Posted on 03/21/2011 10:30:09 AM PDT by murdoog
GASTON COUNTY, N.C. -- A jury found Mark Carver guilty of first-degree murder in the 2008 killing of a local college student.
Carver was convicted in the death of 20-year-old Ira Yarmolenko, a UNC Charlotte student who was found dead near the banks of the Catawba River. Investigators said she was strangled.
He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Jurors began deliberating at about 1:30 p.m. Friday after hearing closing arguments. They reached a verdict shortly before noon on Monday.
Carver’s trial began last Monday. He has said he is innocent. Forensic experts testified that his DNA was found on Yarmolenko's car but not on the drawstring, ribbon and bungee cord used to strangle her.
Yarmolenko's brother, Pavel, thanked the jury after the verdict was announced.
Carver’s cousin, Neal Cassada, was also charged in the case. Cassada's trial came up first, but he suffered a heart attack and died on the eve of his trial. An autopsy showed he died of complications from heart disease.
I second that emotion. It breaks my heart to see such wonderful and kind young people have their lives snuffed out by psychos like this Carver animal.
In 2006, I read about the death of a beautiful 4 year-old named Lauren Sarene Key. Her father, Cameron Brown, threw her off a cliff (a place I enjoyed visiting when I was in California) to avoid child support. No punishment is too horrible for such a beast.
My only hope is that there is a Heaven, where such wonderful young people can be at peace. May God bless Ira’s family and friends.
I know some parents who lost their children from disease and accident. They are never the “same” people you knew before the death of their children. However, they know that cancer took their child or the car slipped on ice and hit a tree. I cannot even fathom knowing someone killed your child via their own hands and through their own evil deeds. Don’t know how they go on without bitterness?
I agree with you. You’d like to see more - like a “real reason” rather than some “suggestion” that perhaps 2 old fellas were doing something illicit (which was never proved) and “perhaps” saw her taking a picture of them, and then “possibly” thought to kill her, rather than just take her camera’s film - which someone did anyway. I doubt these two guys could even get the film out of a camera. You said it best - something doesn’t add up. It’s interesting (in a not-good way) though, to see how readily folks jump on the bandwagon, wanting to kill the guy. I can’t imagine being part of this young girl’s family and feeling justice was served. It seems they wanted someone to pay, never mind if it was the right someone...
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.