Posted on 12/12/2008 12:00:53 PM PST by murdoog
MOUNT HOLLY, N.C. -- Two men have been arrested and charged with murder in the death of UNC-Charlotte student Irina Yarmolenko.
Mark Bradley Carver and Neal Leon Cassada Jr. were arrested at about 4:30 a.m. Friday. They are charged with first-degree murder and felony conspiracy.
Mount Holly police held a news conference on Friday morning, but investigators would not release details on what led to the arrests or a possible motive in the case.
"This is a good day for all law enforcement involved in this case and our investigation continues to move forward," said Chief David Belk. "We hope this provides the community and Ira's family with some level of closure."
Yarmolenko was killed on May 5. Her body was found lying next to her car in a remote area along the Catawba River behind the Water's Edge Community. Investigators said she had been suffocated.
"It's been incredibly difficult for us, but this is definitely a positive development," said Irina's brother, Pavel Yarmolenko.
The Yarmolenko family said they are relieved by the arrests, but they say this is just the beginning of the next phase.
NewsChannel 36 has learned that Carver and Cassada are cousins. Both men have been arrested before. Cassada has been arrested for assault. Carver has been arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. But in both cases, charges were eventually dismissed.
Reporter Natalie Dick is working to gather more information on the men.
A most horrible death. They should be so lucky...............
They sure don’t deserve a painless death. I think they should be tied up and locked in a room with everyone who knew and loved Ira (but I repeat myself), all of whom have been issued dull knives. I say dull knives because sharp knives might make death too quick
Wow!
Thank you for staying on top of this story, excellent news indeed.
Could you ping the NC list?
Mark Carver
Neal Cassada
Her brother doesn't look amused.
Two huge wastes of oxygen.
Excellent news about the arrests!
Thanks for the ping
Ugly.
If they are guilty, then their execution date(s) cannot possibly come soon enough.
Thanks for handling the NC list, you are doing a great job.
If there’s an execution, I think he should be the one to carry it out. He has been really tireless and passionate in pursuit of justice for his sister, even beyond what you would expect from a big brother.
So, not the “hood rat” gang members many were predicting after all.
This poor girl was adorable. You’re not supposed to say things like this, but here goes: attractive children and pretty young women are at greater risk than average looking people. It’s clear these trashy thugs saw something they wanted — meaning someone lovely they wanted — and grabbed it. Makes me sick.
I didn’t see any post that stated that. Did I miss something?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.