AMES, Iowa (AP) — A former Coon Rapids man, who is now listed as homeless, has been arrested and charged with the killing of 22-year-old champion amateur golfer, Celia Barquin Arozamena.
Twenty-two-year-old Collin Daniel Richards appeared in a Story County courtroom in Nevada Tuesday morning on the first-degree murder charge. The judge has ordered him jailed on a $5 million cash-only bond.
The body of Barquin Arozamena was found in a pond at the Coldwater Golf Links in Ames on Monday morning. She had suffered stab wounds to her upper torso, head and neck. She is a native of Puente San Miguel, Spain, and an Iowa State University student. She was a 2018 Big 12 champion and Iowa State Female Athlete of the Year, slated to finish her civil engineering degree at the end of this semester.
The complaint against Richards states that he had set up a tent near the golf course and had allegedly told an acquaintance that he had an “urge to rape and kill a woman.”
Authorities report he had several scratches on his face and a deep laceration on his hand when he was arrested. A knife was also found in his possession.
A first-degree murder conviction would result in a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.
The public defender’s office, which has been appointed to represent Richards, says he doesn’t have an address or a job.
A preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 28.
