Jump to content

Murder of Eve Carson

Add links
Coordinates: 35°55′16″N 79°2′6″W / 35.92111°N 79.03500°W / 35.92111; -79.03500
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Southleft (talk | contribs) at 01:49, 28 October 2008 (edit to better explain significance of the victim). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The murder of Eve Carson took place on the morning of March 5, 2008, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States.[1] The victim was Eve Marie Carson, the Student Body President at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Demario James Atwater, a 21-year-old resident of Durham, North Carolina has been charged with her murder.[2] A second suspect, 17-year-old Laurence Alvin Lovette Jr.,[3] was taken into custody early morning March 13, 2008.[4] Lovette was later also connected by investigators to the January murder of 29-year-old Duke University engineering student Abhijit Mahato.[5][6]

Murder

Laurence Alvin Lovette Jr. using Carson's ATM card

Carson's body was found at the intersection of Hillcrest Circle and Hillcrest Drive in Chapel Hill at approximately 5 a.m. on March 5, 2008.[7] Police could not immediately identify the body, but at 9 a.m. on March 6, 2008 police investigators and the office of the medical examiner identified the body as that of Carson.[8] Chapel Hill Police Chief Brian Curran said that Carson's death appeared to be a random act. Police recovered her car more than a mile away from her body after receiving a tip from a local witness. Police also released images from a security video of a person using Carson's ATM card.[9][10]

Carson was shot several times including a shotgun blast to the head.[11] According to a confidential informant to Chapel Hill police, both Atwater and Lovette shot her.[12] The medical examiner said that Carson had not been sexually assaulted, although she did receive a gunshot that penetrated her buttock and perforated her vaginal area.[1][13]

The victim, Eve Marie Carson

Laurence Alvin Lovette Jr. was arrested almost 24 hours after the arrest of a man who, police say, joined him in the murder. Lovette, 17, and Demario James Atwater, 21, were charged on March 11, 2008 with first-degree murder in the crime while Lovette was still at large.[3]

Victim

Carson was born in Athens, Georgia, on November 19, 1985, where she attended Clarke Central High School.[14] She was elected president of the high school's student body and was valedictorian.[1] While at UNC, Carson majored in Political Science and Biology, in the pre-medicine career path,[1] and was elected student body president for the 2007-2008 term. Her academic achievements earned her membership in the Phi Beta Kappa honor society and she was a recipient of the Morehead-Cain Scholarship. In her role as student body president, Carson served as a member of the university's board of trustees and many other committees.[15]

Aftermath

Temporary memorial on Polk Place

UNC's Chancellor James Moeser spoke to the student body on the central quad, Polk Place, at 3 p.m., and at 7 p.m. students organized a candlelit vigil in "The Pit", a sunken plaza near the students' union building. The service included singing by three student a cappella groups and a slideshow of photos of Carson.[1] Hundreds of people attended Carson's funeral in Athens, including Moeser, who said that Carson was "truly a gift to Chapel Hill."[16] In honor of Carson, the North Carolina men's and women's basketball teams wore a black badge on their jersey that read "EVE" for the remainder of their seasons.[17]

Unusually for North Carolina, records such as the autopsy report and search warrants were sealed from public view in the months after the murder.[18] On June 27, 2008, some information was finally released. Details in six warrants confirm that $1,400 was withdrawn from ATMs using Carson's card over a two-day period after the shooting. They also reveal that Atwater admitted to being the suspect attempting use the ATM card in a security video taken in a local convenience store and that Lovette was indeed the person pictured in original ATM surveillance photograph.[12] The autopsy report was released on June 30, 2008.[19] A week later, additional charges of first-degree kidnapping and armed robbery were raised against the two murder suspects, along with felonious larceny and felonous stolen goods. Atwater was also charged with possess of a firearm by a felon and possession of weapon of mass destruction.[20]

