Olympic Hopeful Allegedly Stabbed a Paralyzed Uber Driver to Death

The case of former Olympic hopeful Khayla Dawson, who allegedly stabbed her Uber driver to death, will go to trial, a judge declared last Friday.

In October, the 27-year-old Dawson, who competed in shot put at the 2024 USA Olympic Trials in Oregon, scheduled an Uber pickup that turned deadly. According to her account, she fell asleep in 38-year-old Jeremy Campbell’s 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe and later woke up to him trying to “sexually assault her,” prompting her to stab him 60 times in self-defense. Police and prosecutors, however, have alleged that the assault likely did not happen due to Campbell being partially paralyzed on his right side, per Law & Crime.

At a preliminary hearing on Friday, prosecutors and experts described how Dawson allegedly stabbed Campbell roughly 60 times inside his Hyundai before dumping his body in a field and taking off with the vehicle, according to The Gazette.

Her claims about Campbell reaching back to “assault” her were reportedly challenged and dismissed by a police detective who testified that Campbell was partially paralyzed on his right side, which makes Dawson’s allegations about fighting back following an attack from him implausible, per the detective.

Dawson’s defense attorney raised concerns about her mental health and pointed to a past incident where she acted irrationally during a meeting with a real estate agent.

According to KKTV, a judge ruled last Friday that prosecutors had provided sufficient evidence for Dawson’s case to proceed to trial. She pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges.

On Friday, a judge decided there is enough evidence for a case to go to trial involving a woman claiming she acted in self-defense when fatally stabbing her Uber driver.

“More than a dozen people wore shirts to court Friday that said ‘Justice for Jeremy’ on them,” noted KKTV.

“Dawson’s Defense attorney said she was in the car with a ‘strange man in the middle of the night,’ saying Colorado law allows someone to defend themselves in this situation,” it added. “Prosecutors say Dawson planned the deadly attack, pointing to evidence that she brought the knife with her and was wearing gloves when she was in the car.”