Jury selection begins in Laurence Lovette murder trial
DURHAM (WTVD) -- Jury selection began Monday in the 2008 murder of Durham graduate student Abhijit Mahato.
Laurence Lovette Jr., the man convicted of killing UNC student body president Eve Carson, has been charged in the case.
Investigators have said Lovette robbed and fatally shot Mahato at his Durham apartment in Jan. 2008.
Authorities said Mahato's friends later discovered his body after going to check on him when he did not respond to their calls and text messages.
Autopsy results revealed the grad student was shot between the eyes.
Mahato's made headlines locally and in India, where the victim was born. Lovette's connection in Carson's murder led to more publicity about Mahato's death.
That is why potential jurors will get the same type of questionnaire that was used in the Crystal Mangum murder trial, in order to find out how much prior knowledge they have about the case. The questionnaire is expected to speed up the jury selection process.
Lovette was offered a plea deal but rejected it.
Prosecutors have told ABC11 that Mahato's parents and family will not be called as witnesses, because they are in India.
The mother of Lovette's co-defendant Demario Atwater in the Eve Carson case is a witness for the prosecution.
No jury members were seated on Monday.
