On March 27, Ceasar Lorenzo Wilson was arrested for the murder of Haleh Abghari, a UCCS teaching professor.
Wilson, 53, is being charged with second-degree murder for allegedly stabbing Abghari, 54, on the morning of Aug. 7, 2024, at a residence in the 6400 block of Caddy Point near the intersection of North Powers Boulevard and North Carefree Circle, according to previous Scribe reporting.
Wilson was arrested nine months after the murder and is being held at the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center, according to a Colorado Springs Public Information Officer (PIO).
Wilson was found in the Lincoln County Jail, where he had been arrested after injuring someone in Hugo, Colorado while fleeing law enforcement. He was arrested on August 23, 2024, using the pseudonym Charles Edward Wilson, according to the PIO.
Wilson was transferred to the El Paso County jail on March 27, where he is being held on a no-bond hold. He will appear in court on April 9 for a status hearing.
Abghari joined UCCS in 2015 as the head of UCCS’ voice program for the Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) Department.
Her death marked the third UCCS-affiliated death that has been investigated as a homicide in the past year, according to previous Scribe reporting. The prior two happened in a campus dorm room on Feb. 16, 2024, when VAPA student Samuel Knopp, 24, and Pueblo woman, Celie Rain Montgomery, 26, were shot and killed.
Her death also marked the third loss of a member in the VAPA department in the last two years.
In addition to Abghari and Knopp, the department lost Robert von Dassanowsky, the founding director of VAPA’s Film Studies program, after he died at the age of 58 from undisclosed causes in Oct. 2023.
Anyone with information to help aid in the investigation can contact the Colorado Springs Police Department at 719-444-7000 or 1-800-222-8477 if they would like to remain anonymous.
Campus offers a variety of mental health resources through the Wellness Center, the TELUS Health app and the CARE team.
Haleh Abghari. Photo courtesy of CSPD.