Newspaper: U Of I Assistant Professor Had Threatened Slain Grad Student Before

The Lewiston Tribune reports  that roommates at Katy Benoit’s rental home told police that Benoit claimed Ernesto Bustamante had assaulted her with a handgun on “multiple occasions.” They say  during one incident he went so far as to place the gun in Benoit’s mouth. An affidavit states that Benoit filed a complaint with the UI about Bustamante’s behavior sometime in June, and Bustamante was either fired or allowed to resign as a result of the complaint.  The UI characterized the separation as a “resignation” that was finalized last Friday, two days before benoit was found dead.  Benoit and her roommates were baking cookies Monday night when Benoit stepped out to the front porch to smoke a cigarette. Her roommates say that’s when they heard gunshots. Bustamante's body was found early Tuesday at a Moscow hotel after he apparently used a revolver to take his own life.