Posted on May 25, 2010

Man Takes Life Sentence for Eve Carson Slaying

Times News (Burlington, North Carolina), May 24, 2010

A man accused in the shooting death of a University of North Carolina student body president pleaded guilty Monday to murder and other state charges, avoiding a trial and the possibility of a death sentence.

Demario Atwater of Durham pleaded guilty at a hearing in Hillsborough to first-degree murder, armed robbery, kidnapping and other charges in the death of Eve Carson. In a plea agreement with prosecutors, Atwater agreed to life in prison without parole on the murder charge.

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Atwater had already pleaded guilty in April to several federal charges, including carjacking resulting in death and kidnapping. He is to be sentenced in federal court Sept. 23. His agreement with prosecutors is for a life sentence.

Carson was found shot to death in a Chapel Hill neighborhood in March 2008, nearly a mile from campus. Carson’s parents and brother attended the hearing and issued a statement through Raleigh attorney Wade Smith.

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