Two years after the murder of Jessica Lee Faulkner, her father is suing the University of North Carolina and the killer's father, alleging negligence in her death. The 18-year-old's brutal death stun…
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UNCW sued over murder Father claims school negligent in 2004 slaying By Sam Scott and Veronica Gonzalez
Staff Writers
May 17, 2006
Two years after the murder of Jessica Lee Faulkner, her father is suing the University of North Carolina and the killer's father, alleging negligence in her death.
The 18-year-old's brutal death stunned the area in May 2004 after her drugged, raped and strangled body was found in the dorm room of fellow freshman Curtis Dixon. It was the first murder on the University of North Carolina Wilmington campus.
Dixon turned himself in the same day after calling Faulkner's father to say what he had done. He committed suicide while awaiting trial.
Officials for the 16-university system and those at UNCW said they were unaware until they were contacted by media Tuesday that a lawsuit was filed.
"We have not had an opportunity to see the allegations," said Leslie Winner, UNC system vice president and general counsel. She added she didn't know how UNCW would be affected by the suit. "I and the rest of the UNC community are very sympathetic to the Faulkner family and the tragedy in the death of their daughter."
Cindy Lawson, a spokeswoman for UNCW, said she couldn't comment on the lawsuit because "we have no knowledge of it."
John Faulkner's suits allege that the deeply troubled Dixon, 21, never should have been able to commit the crime because clear evidence showed he shouldn't have been admitted to UNCW.
Dixon already had documented problems in the state university system, which he entered and exited several times before coming to UNCW.
He was cited for disorderly conduct at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. At the N.C. School of the Arts, he was allegedly expelled after stalking and brandishing a knife in a female student's dorm room, the suit claims. A school official recommended that Dixon undergo a psychological evaluation, the suit states.
But that knowledge wasn't shared and Dixon was admitted to UNCW in April 2003 and placed in a coed dorm.
"There was notice upon notice upon notice that nobody acted on," said Thom Goolsby, one of the attorney's representing Faulkner. "He's in a setting with all these other innocent law-abiding kids and nobody knows what a time bomb they have living among them. Why in the world they could not communicate with each other we do not know."
Since Faulkner's death, a university system task force has come up with several safety measures to protect students at its campuses.
Some of those measures include standardizing questions on admissions applications, training admissions officers to probe the records of students who have unexplained absences, fluctuations in grades or withdrawals, looking into criminal records - possibly searching sex offender records - and using a database that tracks students' suspensions and expulsions that all universities can access.
At UNCW, a task force made recommendations such as requiring all freshmen and transfer students to take a course that addresses dating violence and other related issues; creating an on-campus site for a women's resource center; and training faculty, administrators and staff to spot violence.
The suit against James Dixon III alleges that he knew about his son's problems but kept them to himself. It alleges he used his position as an assistant to the Chancellor at UNC-Charlotte to assist his son's admission to UNCW, but neglected to mention Curtis' prior and problematic enrollments in the system, his dishonorable discharge from the Navy and his history of mental problems.
Dixon could not be reached for comment.
A month after Faulkner's slaying, another murder horrified the community. Student Christen Naujoks was shot a dozen times by an-ex boyfriend who had been expelled from UNCW.
John Peck pleaded guilty in November 2001 to a misdemeanor count of assault on a female and two felony counts of crimes against nature, a sex offense. He was originally charged with first-degree rape and first-degree sex offense after an incident with a girlfriend who claimed he raped her and threatened her with a handgun, according to court documents.
He didn't reveal the crimes on his application and was admitted.
It was not known Tuesday if Naujoks' family had intentions of a similar suit. According to Goolsby, there is a two-year statute of limitations for wrongful death suits.
Sam Scott: 343-2370
sam.scott@starnewsonline.com