UNC Student Eve Carson Begged Captors to Pray With Her Before They Killed Her, Says Murder Trial Witness
Email
Beth Ely/The Daily Tar Heel/AP Photo
A witness in the first-degree murder trial of one of the men accused of killing University of North Carolina student Eve Carson said the co-ed pleaded with her alleged abductors to let her go and invited them to pray in the moments before they fatally shot her.
Jayson McNeil testified in Orange County Criminal Superior Court in Hillsborough, N.C., today that the defendant, Laurence Alvin Lovette Jr., and Demario Atwater saw Carson – the Chapel Hill campus’ beloved student body president – getting into her SUV early on the morning of March 5, 2008, and “rushed her.”
McNeil said Lovette got into the driver’s seat, while Atwater got into the back seat and held a gun to Carson’s head. Atwater has since pleaded guilty to federal charges that he kidnapped and killed Carson. The 25-year-old was handed two life sentences.
Investigators have said the pair drove Carson, a 22-year-old Athens, Ga., native, to several ATM machines and forced her to withdraw money.
McNeil, a friend of Lovette’s who testified in exchange for a sentence reduction in an unrelated federal drug case, said that during the abduction Carson tried to reason with her captors.
He described what Lovette, now 20, told him about the incident after the young woman was killed.
“He said the whole time Eve Carson was in the back seat she was pleading for her life and explaining that they didn’t have to do what they [were] doing,” McNeil said, according to ABC affiliate WTVD in Raleigh, N.C.
Police have said Carson was not sexually assaulted, but McNeil testified that Atwater touched her on parts of her body.
McNeil said Lovette and Atwater decided to kill Carson because she had seen their faces, and when she realized their intentions, she made another appeal.
“Before he ever shot her, he explained that she was saying, ‘Let’s pray,’” he testified. “She wanted them to pray together. She said, ’Pray with me.’”
Authorities say Lovette shot her multiple times all over her body, but the young woman didn’t die immediately. She was still talking. That’s when Atwater stood over her with a shotgun and fired, McNeil said.
The body of the blond-haired, brown-eyed student was found in the middle of a Chapel Hill, N.C., street later that day, rocking the serene college community.
An autopsy later determined Carson had been shot five times, including once in the head.
Lovette was a minor at the time of Carson’s death. He faces life in prison if he is convicted. He is also charged in the murder of Duke University student Abhijit Mahato.
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
These were the actions of a Christian woman. “Forgiven them father for they know not what they do” is the example many martyrs have left for us. Unfortunately, man Christians have chosen the way of the world to deal with violence.
Posted by: Daniel | December 14, 2011, 9:38 pm 9:38 pm
And THIS is why I do still believe in the death penalty in heinous crimes such as this. This assailants are not human beings, but wild animals. They do not deserve three square meals a day, clean water, electricity, a warm bed, or life….regardless if it’s behind bars. These animals can not & will not be rehabilitated.
Posted by: Mother | December 14, 2011, 10:13 pm 10:13 pm
This is what the death penalty is for.. why not use it?.
Some times you must fight like a lion to save your life, this is an example of calmly talking yourself to death.
very sad and sick story.
Posted by: Mouse On the Moon | December 14, 2011, 10:23 pm 10:23 pm
So unspeakably sad. These guys are absolute moral voids, worthless, wastes of oxygen. I hope they end up on death row.
Posted by: JCC | December 14, 2011, 10:24 pm 10:24 pm
There is no justice in our world if these men are allowed to live their lives and this precious human being is taken from her friends, family and community.
Posted by: JC O'Dwyer | December 14, 2011, 10:29 pm 10:29 pm
this is why we need public hangings for crimes like this. show them, in person, live on t.v., that if you kill, you will be hung in front of your family and the whole world. you will be humiliated in your death for taking an innocent person’s life. instead, they will probably serve a few years and get out early for “good behavior”. So the LORD said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth–men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air–for I am grieved that I have made them.” genesis 6:7.
