ESPN's Four-Year Investigation Into McCluskey's Murder Reveals Gaping Holes In Campus Security At Utah

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

It's been four and a half years since Lauren McCluskey was killed on the campus of the University of Utah and the circumstances of her death remain shocking and disturbing. 

The former member of the Utah track and field team, a heptathlete, endured harassment and extortion over a private photo by an ex-boyfriend before the night he dragged her into a parked car and shot her seven times. 

That McCluskey could have been protected at one of several opportunties in the final days of her life is made clear by the new ESPN documentary 'LISTEN,' which debuts on Tuesday, March 28 at 7 p.m. EDT on ESPN+; A Special Episode of ABC’s 20/20 “Running Out of Time,” based on ESPN’s investigation, airs Friday, March 31, at 9 p.m. ET.

Failure by the University of Utah's campus police to act on McCluskey's plea for help, and a lack of communication between police and Melvin Rowland's parole officer, factored into the tragic events that unfolded on Oct. 22, 2018. 

The investigation by ESPN journalists T.J. Quinn and Nicole Loren stretched over four years, slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the acquired video surveillance and the extensive interviews with former campus police office Miguel Deras, former parole agent Megan Thomson, former Utah Assistant Attorney General Paul Amann and Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes bring McCluskey's case into sharper focus than ever before. 

The documentary fits into the true-crime genre and lays out a compelling trail of evidence that systemic failures by the University of Utah and the justice system made contributed to McCluskey's death, much of which was already known. (Rowland, McCluskey's assailant, killed himself hours after shooting McCluskey; he was a serial sexual offender out on parole). 

The story, then and now, serves as a clarion call to colleges and universities all over the country to revisit safety protocols and measures that could prevent more acts of violence on campus. 

The documentary is called 'LISTEN,' because McCluskey was largely ignored when she attempted to warn campus and Salt Lake City police. 

The unfortunate truth is that it is difficult to intercept dangerous people with weapons and bad intentions before they carry out their crimes. (See Nashville, Tenn., just today). 

'LISTEN' shows the numerous ways that McCluskey's murder could have, and should have, been preventd. Her killer really should have been intercepted, and was not. 

Jill and Matt McCluskey of Pullman, Wash., the parents of Lauren, were awarded a $13.5 million settlement from the University of Utah and used the money to start a foundation in their daughters' honor. 

A chunk of those proceeds, $1 million, was put into the new track at the University of Idaho, where McCluskey spent many hours of training as a youth and and high school athlete. The Lauren McCluskey Track in the Kibbie Dome at Idaho serves as a reminder to campus communities to look out for one another, and to "listen."

Ironically, even the campus in quiet Moscow, Idaho was pulled into the national spotlight when four students were stabbed and murdered last November in their apartment. That crime happened one month after the Lauren McCluskey Memorial/Awareness Walk and Race For Campus Safety in Pullman. 

The mission of Lauren McCluskey Foundation remains steadfast, "bringing awareness to, funding research for, and providing resources to change the culture that responds poorly to dating violence and stalking on campuses."

As one incident compounds another - international student Zhifan Dong was killed by an ex-boyfriend at the University of Utah in February of 2022 after she, too, had alerted campus authorities - the goal of awareness and stepped up response remains vitally important.