A Nigerian national, Chukwunonso Uzoma David Uzoma Eze, is charged with murder in connection with the stabbing death of UMass Dartmouth football player Marvins Antoine, 19, during an altercation in Providence, Rhode Island, over the weekend. Eze entered the United States on a B-2 tourist visa in 2015 and overstayed it before receiving deferred action under both the Biden and Trump administrations, according to multiple federal law enforcement sources.
The incident occurred around 12:30 a.m. Saturday in the parking lot outside Mezzo Lounge, following an altercation involving individuals who had been inside the lounge. Antoine was fatally stabbed in the chest, while another player, Kensley Macean, 19, sustained stab wounds to his head and neck and was transported to Rhode Island Hospital, according to the Providence Police Department.
Sources indicated that Eze received two extensions on his visa under the Obama administration before remaining in the country after his authorized stay expired. The Biden administration approved Eze’s request for deferred action in September 2022. He applied for deferred action again in February 2025 and October 2025, with the latter request approved under the Trump administration on October 8, 2025.
Deferred action is a discretionary decision by the federal government to temporarily delay an individual’s removal from the United States, but it does not confer lawful immigration status. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) noted that Eze applied for employment authorization in August 2023, but the request was rejected the following month. He submitted another application for employment authorization in February 2025 based on deferred action, which remains pending. If convicted of murder, Eze will lose his deferred action status, according to DHS. Eze was later located and taken into custody by the UMass Dartmouth Police Department.