Hickman scholarship awarded

HUNTINGTON -- Marshall University has awarded its first scholarship established in honor of a student killed during the winter break. 

The Leah Hickman Memorial Scholarship has been given to broadcast journalism student Griffin McElroy, according to a release from the university.

A dean's list student, McElroy has worked with Marshall's radio station, WMUL, and newspaper, The Parthenon. He is also working as an online reporter for MTV, filing stories on the presidential campaign in West Virginia. 

"Griffin is a fine young student journalist and a very worthy recipient of the first Leah Hickman Memorial Scholarship," said Corley Dennison, dean of the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Marshall. 

The scholarship, worth $500, was presented to McElroy by Hickman's mother, Sherry Russell. 

Hickman was killed Dec. 14, 2007, the last day of classes before winter break. The cause of death was listed as strangulation. 

Hickman's body, which was stuffed into a crawl space beneath her apartment, was not found until a week after she was last seen. Police have made no arrests in the case.