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by STEPHANIE STRAUBEL
Intern News Reporter
Demario J. Atwater, one of the men who allegedly murdered the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s former student body president last March may be facing the death penalty, according to a statement by the United States Department of Justice.
Atwater, 22, and Laurence A. Lovette, 17, allegedly broke into Eve M. Carson’s Chapel Hill home early last spring, and have been charged with kidnapping, robbery and first-degree murder.
 Demario J. Atwater, 21, listens to visiting Orange County Superior Court Judge Carl Fox in Wake County regarding his probation violation in correlation with the murder of Eve M. Carson. Special to The Appalachian |
Lovette’s age disallows him from facing capital punishment.
Carson’s death reverberated through the UNC system last year.
“There was shock on this campus,” Appalachian State University Student Body President David F. Mofford said.
Working together and meeting at conferences, Carson and Mofford were friends and colleagues.
“She helped me write my platform,” Mofford said.
Carson
was “extraordinarily respected” at UNC-CH and the uncertain severity of
her killers’ punishments is sending a wave of apprehension across the
state, Mofford said.
Atwater
and Lovette’s trials are expected to take place this summer in Orange
County, according to the Raleigh News & Observer.
In order
for Atwater to receive the death penalty, an U.S. attorney must submit
the case to review by the U.S. Department of Justice, which will make a
recommendation to the attorney general, according to the News &
Observer
Carson’s case was presented to the Review Committee on Capital Cases last Monday.
The
combination of carjacking and homicide can warrant capital punishment
in North Carolina, according to the Bureau of Justice.
College
campuses have seen an increase in violent crimes in recent years,
according to the Jeanne Clery report, an amendment that requires
colleges to record annual campus violence.
Preventative
safety measures have been taken at Appalachian like the AppState-Alert
text messaging system and the SafeRide program.
Appalachian students are encouraged to be safe on campus at all times, to stay in groups and to not walk around at night.
“I don’t
advocate that we live in fear, but I think having an awareness of our
surroundings, using good common sense and listening to our inner
feelings can help us reduce the risks of one becoming a victim of
violence,” Chief of University Police Gunther M. Doerr said.
Carson’s
positive impact on her peers is still felt at Chapel Hill, where she
was known for her “compassion for people,” Mofford said.
“The
people who were accused of killing her were the people she could have
helped the most,” Mofford said. “That’s the biggest tragedy.”
If
Atwater is sentenced to the death penalty, his conviction would be the
first by an Orange County jury since 1973, according to the News &
Observer.
The
likelihood of Atwater’s execution would be augmented if he were
convicted in a separate trial in a Federal court, according to the
Department of Justice.
“If he’s
put to death, Eve’s not coming back,” Mofford said. “So it’s not a
tradeoff by any means. It’s hard for me to say [if Atwater should
receive the death penalty].”
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