Updated 01/24/2008 07:17 PM
Teen accused of Duke student murder
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DURHAM -- Durham's Chief of Police Jose Lopez said a 19-year-old charged with first-degree murder could be responsible for more than a dozen robberies.
Stephen Oates walked in to court Thursday morning wearing an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs on his wrist. Police charged him with first-degree murder for the shooting death last week of 29-year-old Duke University graduate student Abhijit Mahato.
"We got a phone call from our property maintenance manager that a student had been murdered," recalled Mindy Solie, who owns the property where Mahato lived. She said seeing Oates in court Thursday brought a sense of relief.
Stephen Oates
"We have lots of tenants and they're scared, these tenants are frightened that it's not safe here," Solie said. "So, to have this person off the streets is a great relief and it's what we need to do."
A judge ordered Oates held without bond on the murder charge. The teenager also faces 15 charges of robbery. Investigators said many crimes took place at night in apartment complexes.
"Right now we're talking about 15 robberies that we have identified and charged him with," explained Durham Chief of Police Jose Lopez. "These robberies have occurred since the beginning of the year, and we're also looking at other robberies that they may be involved in."
William Smith
Twenty-year-old William Smith followed Oates in the courtroom. Investigators believe they committed several crimes together. Both were arrested Tuesday night along with two minors after a car chase that began in Durham and ended in Wake County. Police said each faces 15 counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon, one count of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, and one count of obtaining property by false pretense.
Oates and Smith will return to court Jan. 31.
Solie said she hopes her tenants, and the city, can return to normal.
"This is our community and we want this to be a great town because it is great. This is a tragedy, this young man, 19-years old, committing murder, it's a tragedy. Not just a tragedy for Duke and this man's family but for the whole community."