Nydira Smith arrived on the campus of Lincoln University at approximately 9:07 p.m. on the evening of Wednesday, Feb. 16, according to law enforcement officials.

By the time the 39-year-old Philadelphia resident drove away from the campus at 9:22 p.m., three students had been stabbed—one of them fatally.

One week later, on the school campus, the Chester County District Attorney’s Office and Lincoln University Police Department announced that Smith had been arrested for stabbing 21-year-old Jawine Evans to death and injuring two other victims. Both of those men were taken to Christiana Hospital in Wilmington, where they were treated and released for non-fatal stab wounds. 

According to police, a fight broke out in the dormitory where the incident occurred not long before Smith arrived on campus. She is the sister of a Lincoln University student involved in the fight. 

Smith is charged with third degree murder, possessing an instrument of crime, aggravated assault, and other related charges. She is remanded to Chester County Prison without bail due to the nature of the charges. 

DA Deb Ryan said, “This is a parent’s worst nightmare. This senseless and tragic incident is devastating to not only the families of the victims but the entire Lincoln University community – students, staff, and parents – who believed their college campus was a safe place. We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones affected by this. My office will prosecute the defendant to the fullest extent of the law to bring justice to Jawine Evans’ family, the other victims, and Lincoln University.” 

According to a report released by the Chester County District Attorney’s Office, the Lincoln University police were called to the Living and Learning Center (LLC) at 9:14 p.m. for the report of a fight. When police arrived, they found Jawine Evans in a grassy area outside the dormitory with a knife wound to the neck and two other victims with stab wounds. EMS and paramedics from Oxford Fire Company responded to the scene, where they pronounced Evans dead. The other two victims were transported to Christiana Hospital for treatment. 

Chester County Detectives (CCD) learned that the stabbing occurred in the first- floor hallway of LLC’s south wing, which had blood spattered on the floor, walls, and doorways. Bloody footprints led to the third floor, where one of the victims lived. 

Investigators recovered a video that showed the altercation during which the stabbing happened. In the video, Evans is heard yelling, “she stabbed me,” and clutching the right side of his neck. 

In the video, the defendant is seen plunging a knife into Evans’ neck, after which Evans staggers backward with a traumatic arterial bleed from his neck. The defendant is also seen making stabbing motions towards the surviving two victims. The video shows at least six more students in danger of being stabbed. 

A witness provided investigators with two other videos that showed the incident. Multiple participants were identified in the fight, including the defendant’s brother, a student at Lincoln. 

Investigators recovered security footage from Lincoln University that shows a maroon Infiniti registered to the defendant entering the campus at 9:07 p.m.—just before the stabbing—and leaving at 9:22 p.m. Further investigation revealed the Infiniti traveling east in Upper Chichester Township. at 10:05 p.m. 

The Philadelphia Police Department located the Infiniti in the 7100 block of Ardleigh Street in Philadelphia on Feb. 17 and placed it under surveillance. That same day, the Philadelphia Police Department and the Chester County Detectives executed a search warrant at a residence on Ardleigh Street. They found blood-stained clothing consistent with the items Smith was seen wearing on video during the murder. Detectives recovered a set of knives from the defendant’s home that had one knife missing. Medical paperwork from Chestnut Hill Hospital was recovered, indicating that the defendant sought treatment for a laceration to her hand. 

Investigators searched the Infiniti on Feb. 18 and found human blood inside the car. 

The preliminary hearing is set for March 8 in front of Magisterial District Judge Scott Massey. CCD is investigating. ADA Alyssa Amoroso is the assigned prosecutor. 

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact Det. John DiBattista at 610-344-6866.