As of July 7, 2008, federal investigators were looking at carjacking charges against the two suspects. The significance of federal charges is that carjacking committed during a homicide carries the death penalty. While Atwater may also face the death penalty under North Carolina law, the last execution in Orange County was in 1948. As a result of Roper v. Simmons ruling, Lovette cannot face capital charges as he was under 18 at the time of the crimes.[20]

The Orange County District Attorney announced on August 11, 2008 that he plans to seek the death penalty against Demario James Atwater for the murder of Eve Carson.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e AP Staff (2008-03-06). "UNC student president killed in 'random' crime". Crime and Courts. Redmond, WA: MSNBC. Retrieved 2008-03-07.[dead link]
  2. ^ AP Staff (2008-03-13). "UNC slaying suspect charged in Duke killing". Crime and Courts. Redmond, WA: MSNBC. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
  3. ^ a b Lamb, Amanda (2008-03-12). "Suspect Charged, Another Sought in UNC Student's Slaying". Local News. Raleigh,NC: WRAL. Retrieved 2008-03-12. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ Chou, Renee (2008-03-13). "Police Capture 2nd Suspect in UNC Student's Slaying". Local News. Raleigh, NC: WRAL. Retrieved 2008-03-13. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Chou, Renee (2008-03-13). "UNC Murder Suspect Also Charged in Duke Grad Student's Death". Local News. Raleigh, NC: WRAL. Retrieved 2008-03-13. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Lamb, Amanda (2008-01-19). "Duke Graduate Student Shot to Death". Local News. Raleigh, NC: WRAL-TV. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
  7. ^ DeConto, Jesse James (2008-03-06). "No suspect yet in Carson slaying". Crime and Safety. Raleigh, NC: The News & Observer. Retrieved 2008-03-06. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ AP/CNN Staff (2008-03-06). "Thousands mourn slain UNC student; cops search for killer". Crime. Atlanta, GA: CNN. Retrieved 2008-03-06. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  9. ^ AP/CNN Staff (2008-03-08). "Photos show 'person of interest' in student's slaying". Crime. Atlanta, GA: CNN. Retrieved 2008-03-08. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  10. ^ AP Staff (2008-03-08). "Cops release images linked to UNC slaying". National News. McLean, VA: USA Today. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
  11. ^ Carlson, Kelcey (2008-06-30). "Multiple gunshots killed Eve Carson". Local News. Raleigh, NC: WRAL. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
  12. ^ a b Carlson, Kelcey (2008-06-27). "Warrants: Both suspects shot Eve Carson". Local News. Raleigh, NC: WRAL. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
  13. ^ Gardner, Cynthia (2008-05-07). "Report of the Autopsy Examination (B200801036)" (PDF). Chapel Hill, NC: State of NC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. pp. pp. 4. Retrieved 2008-07-03. {{cite web}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  14. ^ Floyd, Allison (2008-03-07). "Grad's murder shocks Clarke Central". Local News. Athens, GA: Athens Banner-Herald. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  15. ^ UNC Staff. "Eve Marie Carson: Biography". Eve Carson, 1985–2008: Carolina loses a special person. UNC Office of University Relations. Retrieved 2008-03-06.
  16. ^ AP Staff (2008-03-09). "Hundreds attend services for slain students". Crime and Courts. MSNBC. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
  17. ^ Lopresti, Mike (2008-03-24). "Tar Heels play on with tragedy on their minds". From the Press Box. McLean, VA: USA Today. Retrieved 2008-03-24.
  18. ^ Carlson, Kelcey (2008-05-12). "Newspaper asks for Eve Carson autopsy results to be released". News. Raleigh, NC: WRAL. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
  19. ^ Ullrich, Rachel (2008-07-03). "Carson autopsy reveals details". City. Chapel Hill, NC: The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved 2008-07-03. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  20. ^ a b Carlson, Kelcey (2008-07-07). "Eve Carson murder suspects indicted on additional charges". Local News. Raleigh, NC: WRAL. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
Wikinews has related news:

35°55′16″N 79°2′6″W / 35.92111°N 79.03500°W / 35.92111; -79.03500

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murder_of_Eve_Carson&oldid=248111576"