Two men have been arrested for the death of a Wheeling Jesuit University (WJU) student-athlete and both face murder charges, NBC Philadelphia reported.
Kevin Figaniak, 21, and a friend were walking home from a bar near WJU's West Virginia campus early Saturday morning when they were jumped. The attackers fled the scene before police arrived, but Figaniak died in a Pittsburgh hospital about 24 hours after the attack.
Wheeling Police arrested Craig Peacock, 22, of Clewston, Fla., and Jarrett Chandler, 24, of Winnfield, La., in a local W.V. campsite early Tuesday morning. Authorities did not disclose how they narrowed their investigation to the two men, but both were arraigned and charged with murder and are being held on $1 million bond.
Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger told the Steubenville Herald Star the survivor of the attack, whom he declined to identify, is cooperating fully with the investigation. The survivor said he and Figaniak had a dispute with at least two people hours before the attack, although he could not identify the attackers or the people from the verbal argument.
Police said they hope to use surveillance footage from local businesses to try and piece together the events of that night. Although two men were arrested, the survivor said he thought he and Figaniak were jumped by three or four men.
Figaniak played lacrosse and hockey for WJU and was a business major who was on pace to graduate this spring.
"Kevin spent the last three years at Wheeling Jesuit forging friendships and in his final hours, Kevin was surrounded by those friends and his family, who, through their love and prayers, brought Kevin home to Jesus," said WJU president Rev. James Fleming in a statement released through the school. "We ask you to please keep Kevin, his family and the entire Wheeling Jesuit community in your prayers."
The school has decided to hold special Sunday Masses for Figaniak as well as providing grief counselors to support students as they may need.
