Jury selection begins in Eve Carson's murder trial

HILLSBOROUGH, NC (WTVD) -- Jury selection is now under way in the case of one of the men charged with killing Eve Carson.

About 50 potential jurors were interviewed Tuesday in the case of Laurence Alvin Lovette Jr. However, only one juror was seated Tuesday.

Attorneys are conducting "individual jury selection" instead of using the traditional way where the entire jury pool sits in the courtroom. That means they are interviewing each potential juror one-by-one. The judge agreed to this process after the defense raised concerns about pre-trial publicity at a hearing earlier this month.

The goal of individual jury selection is to give both sides the chance to more closely vet potential jurors, ensuring they aren't biased based due to the publicity this case has received. Some jurors have acknowledged that they've followed the case in the news and have already formed an opinion.

Also Tuesday morning, the judge read the eight-page potential witness list to the jury pool. It includes relatives of the defendant and the victim along with bank employees and dozens of others.

That potential witness list did not include Demario Atwater. He is the second man charged in Carson's death. Atwater is currently serving a life term in a federal prison.

Monday, the judge in the Lovette case ruled that jurors will hear about another murder Lovette is charged with. Months before the 2008 shooting death of Carson, Duke grad student Abhijit Mahato was found shot to death in his off-campus apartment.

After Lovette was arrested in connection with Carson's murder, he was also charged in the Mahato's case.

Jury selection is expected to last several days.

If convicted, Lovette could face up to life in prison.

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orange county, eve carson, homicide, local/state, tamara gibbs

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