"I killed my girlfriend" Says Man Charged with Brockport Freshman's Death

Clayton Whittemore, charged with second-degree murder in the death of Alexandra Kogut, told a sheriff's deputy, "I killed my girlfriend" after he said they were arguing about "stupid stuff," according to court documents released Wednesday. 

According to the documents, Whittemore, while on suicide watch at the Monroe County Jail the day he was arrested, asked if the Sheriff's Deputy Kyle Reynolds, who was keeping watch, would talk to him so he could clear his mind. 

The documents allege Whittemore went on to say the couple began to argue and Kogut "started pushing me and yelling at me." The documents continue, "She wouldn't stop pushing me, so I started punching her and just snapped."

Kogut, 18, was found dead in her dorm room Saturday, Sept. 29 after her mother repeatedly tried calling her and couldn't reach her. The freshman was a swimmer at The College at Brockport. 

Whittemore, 21, was picked up at a thruway rest stop near Dewitt, N.Y. and charged with her murder, according to police. The Utica College student was visiting Kogut, his girlfriend of two years, at Brockport for the weekend, according to the court documents. 

He was put on suicide watch after being screened. According to the papers, he was asked if he ever had thoughts of suicide, to which he replied, "Yes last night after I did it, I mean after I committed the crime."

Whittemore was indicted on charges of second-degree murder by a grand jury Tuesday. He's scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 25 in state Supreme Court. 

According to the court papers, prosecutors intend to used as evidence statements allegedly made by Whittemore to 911 dispatchers, state police and Monroe County Sheriff's deputies the day of the murder. 

Included as evidence is the statements to Reynolds, included in the court papers:

"While watching inmate Whittemore on constant observation, inmate Whittemore asked if I would talk to him so he could clear his mind. I asked inmate Whittemore what it was he wanted to talk about and he stated 'I killed my girlfriend.'

"Inmate Whittemore told me he was attending college in Utica, and drove to SUNY [sic] Brockport to visit his girlfriend of 2 years. He stated they went to a friend's house where they had a drink. He told me that his girlfriend was being rude to him the entire time they were at his house. On the way back to the dorm room, he stated that he received an open container ticket, and that it 'made me mad.' 

"Once they arrived to the dorm room, he stated they began to argue about 'stupid stuff.' He stated 'she started pushing me and yelling at me,' 'so I pushed her back against the wall to get her to stop. She wouldn't stop pushing me, so I started punching her and just snapped.' I kept hitting her over and over  with my fists.'

"He then told me that he was trying to kill her. Inmate Whittemore then stated 'her breathing sounded bad, like ther was blood or something blocking her breathing. 'I didn't want the girl I loved to suffer, so I started beating her with the curling iron until the noise stopped.' 

"Inmate Whittemore stated that he knew she was dead when he left the dorm room. Inmate also stated 'I wasn't even drunk, I just snapped.'"

stylus@brockport.edu

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