Suspects Indicted in UNC Student Leader's Death

Hillsborough, N.C. — An Orange County grand jury on Monday indicted two men for the shooting death of Eve Marie Carson, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's student body president.

Demario James Atwater, 21, and Laurence Alvin Lovette, 17, both of Durham, were indicted on a charge of first-degree murder.

Orange County District Attorney Jim Woodall said a hearing is scheduled for May 5 to determine whether to pursue the death penalty against Atwater.

Woodall said he has not decided whether to try the case as a capital case, but that state statute requires the hearing to be set 45 days from indictment.

Last week, a Durham County grand jury indicted Lovette on a murder charge in the Jan. 18 death of Abhijit Mahato, a 29-year-old Duke University graduate student.

Lovette cannot be executed. A 2005 U.S. Supreme Court ruling prohibits executing anyone who was under 18 at the time of a crime for which an adult could be executed. The harshest punishment he could face, if convicted of either crime, would be life in prison.

While responding to reports of gunfire, Chapel Hill police found Carson, 22, around 5 a.m. March 5 about a half-mile from the UNC campus. Her body was identified the next day. According to a stolen-vehicle report, she had been shot in the head.

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Latest Comments

Killing them will not bring back the late Eve Carson. Giving them (both) life in prison without parole would kill them.

Dr. Dataclerk
April 3, 2008 9:24 a.m.

I hope both of these guys have a run in with a BIG guy named "Bubba" while they spend the rest of their miserable worthless lives in prison. THat makes it a little easier for me to swallow with one of them getting away from the death penalty.

1crazygirl
April 1, 2008 11:49 a.m.

If lovette wants to act like an adult then he should be charged like and adult. Or bring back the chain gangs and make them work for free like in the old days, like the moive cool hand luke.

dogsrule12cheek
April 1, 2008 10:39 a.m.

Why don't we build more prisons and contract the prisoners out to companies and make them manufacture something while they are behind bars. Allow them to get paid a fair wage and in return that wage can help cover their expenses so that they REALLY pay their debt to society.

NO FREE RIDE PERIOD!

One of these murderers will get the death penalty. If he doesn't, maybe people will wake up and stop being so complacent about the liberal mentality that is already used in our correction and legal system. Demand that the death penalty moratorium be removed.

doodad
April 1, 2008 10:30 a.m.

"ptahandatum.....without reading through, or guessing to which comments you are responding, let me just say that NOT everything that is different from what you believe his "hate" or "hatred." You frequently label anything you don't like as hatred, but that's just your ignorance showing through."

ptahandatum - Let's take that one step further - it's not necessarily things you don't like - it's things you are not intelligent enough to understand. It is a bit complex so take your own advice - READ.

PlanetX
April 1, 2008 10:26 a.m.