The Chronicle T h e i n d e p e n d e n t d a i ly at D u k e U n i v e r s i t y
THURSDAY, MAY 27, 2010
ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTH YEAR, Issue S2
www.dukechronicle.com
Dawkins’ Atwater pleads guilty to state charges duties to be redistributed by Matthew Chase THE CHRONICLE
Demario Atwater, one of two men charged with killing former UNC student body president Eve Carson, pleaded guilty to state charges of first-degree murder Monday. Because of his guilty plea, Atwater will not receive the death penalty. He received life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2008 incident and also pleaded guilty to first-degree kidnapping, possession of a firearm by a felon and robbery with a dangerous weapon. Monday’s court session marked the second time Atwater, 23, could have received the death penalty. Last month, he pleaded guilty to five federal charges including carjacking resulting in death and kidnapping, and received a life sentence without parole.
by Matthew Chase THE CHRONICLE
When Kemel Dawkins, former vice president for campus services, leaves Duke for the last time in June, no one will fill his position. Dawkins’ former responsibilities, which included overseeing dining, parking and transportation, campus safety as well as auxiliaries, finance and facilities, will be distributed among top administrators and the office of the executive vice president. The reshuffling is partially a measure to reduce University spending, Executive Vice President Kemel Dawkins Tallman Trask said. “Kemel suggested that this was where he was headed probably in March, so I had six weeks to think about it,” Trask said. “This at least seemed to be a possibility where it was potentially a pretty significant, six-figure number that we could [save].” Trask said his decision to eliminate Dawkins’ position will save the University about three-quarters of a million dollars. The University will no longer have See dawkins on page 5
Carson, a pre-med Morehead-Cain scholar who was close to graduation, was found dead in a neighborhood near the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus March 5, 2008. Before shooting the 22 year-old Carson, Atwater and Laurence Lovette, his alleged accomplice, kidnapped her and forced her to withdraw money from an ATM machine. Lovette was also arrested for the death of Duke engineering graduate student Abhijit Mahato, 29, who was shot and killed in his home at the Anderson Apartments near West Campus Jan. 18, 2008. Mahato was killed by a single shot to the head. Lovette faces first-degree murder charges for both students’ deaths. Atwater was not involved in Mahato’s killing. An autopsy revealed that Carson was
See ATWATER on page 5
Chronicle graphic by melissa yeo
Officials assess Trinity alum remembered as security after kind, mature and intelligent fatal shooting by Joanna Lichter THE CHRONICLE
by Christina Peña THE CHRONICLE
Three weeks after the tragic death of Duke Health Center employee Charlene King, administrators are evaluating security measures at off-site clinics. King, a 49 year-old phlebotomist for the North Duke Street Clinic, was fatally wounded in the building May 4 after a gunman walked into the facility and fired several shots. About 40 minutes later, Durham police officers confronted male suspect Burnette Taylor on the corner of Broad and Carver streets. Taylor passed away at Duke Hospital from resulting injuries later that day. “When this happened, we got calls from clinics and non-clinics saying things like, ‘I may not feel safe in this offsite environment,’” said Paul Newman, executive director See king on page 4
Alejandro “Alex” Thomae, Trinity ’09, passed away May 18 in a fatal gun accident at his home in Dallas, Texas. He was 22 years old. Thomae, who learned to handle a firearm at a young age, accidentally shot himself while cleaning his personal gun, his mother Emma Thomae said in an interview Monday night. Family and friends remember Thomae for his kindness, ambition and trademark smile. “Alex was an overachiever at life... and he was an unbelievable friend to me,” said Paul Thornton, Trinity ’09, who was Thomae’s roommate senior year at Duke. “He was one of those kids that had a desire to learn and a desire to live and know everything and be a part of everyone’s life.” Thornton said he met Thomae during his freshman year, and the two bonded “right off the bat.” They were both raised in Texas, played sports and joined Kappa Alpha Order. Thomae graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor
ONTHERECORD
“It’s training and education at the highest level for nurses,” —Barbara Turner, Doctor of Nursing Practice program chair on the new two-year degree program. See story page 4
of arts in chemistry. He also played intramural lacrosse all four years on campus, his mother said. After graduation, Thomae spent several months traveling in South America — his “dream,” she added. In January, Thomae was hired as an associate for the Boston Consulting Group in Dallas. He previously interned for the company in the summer of 2008 and was offered a full-time job in his senior year. Thomae attended Central Catholic High School in San Antonio, Texas, and graduated third in his class. There, he played numerous sports, having dabbled in everything except for basketball, his mother said. Catherine McGrath, who works in the guidance office at Central Catholic, remembers Alex for his integrity and personal charm. “He had such a winning way about him,” McGrath said. “He was honorable, very mature for his age... and special. He was a brilliant young man.” McGrath added that Thomae was a very devout
Guilty Until Proven Innocent Wrongfully convicted of robbery in 1998, Shawn Massey finally walks free, PAGE 8
See thomae on page 5
After topping Tar Heels, Duke heads to Baltimore, Page 9