Tri-Valley Man Killed By BART Train Was Former Pro Boxer

By AUTUMN JOHNSON

Officials with the Alameda County Coroner’s Office have identified the person killed on the BART tracks at the Dublin/ Pleasanton station on Wednesday morning as 38-year-old Richard Karsten of Dublin. Coroner’s officials said Karsten’s death is being treated as a suicide.

Karsten, better known by his professional name of R.J. Karsten, was a former professional middleweight boxer who recently coached at Combat Sports Academy in Dublin and appeared as a speaker at the FightKore MMA & Fitness in Martinez in 2012.

The Combat Sports Academy posted about Karsten’s death on their Facebook page today:

It’s with a heavy heart, that we say a final goodbye to our beloved Boxing Coach RJ Karstan. Combat Sports can be beautiful and brutal journey for those that chose the life of a warrior. It can elevate you and it can crush you... if you let it. RJ saw all of these highs and lows throughout his time ... boxing was his savior, his tormentor and his defined his life... the good and the bad. As many demons as he fought in and out of the ring, he helped countless people pursue and achieve their dreams and goals...no matter what he faced in his life his pure love of Boxing always remained. Today, RJ chose to end his life... I do not judge him, I simply miss him. My only wish is I hope he has finally found peace from the internal battles that he has been fighting since retiring from the sport he loved. I also hope he found some joy and purpose while he was part of our CSA family. We will continue to honor RJ here at CSA and while he can never be replaced ... we will continue our Boxing Program not without him, but in his memory. This is what he would want... to help people find the same love of combat sports he had... with a support system that picks you up when the world try’s to knock you down. God Bless you RJ ... Rest in Peace

Steffanie Mignani, who is the mother of Karsten’s 12-year-old son, said Karsten had a rough life, battling addiction and mental illness.

“Everybody struggles with addiction, he went for help several times but he just never got the help he needed,” Mignani said.

Mignani remembers Karsten as funny and kind.

“He was a great guy when he was sober,” Mignani said. “He meant well. Once suicide comes into the picture, they think you are a loser, but you are not.”

Karsten was a longtime coach at FightKore MMA & Fitness in Martinez.

“He was a great friend and huge part of our gym for a long time and he will be dearly missed,” FightKore MMA & Fitness owner Sean Sharkey said.

YouTube video posted in May of 2012 shows Karsten working out hitting the speed bag.

According to Mignani, Karsten was from Martinez and graduated from Antioch High School.

Previous:

• Person Killed on BART Tracks at Dublin/Pleasanton Station

The West Dublin/Pleasanton station was closed after a 7:15 a.m. report of a person under a train at the station, according to BART spokeswoman Denise Gonzalez. Trains are single-tracking through the station without stopping, causing major delays on the Dublin/Pleasanton line in both directions and 10- to 15-minute delays systemwide, Gonzalez said.

Bay City News contributed to this report.

Video of R.J. Karsten via YouTube.

Photo courtesy Combat Sports Academy Facebook.