Posted by: lee | December 14, 2011, 10:30 pm 10:30 pm
Those prayers sure worked
Posted by: Budman | December 14, 2011, 10:35 pm 10:35 pm
Poor girl. How can people be so devoid of compassion?
Posted by: Steph | December 14, 2011, 10:48 pm 10:48 pm
How in any version of reality are these two not getting the Death Penalty??? How??? People are serving life sentences for growing pot!!! These two torture this woman with multiple shots, then finish her off…. one admits to it….. their both found guilty…. and they get to LIVE???? I’m sure prison is no fun, but letting them live is an insult to this woman’s family and a message to all the scum out there that they can kill any of us they want and get free room, board, and Health Care! I don’t even have health care! This country is messed up sometimes.
Posted by: Whatthe | December 14, 2011, 10:55 pm 10:55 pm
Im a black man, and 2 – things i now know for sure. 1 – what happened to the young and aspiring younglady was a travesty. 2 – what the justice system is giving those two thugs (animals) for punishment is a slap in the face to society! i dont know what they deserve, but i do know this…ITS NOT A LIFE SENTENCE! Thats way too good for them. life sentences should be handed down to criminals who have just a centimeter of sorrow in their heart for their victims. THESE THUGS HAD NONE WHATSOEVER FOR THEIR VICTIM!!. so…all im saying is…if you ask my opinion, JUSTICE WAS NOT SERVED!!!!
Posted by: delvin | December 14, 2011, 10:59 pm 10:59 pm
this is HORRIBLE!! this poor girl.. the fear she must of felt!!! and these 2 men will have comfort, food, shelter, SEX (YES!!) and they WILL blame “the man” for putting them in jail!!! just makes me sick! Where is the death penalty?? is this NOT a capital murder??? oh, please… justice is NEVER served!!!
Posted by: melissa | December 14, 2011, 11:01 pm 11:01 pm
What? No death penalty? They need to make an exception. Two life sentences are not enough. They get to live while they took a life? Get real!
Posted by: ShayM | December 14, 2011, 11:02 pm 11:02 pm
One thing I know for sure is that she is with Jesus in Heaven. No doubt. I’m saddened to think that she will no longer be able to enrich and touch other people’s lives in this world. The hurt those two caused has been tremendous, but-like her- we have to show them compassion. They should definitely have a life sentence maximum security, solitary confinement to think about what they’ve done. The death penalty would be an early reprieve for them.
Posted by: HCF | December 14, 2011, 11:19 pm 11:19 pm
I used a similar approach with someone who broke into my apartment…I finally escaped so I don’t know how it would have turned out, but I know the feeling of trying to make yourself human to them. I wish with all my heart she could have escaped, too. Such a bright light senselessly snuffed out.
Posted by: Maxi | December 14, 2011, 11:20 pm 11:20 pm
i hope they die a slow painful death
Posted by: doc | December 14, 2011, 11:20 pm 11:20 pm
burry them alive
Posted by: doc | December 14, 2011, 11:23 pm 11:23 pm
I’ve read that if you are ever kidnapped in your car and forced to drive that the best option is to cause an accident as quickly as possible or in an area with other people around.
This poor, sweet girl should have floored it and ran her vehicle into a bridge abutment or through the front of a building! She may have been hurt but I’m pretty sure the heinous individuals with guns drawn on her would either get out and run afterwards if able, or else be too hurt themselves to harm her.
Hopefully her injuries would have turned out to be treatable instead of fatal :(
Everyone should remember this advice. We’re all so programed not to “make waves”, “make a commotion” or “make a mess” that people don’t think totaling your car in order to avoid assault and possibly death is an option. It absolutely IS.
