Acquaintances now say it's that love that may have drove the 18-year-old to kill Andrea and her 37-year-old mother inside their home Saturday. Friends told WRAL the two broke up last week. Now, McDonald is charged with the killing them both.
"Right now, everyone is just trying to figure out why," said Conrad Lopes, principal at Jack Britt High School.
Andrea was a student at Jack Britt High School, where the last day of the school year was last Friday. Teachers said Thursday that Andrea was a great student who was excited about the upcoming summer, her senior year and ultimately going on to college.
"We have four counselors here talking with parents and students who are grieving," said Lopes.
Fayetteville police arrested McDonald at his Hope Mill home Saturday night. On Thursday afternoon, neighbors couldn't believe the news.
"We moved to Hope Mills because of the low crime rate," said neighbor Mary Birchfield. "You just never know."
Now, friends are mourning their loss online on Andrea's MySpace page -- their way of saying goodbye. They're also hoping now that justice will be served.
Detectives aren't releasing the cause of death. Services for the two victims will be held this Saturday in South Carolina. Meantime, McDonald is being held without bond at the Cumberland County Detention Center.
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