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Champion Golfer With ‘Bright Future’ Allegedly Stabbed To Death By Homeless Man On Golf Course
Celia Barquin Arozamena, named Iowa State Female Athlete of the Year, was found dead in a pond on a golf course with stab wounds all over her body, according to police.
A top female golfer from Spain, named Iowa State Female Athlete of the Year, was killed after being repeatedly stabbed on a golf course near her university campus in Iowa, according to authorities.
Celia Barquin Arozamena was found dead Monday morning in a pond at Coldwater Golf Links in Ames, about 30 miles north of Des Moines. She had stab wounds to her upper torso, head and neck, police say.
A complaint filed Tuesday charges 22-year-old Collin Daniel Richards with first-degree murder in the slaying.
The complaint says Richards, a homeless man, was living in a tent in a temporary camp near the golf course. He allegedly told an acquaintance about his "urge to rape and kill a woman."
Richards had several scratches on his face and a deep laceration on his left hand, police say. Officers recovered a knife in his possession.
Police were first called to the golf course Monday morning after some golfers reported finding a bag with no one near it, according to authorities.
Arozamena won a Big 12 title this past season with Iowa State University and played in the U.S. Women's Open in early June, missing the cut.
In a statement on Twitter, ISU President Wendy Wintersteen called the golfer a "talented student-athlete and an acclaimed golfer with a bright future.”
The women's golf team of Iowa State University has withdrawn from a tournament and returned to Ames following the death of their teammate. The Cyclones said on Tuesday that they pulled out of the East & West Match Play in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to be with friends and family and to grieve the loss of Arozamena.
She was a native of Puente San Miguel, Spain.
“Celia had an infectious smile, a bubbly personality and anyone fortunate enough to know her was blessed,” Iowa State Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard said in a press release. “Our Cyclone family mourns the tragic loss of Celia, a spectacular student-athlete and ISU ambassador.”
The athlete captured the European Ladies Amateur at the Penati Golf Resort in Slovakia in July. In August, she advanced to Stage II of the LPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, according to the Iowa State Athletic Communications Department.
Richards was charged with first-degree murder Tuesday morning and he is being held without bail. It’s unclear if he has an attorney.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
[Photos: Associated Press]
