Abhijit Mahato
DURHAM -- An autopsy report released Friday shows that the Duke graduate student who was murdered died after being shot in the head, the same way UNC student body president Eve Carson was killed.
The report found that Abhijit Mahato, a 29-year-old Duke computational mechanics student, died instantly after being shot at point-blank range in his forehead. Carson, 22, died after being shot multiple times, including once in the right temple, according to the medical examiner’s report.
News 14 Carolina's Shelvia Dancy is in Durham with more on Lawrence Lovette Jr.'s first court appearance.
Reporter Cassie Safrit has additional coverage as mistakes were made in Atwater's probation case.
One young man and two teenagers face first-degree murder charges in the two cases. Laurence Alvin Lovette Jr., 17, is the only one facing multiple first-degree murder charges. He was given a $3 million secured bond in Durham County for the murder of Mahato but was then denied bond later Friday in Orange County in the Carson case.
District County Judge Craig Brown used Lovette’s hearing on Friday in Durham to make a plea to lawmakers to pass anti-gang legislation. ('Read more.)
Stephen Oates, 19, faces first-degree murder charges for Mahato’s murder, and police arrested Demario James Atwater, 21, earlier this week and charged him with first-degree in Carson’s death.
Lovette became a suspect in Carson's death after police say they discovered surveillance photos of him using Carson's ATM card after her death. Atwater was also seen in surveillance photos at a nearby convenience store trying to access Carson's ATM card.
Eve Carson
Police say the cell phone of murdered Durham student Abhijit Mahato helped link Lovette to that murder. Police traced a phone call made on the phone back to Lovette and Atwater. Police say even after they charged Oates in Mahato’s murder, they did not stop investigating the case.
State records indicate that both Lovette and Atwater were on parole for other crimes at the time of Carson's death. Lovette was given a suspended sentenced in January for misdemeanor larceny and breaking and entering. Atwater was convicted of felony breaking and entering in 2005 and illegal possession of a firearm in 2007. He also received a suspended sentence.
Both Mahato and Carson lived a few blocks from their respective school’s campus. The autopsy report for Eve Carson has not yet been realeased.
Officials admit mistake in Atwater probation
Demario James Atwater
Neither Atwater nor Lovette are strangers to the law. At the time of Carson's death, in all, they were were guilty of crimes in three counties, and both were out on probation.
"People are fed up with it," said Jeff Mixon with Civitas Institute, a group that studies social problems. "If someone commits a crime and the criminal justice system handles them, they expect there to be a punishment, and it's supposed to prevent it from happening again."
Questions about the supervision of both Atwater and Lovette has prompted an internal investigation at the Department of Corrections.
"Why were the standards not being met?" asked Robert Lee Guy, director of the Division of Community Corrections.
In 2006, Atwater was charged with possession of a firearm while already on probation for a 2005 breaking and entering. It is against the law for a felon to have a gun. He was convicted on that charge in 2007, but it took nearly eight months before he was arrested for violating his probation.
Laurence Alvin Lovette Jr.
"It should not have taken that long to do the violation paperwork and serve him with the violation and get him back in court," said Guy.
Atwater was finally back in court in early March, nearly two years after the crime, but that's when a court error forced that hearing to be rescheduled. Court officials are investigating the error but say regardless, the hearing still wouldn't have landed Atwater back in jail.
"The probation violation itself would not have been heard that day. He'd have been advised his right of an attorney... and the case would have been continued," said Lorrin Freeman, Wake County Superior Clerk of Court.
Guy maintains that the case should have been in court long before March if the Department of Corrections would have been timely. He also said Atwater was under intense supervision and should have had weekly contact with a probation officer.
"On our quick review of the paperwork, we did not see that occurring," Guy said.
The department will also examine Lovette's case, saying it will determine whether he was properly looked after.
"He's only been under our supervision since January of 2008, a very limited time," Guy explained.
Guy said the internal investigation at the Department of Corrections will take about a week to complete. It is possible people could be fired for the handling of the Atwater probation mistake.
Stay tuned to News 14 Carolina and News14.com for the latest on this case.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.