A Colorado athlete who once vied for a spot on the US Olympic shot put team allegedly stabbed her Uber driver to death, dumping his body in a field — because she felt “cooped up” and wanted to go for a “joy ride,” according to police.
Khayla Dawson, 27, who competed at the USA Olympic Trials last year, is accused of fatally plunging a butcher knife into 38-year-old rideshare driver Jeremy Campbell’s neck before stealing his car and wallet Sunday, according to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.
Dawson, a former college track and field star from Colorado Springs, was identified as the last person on Campbell’s driving list at 11:45 p.m. Sunday after his father reported him missing Monday.
Khayla Dawson, 27, is accused of stabbing 38-year-old Jeremy Campbell in the neck before stealing his car and wallet Sunday, according to cops. El Paso County Sheriffâs OfficeDawson first told cops she had ordered the Uber to see a friend, then changed her story, krdo.com reported, citing an arrest report.
She later told police she “felt cooped up” and “wanted to get out of the house” and go for a “joy ride” and get some air, according to her arrest report.
Dawson then claimed she fell asleep in the back of the car and woke up to find the driver trying to touch her, according to police. She told cops Campbell pulled a knife, so she whipped one out to protect herself, police said, noting that she had taken the weapon with her.
She allegedly then left his body in a field near a hiking trail in Eastonville, and drove his car back to her apartment, according to police.
Dawson is a shot put athlete who competed at the USA Olympic Trials last year. Getty ImagesDeputies were soon able to ping the driver’s phone, which led them to the Polaris Junction apartments, where Dawson lives.
When cops searched her apartment, they found a large knife missing from her butcher block and the driver’s wallet hidden inside a lunch box on top of a kitchen cabinet, according to an arrest report cited by kptv.com
Uber driver Jeremy Campbell was killed in a fatal stabbing, police said. El Paso County Sheriffâs OfficeDawson was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated robbery, second-degree motor vehicle theft and tampering with physical evidence.
During the 2024 Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon, she placed 22nd overall with a distance of 16.86m and ultimately didn’t make the team, according to the Colorado Chapter of USA Track & Field.
