KU honors slain student with study abroad scholarship

A year ago today, Shannon Martin, a 23-year-old honors student at Kansas University, was found stabbed to death in Golfito, Costa Rica, where she had gone to collect plant specimens for a research project.

Martin’s death stunned the university. She was just days away from returning to KU for graduation ceremonies.

“She loved KU,” said Martin’s mother, Jeanette Stauffer of Topeka.

KU officials Sunday announced the creation of a $1,000 scholarship in Martin’s memory to be awarded to a female student in the university’s Study Abroad Program. Martin, a program alumna, spent spring semester 2000 studying in Costa Rica.

“Shannon was one of those people, who, when she come into a room, just lit it up,” said Thad Holcombe, a friend of Martin’s and director at Ecumenical Christian Ministries. Holcombe led a memorial service Thursday for Martin.

The service coincided with Thursday’s “veggie lunch” at Ecumenical Christian Ministries, 1204 Oread Ave. Martin, well-known for her love of animals, was one of the luncheon’s original organizers.

Stacie Vincent of Lawrence, Martin’s roommate at KU for three years, was at the service.

“She’s still a part of my daily life,” she said. “I think about her all the time. Every day, it seems, I come up with a new memory of her. She was such an incredible person; she affected so many people’s lives.”

Danny Umscheid, a KU senior from Manhattan, knew Martin for about a year. “I worked with her on Monarch Watch,” he said, referring to the annual butterfly-tagging project. “And we worked together at the greenhouse on West Campus.”

He still mourns Martin’s death. “It’s been a lot harder than I thought it was going to be,” he said. “She was someone I’ll never forget. She was always doing good things, and she was good at everything she did.”

In November, Costa Rican officials filed homicide charges against a Costa Rican woman, Katia Vanesa Cruz Murillo, 27. Still in jail, she has not cooperated with authorities, who believe two men also were involved in Martin’s death.

Martin, who spoke fluent Spanish, was attacked while walking from a popular nightclub to her host family’s home.

Martin’s mother, her Topeka attorney and various reporters, including 6News’ Karen Bledsoe, went April 26 to Costa Rica to find out the latest about the investigation.