Yahoo News |
CBS News |
BBC News |
13.03.2008 03:09 - category: World News : CBS News
- Source: CBSAuthorities charged two suspects Wednesday with first-degree murder in the killing of the University of North Carolina's student body president.
Demario James Atwater, 21, of Durham, was arrested and ordered held without bond. Chapel Hill police and District Attorney Jim Woodall gathered Wednesday afternoon in an Orange County courtroom for Atwater's first appearance.
Shackled at the ankle and waist and with a public defender at his side, Atwater whispered "yes" when asked whether he understood the charge against him. His next court appearance was scheduled for March 24.
CBS News affiliate WRAL-TV in Raleigh reports that Atwater has a police record, dating back to 2004, on charges ranging from robbery, drug possession and resisting arrest. And he was due in court earlier this month on a breaking and entering charge, according to court records.
Police said they are still searching for 17-year-old Lawrence Alvin Lovett Jr.
Chapel Hill Police Chief Brian Curran declined to say which of the suspects shot and killed Carson, a 22-year-old from Athens, Ga., found lying on a street a week ago about a mile from campus.
"I hope the arrest can ease the minds of some in the community," Woodall said.
City Councilman Eugene Brown told WRAL-TV that police involved in a standoff were trying to arrest the second suspect.
Chapel Hill Police Chief Brian Curran declined to say whether Lovett is the subject that standoff.
Police in Durham also refused to comment, referring all questions about the Carson case to police in Chapel Hill.
Woodall told several media outlets Wednesday that police were talking to a person of interest.
Woodall's comment followed an overnight raid in Durham. WTVD-TV broadcast a video Wednesday of a man arrested during a raid in Durham who the station said was later turned over to Chapel Hill police.
Carson, 22, of Athens, Ga., was found last Wednesday lying on a street about a mile from campus. She had been shot several times, including once in the right temple. Her body was positively identified the next day.
In the days after Carson's death, police focused their investigation on a several ATM and convenience store surveillance photos.
Police believe Lovette was pictured in two photos taken at an ATM machine, driving Carson's Toyota Highlander while Atwater is in the back seat. Police also believe Atwater was suspect shown trying to use Carson's ATM card inside a convenience store.
Curran has previously declined to say when the surveillance photos were taken or the exact location of the ATM machine and convenience store, or if any money was successfully withdrawn from Carson's account.
The SUV driver was wearing what is thought to be a ball cap with a vintage Houston Astros logo. Curran said Monday, the hat could be a sign the suspect is a gang member, reports WRAL.
"This certainly is one possible scenario," Curran said, but he added, "Just talking about it would be speculation."
The Board of Trustees at North Carolina offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in her death, and police received hundreds of tips after the first two photos were released over the weekend.
Carson was a senior biology and political science major at North Carolina, where she was a prestigious Morehead-Cain scholar. She was remembered by thousands who gathered last Thursday at two campus memorial services. Hundreds of mourners filled the First United Methodist Church in Athens on Sunday at a memorial service in her hometown.
www.free-voipservice.net
Add comment