HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. — Two suspects were charged 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 bail. Police said they are still searching for the second suspect, 17-year-old Lawrence Alvin Lovett Jr.
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.
Chapel Hill Police Chief Brian Curran would not say which of the suspects shot and killed Eve Carson, 22, of Athens, Ga., who was found a week ago lying on a street about a mile from campus. The biology and political-science major had been shot several times, including once in the right temple.
Police focused their investigation on a suspect pictured in several surveillance photos using her ATM card.
The Board of Trustees at North Carolina offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Police received hundreds of tips after the first two photos were released over the weekend.
Carson was a prestigious Morehead-Cain scholar at North Carolina, where she was remembered by thousands at two campus memorial services.
