGANG

Apparently he didn't do as well with the long jump.


But how about the high jump? If only he had done this in the Olympics it would be a new Olympic record.


27 posted on 08/16/2004 9:59:45 AM PDT by taxesareforever
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To: xzins
are steroids linked to violence?

Yes. Many of them are testosterone analogs. They tend to make makes a bit more agressive. Think of a møøse in rut, or a bull elephant in must...

28 posted on 08/16/2004 10:01:07 AM PDT by null and void (Want to live in a socialist state now? Vote (D). Want to live in a socialist state soon? Vote (R)...)
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To: shhrubbery!

THanks..good get.. I missed it..soudns like they were separated..


29 posted on 08/16/2004 10:01:47 AM PDT by ken5050 (We've looked for WMD in Iraq for LESS time than Hillary looked for the Rose Law firm billing records)
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To: ken5050

My guess is that the "dormitory" was more like married student housing for residents.


30 posted on 08/16/2004 10:04:22 AM PDT by Eva
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To: Pharmboy

He was against jumping before he was for it.


31 posted on 08/16/2004 10:05:58 AM PDT by gunnygail (John F Kerry: The "F" stands for FRENCHY!)
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To: null and void
They tend to make makes males a bit more aggressive.

*sigh* Preview is my friend.

A few years back there was a cholesterol medication that was pulled from the market because too many patients were dying violent deaths.

It turned out that it was lowering cholesterol by increasing the conversion of cholesterol to testosterone. The guys weren't used to the higher testosterone levels, would become more aggressive, and get in over their heads...

32 posted on 08/16/2004 10:07:14 AM PDT by null and void (Want to live in a socialist state now? Vote (D). Want to live in a socialist state soon? Vote (R)...)
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To: Eva

FYI..see #26..sounds like they were separataed..he may have moved into the dormitory..


33 posted on 08/16/2004 10:08:02 AM PDT by ken5050 (We've looked for WMD in Iraq for LESS time than Hillary looked for the Rose Law firm billing records)
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To: dead

I don't think it's appropriate, in fact, I know it's wrong. But I'm laughing all the same.


34 posted on 08/16/2004 10:10:02 AM PDT by SittinYonder (Tancredo and I wanna know what you believe)
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To: eyespysomething

Now why would you think steroids? My first thought, any time I hear of a boyfriend/husband killing his girlfriend/wife is that she probably drove him to it. Women are worse than steroids in that respect.


35 posted on 08/16/2004 10:11:26 AM PDT by SittinYonder (Tancredo and I wanna know what you believe)
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To: dead

I'm betting: 4.5/3.8/5.1/4.4/3.0 (North Korean judge).

It was his dismount and landing that killed him.


36 posted on 08/16/2004 10:12:55 AM PDT by gunnygail (John F Kerry: The "F" stands for FRENCHY!)
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To: harrycarey; null and void

thanks


37 posted on 08/16/2004 10:13:04 AM PDT by xzins (Retired Army and Supporting Bush/Cheney 2004!)
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To: ken5050
I always thought a chief resident was a fairly importamt, and well paying staff position in a hospital..

40-50k.

38 posted on 08/16/2004 10:16:21 AM PDT by Taliesan (fiction police)
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To: SittinYonder

only after the husband drove the wife to drive the husband to it!


39 posted on 08/16/2004 10:44:27 AM PDT by eyespysomething ("Funding the American troops in combat should never be a complicated issue." D. Cheney 8-12-04)
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To: b4its2late
The headline is a bit misleading. It's not the jump that'll kill ya, it's the sudden stop at the end....

Ah, what We in law enforcement refer to as "rapid deceleration trauma"

Slainte,

CC

40 posted on 08/16/2004 11:13:36 AM PDT by Celtic Conservative ("Let’s not forget: The Clintons’ marriage is a dynastic marriage of ambitious swine.”)
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