Posted by: bubbleburster | December 14, 2011, 11:32 pm 11:32 pm
Whether you believe the death penalty does or doesn’t deter criminals from committing a crime , the death penalty is certainly an appropriate punishment for certain human beings. I refuse to call them animals because animals don’t kill an innocent being cause they want easy money.
Posted by: Alicia | December 14, 2011, 11:33 pm 11:33 pm
These are animals that deserve to die in the most painful prolong way possible, as in being tortured to death.
Posted by: KarmaKills | December 14, 2011, 11:35 pm 11:35 pm
I know this guy is only testifying in an attempt to help himself, but hearing that he harbored this killer will hopefully be in the back of the prosecutors minds.
Posted by: Maxi | December 14, 2011, 11:38 pm 11:38 pm
This is why every woman attending UNC needs to be trained in firearm safety and usage, and granted a concealed carry permit, with the understanding that if you don’t take the course, you don’t graduate. Then they need to post signs all over campus that this is a GunGirl school, or something like that. Right after they adopt this policy, the number of UNC violent crimes against women will drop to zero.
Posted by: Ing | December 15, 2011, 12:07 am 12:07 am
We are supposed to be a country of laws which are made to ensure a civilized society. It all becomes uncivilized when courts don’t do their jobs in punishing the guilty and when lawyers do everything they can to set their guilty clients free. Perhaps these killers wouldn’t have thought twice about they did if they had known what the consequences would be for their actions. We will never know how great this young woman might have been. We have a death penalty. USE IT!
Posted by: velvers | December 15, 2011, 12:12 am 12:12 am
After reading about something like this being done to someone so innocent, how can anyone say they do not believe in the death penalty? … When I saw that Lovette was a minor, my first thought was … where were this child’s parents? … I realize that parents can only raise a child so far … can only instill in their child so much … that eventually the child has to face the consequences of his or her actions … but this ‘child’ did some horrible things to another living, breathing, innocent human being … we cannot let this ‘child’ get away with murder … the only punishment that will mean anything to these two heinous murderers is the death penalty …
Posted by: Kathy Herron | December 15, 2011, 12:33 am 12:33 am
These boys deserve the death sentence, and it should not be withheld from them for very long at all. It is because we have failed to enforce this sanction as we should in this state that we have such incredibly heinous cases such as this.
Posted by: Jeff Long | December 15, 2011, 12:42 am 12:42 am
What a sad, horrific story! This girl is just minding her own business, getting into her car & she is “rushed:” by these 2 guys. I can only imagine her SHEER HORROR as this was happening. She did not deserve this. What is wrong with these people—no MONSTERS…you can’t even call them animals…animals dont do this type of thing!! This world is just horrible..you are not safe anywhere. These type of monsters of no conscience, morals or feelings…killing someone is NOTHING TO THEM. How I wish she could of been saved. And to think they will get medical care, tv, letters, etc. Is so wrong. I really had hoped God would of blown this world up by now and start again. The atrocities that are going on are just unreal. What happened to these monsters as kids? Parents should also be held responsible. Unreal. Such a sad story that should of never happened. The sad part is…its going to happen again and again and again. What a world.
Posted by: divineDee | December 15, 2011, 1:03 am 1:03 am
I despise this country for what it has alllowed itself to become.
Posted by: Jonathan | December 15, 2011, 1:25 am 1:25 am
OMG! She was so beautiful, humble, and aspiring to make something of herself in life. IT PISSES ME OFF THAT THESE GUYS GET TO LIVE!. I hate what this government has allowed this country to become. The justice system is a absolute joke. These guys should be put up in front of a firing squad.
Posted by: SOSAD4EVE | December 15, 2011, 1:39 am 1:39 am
Was it worth the money??? There is no true justice this side of the grave. Heaven was made for sweethearts like her, and hell for idiots like that!!!
