NORTH CAROLINA
Death penalty sought in student’s murder
HILLSBOROUGH, N. C. (AP) — Prosecutors said Monday they plan to seek the death penalty against a man charged in the kidnapping and fatal shooting of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student body president Eve Carson.
Orange County District Attorney Jim Woodall said during a court hearing that he plans to seek the execution of Demario
J. Atwater, 22, even though jurors in Orange County haven’t returned a death sentence in nearly 40 years.
Atwater and Laurence A. Lovette, 17, are charged with first-degree murder in the death of Carson, 22, of Athens, Ga. Atwater also is charged with first-degree kidnapping, larceny, armed robbery and possession of stolen goods.
Woodall alleged that Atwater and Lovette kidnapped Carson from outside her home just before 4 a. m. March 5 after peeking through her window as she worked on her computer. They stole her sport utility vehicle and took her to several ATMs, eventually withdrawing $1,400. Carson’s body was found later that morning. She had been shot five times.
