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Lovette murder trial set to begin Monday

Posted on November 23, 2011November 23, 2011 by Staff

By Rose Laudicina
Staff Writer
As a man accused of murdering former UNC Student Body President Eve Carson goes to trial, those who honor her memory are hopeful for some measure of closure.

On Sept. 23, 2010, Demario James Atwater was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to the March 2008 murder of Carson. On Monday, the second man accused of killing Carson, Lawrence Alvin Lovette Jr., will go on trial at the Orange County Courthouse in Hillsborough.

Last week, Lovette pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, armed robbery, felony larceny and first-degree kidnapping.

Lovette and Atwater were arrested in March 2008 after Carson was found shot to death on March 5 in a neighborhood off East Franklin Street. The two were indicted on charges of first-degree murder on March 31, 2008.

Because Lovette was 17 at the time of the murder, prosecutors cannot seek the death penalty; if convicted, the harshest sentence he could face is life in prison without parole.

Prosecutors say Atwater and Lovette entered Carson’s home on Friendly Lane in Chapel Hill and kidnapped her, then drove with her in her Toyota Highlander to ATMs in Durham and Orange County to withdraw $1,400 from her bank account. The two then allegedly took Carson to a neighborhood near campus, where she was shot five times.

Because of the publicity surrounding the case, jurors will be selected individually, rather than as a group, so that a potential juror’s prejudice will not influence the jury pool as a whole. Orange County District Attorney Jim Woodall said it could take up to a week to select an unbiased jury.

Remembering
Although Carson’s death was more than three years ago and the last undergraduate class to attend school with Carson graduated in May, the Chapel Hill and UNC communities haven’t forgotten her legacy and continue to come together to celebrate her life.

At the fourth annual Eve Carson Memorial 5K for Education last weekend, people came out from all over North Carolina to run in her memory and raise money for the Eve Carson Memorial Scholarship, First Book and CEO 4 Teens.

“I think this is great,” said Chesare Bullock, who has attended the race every year since it began. “It says a lot about Chapel Hill and UNC and the legacy that students leave behind.”

“People still care about her and haven’t forgot what happened,” she added.

Elle Drumheller was a freshman the year Carson was killed and said that she makes a tradition of running in a 5K every year to honor Carson.

Drumheller said she thought it was unfortunate that Lovette’s trial was beginning around the same time as the 5K, and that she will be glad when it’s over.

“I am hoping that justice can be served, and then everyone can start to move on and focus on celebrating her spirit,” she said.

Eric Locklear came from Person County to run the race with his wife, Jennifer, and son, Elan, and said he believes in due process and hopes that Lovette is granted a fair trial.

“It is a tragedy for someone so young and bright to be killed so young, but she lives on in the memory of her students, friends and family,” Locklear said.

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