Posted by: JonnyM | December 15, 2011, 1:49 am 1:49 am
Why are people even mentioning the death penalty? This crime is the result of ignorance. Want to make the world a better place and prevent things like this from happening? Be there for your kids. Teach them right from wrong. We’ve got to put the message across to that thugs are losers. Life might be fun for awhile, but it will catch up with you and then you’ll be a miserable lowlife no one wants to be around. Kids are growing up thinking that rape is a funny joke and that murdering people makes you a tough guy. They idolize rappers that do songs full of drug dealing and how great life is. There is no reason why parents can’t step up their game and give their kids a chance for a better future.
Posted by: Aquia | December 15, 2011, 2:32 am 2:32 am
Lovette is a psycho with 2 killings as a juvenile. Still jail time with a life sentence? This is why our jails are over crowded. Believe me, our tax dollars won’t hold these killers in for long before they come back out and get started again. These guys need a bullet in the head. Show them once and the country would be a much safer place to live in. Where are the f****** human rights workers now??
Posted by: AJ | December 15, 2011, 2:48 am 2:48 am
What a wonderful young woman to be slaughtered like this. There are some basic strategies for dealing with situation like this. Never get into the car. Bad things happen if the thugs can take you to another location. If you are forced into the car immediately plan on escaping. They took her to multiple ATM’s. There must have been people around. Run, scream, yell for the police, fight with everything you have. Draw attention to yourself. Don’t try to reason with them. Reasonable people don’t kidnap other people. For safety, especially for young women, take a self-defense class. Learn how to use a firearm. Think survival. It was admirable that she asked them to pray with her but people like this don’t care too much about God. Your attitude must be “I will survive this no matter what happens. If I get shot, stabbed, have to jab a pen into their eyes, scream. drive this car into a wall, I will do it. I will live.”
Posted by: JamesR | December 15, 2011, 2:49 am 2:49 am
Bury them alive are too nice!! Watch Law bidding citizen.
Posted by: snoop | December 15, 2011, 3:33 am 3:33 am
too much hip hop & rap–these kids were just having a good time–this is described by some as RECREATIONAL KILLING–like sex used to be for the young folks
Posted by: james | December 15, 2011, 3:52 am 3:52 am
The exact same thing happened to me. Late in the evening while trying to get into my car, I got jumped by this guy carrying a gun. His accomplice, a female, drove their getaway car. In the course of almost two hours, these two scums took me to several ATM machines to withdraw cash. Each time we arrived, there would be people at the ATM, so we had to leave in search of another ATM where there were no people. When they mentioned that after the robbery, I would have to go with them, I knew my life was in danger. I made a solemn pledge that under no circumstances would I let another “human being” take my life—not even the animals who accosted me. And it did not happen. I escaped. They themselves did know how. When police officers arrived, they said to me that I was lucky because after almost two hours of abduction, they could have killed me because I had seen their faces. This guy had a scar on his face; he looked ugly.
Posted by: NoFlyZone2 | December 15, 2011, 5:10 am 5:10 am
That sure is what happens when you show your darn SUV to poor people who cannot affort three times a meal.
Posted by: Prasana | December 15, 2011, 5:39 am 5:39 am
take them to the gas station and open their mouth stick in the gas nossile and pump gas in their mouth alittle at a time and show them her picture while doing this untill they die. it hurts my heart for this sweet looking young lady to think what she went through. dont let them live
Posted by: connie | December 15, 2011, 6:20 am 6:20 am
Try them, convict them, shoot them.
Posted by: cataloochie | December 15, 2011, 6:53 am 6:53 am
Convict them, then let them walk out of the courthouse, minus all rights as human beings, into the arms of their waiting ‘fan club’. Biggest penalty is for littering if the fan club doesn’t clean up the mess afterward. Maybe give Jason McNeil a 5 minute head start.
Posted by: Spitting Into the Wind | December 15, 2011, 7:14 am 7:14 am
These 2 are not human ……………. they need to take them to an abattoir
Posted by: Raoul | December 15, 2011, 7:15 am 7:15 am
CAN ANY OF YOU BELIEVE THAT THERE WILL NOT BE SUMMARY EXECUTION?????
