A Nigerian national who allegedly overstayed a tourist visa has been charged with murder after two University of Massachusetts Dartmouth football players were stabbed during an altercation in Providence, Rhode Island.
Chukwunonso Uzoma David Uzoma Eze, 19, is accused stabbing 18-year-old freshman running back Marvins Antoine and wounding freshman defensive back Kensley Macean, 19.
Providence police responded shortly after 12:30 a.m. Saturday to reports of a stabbing near Mezzo Lounge on Charles Street.
Officers discovered Antoine and Macean suffering from stab wounds in the parking lot of a Wendy’s located across the street from the nightclub.
Antoine sustained a stab wound to the chest and was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Macean suffered wounds to his head, neck and left arm but survived.
Authorities said Macean’s injuries were not considered life-threatening.
Investigators believe the violence followed a dispute involving people who had been inside or waiting to enter Mezzo Lounge. The confrontation allegedly began near the nightclub before moving into the Wendy’s parking lot.
Police said there was no indication that Eze knew either football player before the altercation.
Eze was also enrolled at UMass Dartmouth but was not a member of the football team.
Investigators used license-plate readers to trace Eze’s vehicle approximately 30 miles from Providence to the university’s Dartmouth campus. UMass Dartmouth police located and arrested him within 12 hours of the stabbing.
Eze appeared Monday in New Bedford District Court, where he pleaded not guilty to a fugitive-from-justice charge. He was ordered held without bail and agreed to be extradited to Rhode Island to face the murder charge.
Federal law-enforcement sources told Fox News that Eze entered the US from Nigeria on a B-2 tourist visa in 2015.
Eze reportedly received two extensions during the Obama administration but remained in the country after his authorized stay expired.
Federal sources said the Biden administration approved a deferred-action request from Eze in September 2022.
Deferred action allows the federal government to temporarily delay removing an individual from the country. It does not grant lawful immigration status.
Eze submitted additional deferred-action requests in February and October 2025. According to federal sources cited by Trending Politics, his October application was approved under the Trump administration on Oct. 8, 2025.
The Department of Homeland Security said Eze applied for employment authorization in August 2023, but the application was rejected the following month.
He applied again in February 2025 based on his deferred-action status. That employment application remained pending, according to DHS.
DHS said Eze would lose his deferred action if convicted of murder.
Authorities have not suggested that Eze’s immigration status played any role in the confrontation. Investigators also have not publicly announced a motive, and the investigation remains active.
Hundreds of students, relatives and teammates gathered Wednesday for a candlelight vigil honoring Antoine. Members of the football team presented his No. 26 jersey to his family.
UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Mark Fuller offered condolences to Antoine’s family and expressed support for Macean’s recovery. The university said there was no continuing threat to the campus.
Eze remains accused of murder, and the charge against him has not been proven in court.
