Temple student charged with murdering his girlfriend, who was also a student

A 21-year-old Temple University student has been charged with the murder of his girlfriend, also a student at the North Philadelphia school, city police said Sunday.

Tymir Lackey, of Philadelphia, also was charged with recklessly endangering another person and tampering with/fabricating physical evidence in the death of Milan Jones, 20, also of Philadelphia, according to police and court records.

Police responding to a call for a medical emergency shortly after 4 a.m. Saturday found Jones on the second floor of a residence in the 1400 block of Willington Street, several blocks south of the Temple campus.

» READ MORE: Temple student dead in apparent homicide

She had “apparent blunt force trauma” and was pronounced dead at the residence, police said. Lackey, who was enrolled in Temple’s College of Liberal Arts, was arrested at the scene. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 8, according to the criminal court docket.

Lackey has been placed on immediate suspension from Temple, the university said in a statement Sunday.

Jones was a third-year nursing student at Temple whose loss has left those who knew her on campus in mourning.

“The loss of this promising young woman is a tragedy that will deeply impact her fellow students and our faculty and staff,” said the university’s statement from president Richard M. Englert, provost Gregory N. Mandel, and Jennifer Ibrahim, dean of the College of Public Health. “She enjoyed helping and caring for others, and her decision to pursue a career in nursing reflects just that. There is no doubt that she had a very bright future ahead of her …”

The university is offering counseling and other support to the campus community and it also noted resources for those dealing with domestic violence, including the Wellness Resource Center, tuwellness@temple.edu, or 215-204-8436, Temple’s Title IX Coordinator, titleix@temple.edu, or 215-204-3283, and the National Domestic Violence hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). It also noted that additional information is included on the Health and Well-being division’s website.

“Domestic violence is abhorrent in all its forms,” the university said in its statement. “If you or anyone you know needs help, there are campus and national resources available to support you or the people you care about. Your safety and well-being are paramount.”

Temple said that city police are leading the investigation with support from Temple police.