Death Penalty Sought in Carson Murder

Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty against one of the men accused of killing Athens native and former University of North Carolina student body president Eve Carson.

A grand jury indicted Demario James Atwater last October on federal charges of carjacking resulting in death, carrying and using firearms in relation to carjacking, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possessing a short-barreled shotgun not properly registered to him.

He also faces state first-degree murder charges in Orange County, North Carolina, along with 18-year-old Lawrence Alvin Lovette. Authorities said Lovette will not face the death penalty as a result of his age (17) at the time of the murder.

According to an autopsy report, Carson, an honors student, had multiple gunshot wounds when she was discovered lying on a Chapel Hill street. The autopsy report listed six gunshot wounds but said two of the wounds were probably from the same bullet.

Court documents released in the North Carolina case said Carson was taken from her apartment and forced to give her abductors ATM access to her bank account before she was shot to death in the early hours of March 5.

Applications filed for search warrants said a confidential informant told police that Atwater said he and Lovette entered Carson's home through an open door and forced her to accompany them in her car. The informant said she had talked with Atwater after a picture was shown on television of someone attempting to use Carson's ATM card at a convenience store two days after her body was found.

The informant said the two men drove Carson to an ATM, obtained her PIN from her and then shot her. The witness told police that Atwater said the two got about $1,400 from Carson's account. Bank records show that was approximately the amount taken from the account over a two-day period.

Orange County District Attorney Jim Woodall will also reportedly seek the death penalty against Atwater.