Posted by: Spitting into the Wind | December 15, 2011, 7:15 am 7:15 am
Just take them outside and put a bullet in each of their heads. They’ll obviously never be productive members of society, and at least one of them has ended the lives of two, so why make us pay? Life sentences shouldn’t exist. If, you’ve done something so heinous that you can’t ever be released, then you should just be put down. This country has enough debt without those drains on society.
Posted by: Tiffany | December 15, 2011, 7:20 am 7:20 am
No one is mentioning the elephant in the room. She was white and her assailants were black. Why is this not a HATE CRIME? Eric Holder, please pick up the white courtesy phone…dittos to J.Jackson, Al Sharpton.. North Carolina used to be a proud and solid state of the union. It has now been totally infested with liberals and illegal aliens. There is no longer a just society to be realized. Just ask the boys of the Duke Lacrosse Team. If you’re white, other races get priority for justice.
Posted by: Bo Fritz | December 15, 2011, 7:33 am 7:33 am
senseless!! may the Lord hold this young woman in the palm of his sacred hand. These two men should have gotten the death penalty immediately! Our stupid justice system always favors the criminal and not the victim….let’s bring back public hangings! How outrageous makes me sick….
Posted by: jane | December 15, 2011, 7:34 am 7:34 am
She is eternally safe now. Her killers are the ones in danger. I pray they come to terms with the Lord before they themselves pass on, otherwise what awaits them there will make temporary human justice seem a slap on the wrist.
As we understandably point fingers and shake fists in the aftermath of such atrocity, for those screaming out for justice, rest assured – justice is on its way. The question we all must ask is this: are we ready?
John 3:16
Posted by: jesuguru | December 15, 2011, 7:37 am 7:37 am
This is definitely a hate crime and we need to ‘nudge’ the DOJ to begin applying justice equally throughout this country. This is why those that love America say we are a nation of laws not men; laws protect freedom because they are applied equally–men do whatever benefits them at the time.
Posted by: whathappened08 | December 15, 2011, 7:47 am 7:47 am
Death penalty my butt, I have said it over and over again, any, and I mean anyone does this to my child, will be fed feet first into a chipper vac, still alive and awake. There will be no trial, even if I have to go into the court room to get him, and god forgive me for those who stand in my way.
Justice in America is a freaking joke, and I will not trust my government to serve it for my children.
Posted by: Matthew Rivera | December 15, 2011, 7:56 am 7:56 am
“That sure is what happens when you show your darn SUV to poor people who cannot affort three times a meal.” Really? So you think she deserved this for driving an SUV? Are you a killer also? You apparently have the same mentality.
Posted by: bp | December 15, 2011, 8:05 am 8:05 am
They deserve to be put to death!!!! What these animals did was inhumane!!! This is very sad and I know she is in a better place. I curse the day these things were born. They should have been in school or doing something productive rather than guning down innocent people. This is so senseless…everyone should always pray and ask God for his divine protection from evil men. And also be very aware of your surroundings as well. I’m black and when I see these thugs, I become very fearful for my safety and my family.
Posted by: shosh | December 15, 2011, 8:55 am 8:55 am
O my God this is so sad, Why? How do someone just take someone life, No they need to spent the rest of there life in jail.
Posted by: Susan Jackson | December 15, 2011, 9:07 am 9:07 am
So sad, they said she would have survived the four pistol shots but when the other thug shot her in the head with a shotgun it was all over. They deserve a slow, horrible death.
Posted by: jmiccey | December 15, 2011, 9:09 am 9:09 am
Why don’t bloggers read the articles? “She should have floored it and caused an accident”– SHE WASN”T DRIVING!
