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Memorial held for Ira Yarmolenko

A memorial was held in Chapel Hill Sunday for a murdered University of North Carolina at Charlotte student.

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — A memorial was held in Chapel Hill Sunday for a murdered University of North Carolina at Charlotte student.

Irina Yarmolenko was found dead on the bank of the Catawba River in Mount Holly on May 5, 2008. Police said the 20-year-old had been asphyxiated.

The Realistic Female Self-Defense Company, which provides safety programs for women, organized the Celebration of Life event. It was held at the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce Sunday afternoon and included a memorial balloon release.

Mark Bradley Carver, 40, of 113 Carver St. in Gastonia, and Neal Leon Cassada Jr., 54, of 210 Plantation Drive in Mount Holly, were charged with first-degree murder and felony conspiracy in Yarmolenko's death.

They are out on bond awaiting trial.

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