David Eisenhauer, 18, is charged with kidnapping and first-degree murder in the January stabbing death of Blacksburg seventh-grader Nicole Lovell.
Natalie Keepers, 19, is charged with being an accessory to kidnapping and murder and with helping hide the body.
Graphic details - including how Keepers and Eisenhauer had disposed of Lovell's body - were revealed, causing the victim's father to break down in tears. Lovell's mother, Tammy Weeks, was also visibly upset and at one point ran out of the courtroom.
Victim Nicole Lovell, 13 was found dead in Surry County, North Carolina late February after Eisenhauer allegedly lured her out of her home with the promise of a date on January 27.
At a previous hearing, a prosecutor said the two college students from Maryland met at a fast-food restaurant on January 26 to plan Lovells's death, and the court heard on Friday that they pair considered drugging the girl, staging a suicide or knocking her unconscious and leaving her outside to die of exposure.
In the end, they decided he should lure the teen from her home and then slit her throat.
At the Friday hearing, Blacksburg police Det. Ryan Hite told the court that during Keepers' interview with police, she told investigators she was not present during the murder but took part in the planning.
When police were investigating Lovell's disappearance, they were led to Eisenhauer through social media accounts, the court heard. The child had messaged a 'Dr_Tombstone' Kik account tied to Eisenhauer.
And social media messages were a key part of Friday's hearing. In one message, Keepers told Eisenhauer that she smelled of cleaning supplies and wanted to take a shower.
In another message, Keepers told Eisenhauer that she would help him clean up from the murder because she was used to taking care of her sick family.
During the police interview, Keepers also said the pair had discussed possible ways to kill Lovell, which included drugging Lovell, Keepers hiding in the back of Eisenhauer's car and knocking her out or making her death appear as a suicide.
And in a chilling confession, Keepers told police Eisenhauer was a 'sociopath' and she, a 'sociopath in training'.
Keepers said Eisenhauer made her feel like she was in a secret club, and that he 'understood her'
The prosecutors also gave evidence of text messages taken from Eisenhauer's cellphone.
One message said that if the body isn't found for a week, 'it will never be traced.'
Another mentioned engaging in 'overkill,' and a third said the young teen had been 'blackmailing another guy too.'
The day after the alleged killing, Keepers said Eisenhauer sent her a message saying 'it's done.'
Keepers and Eisenhauer met up the next day, turning off their cell phones, and headed toward Craig Creek Road, the court heard.
She said they dragged the girl's body down a hill and forced it into Eisenhauer's trunk, after which they traveled to the Walmart in Wytheville to get cleaning wipes and bleach, and started their journey toward Galax.
When they pulled off, Keepers said she saw a lot of blood in the snow.
She said she had never met Lovell before, and only saw pictures of her in the media while investigators searched for her, Hite told the court.
In her interview, Keepers also described to police in graphic detail, how the pair had disposed of Lovell's body.
She said that Eisenhauer had taken off Lovell's clothes, wiped down her body with cleaning solution and bleach and cleaned off the blood.
He then placed her clothes in a Walmart bag and pushed her down the embankment.
They disposed of her clothes at a McDonald's in Dublin and got rid of the bloody knife by throwing it into a woodland.
He threw Lovell’s cellphone case out the car window while driving.
When they returned to campus, Keepers took Lovell's Minions blanket, a pink cell phone, a charger, and the bag Lovell's body had been in to her dorm room.
During Eisenhauer's interview with police, he said he talked to a girl online in December and that in January, they opened up to each other.
He said Nicole Lovell confided in Eisenhauer that everyone hated her and she asked to meet him. He admitted going to meet her, but claims he left when he saw how young she appeared and that he did not kill her.
Her naked body was found face down not far off a road.
Judge Robert Viar Jr. ruled there was sufficient evidence to refer the case to a grand jury. Authorities have not given a possible motive.
Comments
Post a Comment
Choose the (anonymous) profile if you do not have any of the other mentioned profiles (Let us hear your opinion)