Posted by: america2929 | December 15, 2011, 10:26 am 10:26 am
There are certain crimes that warrant common sense and a time to kill. This is a death penalty case. These two thugs need to be put down. There is a time to kill, and this is one of them……….They don ot deserve any mercy on their souls. KILL THEM
Posted by: Dave | December 15, 2011, 10:50 am 10:50 am
The death penalty is wrong. Killing is killing. Thou shalt not kill. They deserve to sit in a cell thee rest of their lives, with no freedoms, no hopes, and no dreams. That is worse than death.
Posted by: flankton | December 15, 2011, 2:30 pm 2:30 pm
What a horribly sad story.
Too bad I had to click through two loud, noisy ads to read it. SO ANNOYING!
Posted by: Sophie Pyle | December 15, 2011, 2:59 pm 2:59 pm
Where were their parents? They are minors, the parents should be held accountable
Posted by: shame | December 15, 2011, 4:23 pm 4:23 pm
I am a UNC-Chapel Hill grad and followed this case very closely. The suspect did not get the death penalty because Eve Carson’s family personally asked that he not. They did not believe in the death penalty and knew that Eve did not either.
Posted by: Tracey | December 15, 2011, 4:32 pm 4:32 pm
Was it really necessary to publish the grizzly details? This article will be a hard one to read for the family and friends of Eve… they already lived through this once, why make them relive it?
Posted by: Elizabeth | December 15, 2011, 5:40 pm 5:40 pm
i agree with Elizabeth. sensationalizing the details of this already horrific and heinous crime for page views and web traffic is perverted and an embarrassment to ABC. Eve’s legacy has left an amazing impact on the Chapel Hill/Athens community, and headlines like this are just marring her memory.
Posted by: Mike | December 15, 2011, 6:03 pm 6:03 pm
I wish Dexter was real so he can kill these 2 fools slowly and painfully.
Posted by: Dexter | December 15, 2011, 10:17 pm 10:17 pm
It’s the guns stupid. She never had a chance. A CCW permit wouldn’t have helped her because these predators took her down so fast and with so much superior force that they would have just added her gun to their collection.This is a death penalty case, pure and simple. It’s the only way to rehabilitate these kinds of criminals. They came from dust and we should send them back to dust so that they can never victimize anyone again. I hope that Eve Carson’s family and loved ones can somehow find peace beyond this senseless loss. I will remember her and all of the other innocent victims of gun violence.
Posted by: Jon Elder | December 16, 2011, 5:40 am 5:40 am
Like a rabid dog some savages just need to be destroyed.
Posted by: mike davis | December 16, 2011, 11:32 am 11:32 am
I will never forget the day this happened- I was a Junior at UNC and a friend ran into my room to tell me, completely hysterical. One of the most devastating blows to our community :(
Posted by: Sam | December 16, 2011, 3:00 pm 3:00 pm
It’s a shame that this had happened to this bright intelligent young woman with everything going for her. If this happened in Blacksburg, VA at Virginia Tech with Lovette and his buddy Altwater as suspects, there wouldn’t have been a trial because those two would have most likely been gunned down by the Blacksburg Police or the Virginia State Police. Too bad NC is not like Virginia because, in Virginia, Lovette and Altwater would have both received capital murder with capital punishment in hand. Lovette not mattering his age would have been put to death in “ole sparky” the electric chair, and Altwater would have received lethal injection. Simple as that.
Posted by: THSouth | December 19, 2011, 11:19 pm 11:19 pm
In Iran, guys, I mean VERMIN like these would be swinging from the gallows in the morning in the village where these unspeakable crimes are perpetrated. AND YOU THINK WE’RE AN “ADVANCED” SOCIETY?!????? We have gelled beneath the primordial ooze and should commit Hara Kiri en masse.
Posted by: 'merka-the-Broke-N | December 27, 2011, 10:36 pm 10:36 pm
“It’s just part of Gods plan…” Man That is some terrible planning…
Posted by: Dustin | February 20, 2012, 2:42 am 2:42 am