GUILTY VA - Nicole Lovell, 13, murdered, Blacksburg, 27 Jan 2016 #8

[Cryptic]

And Nicole is dead, her future ripped away from her - and all she wanted was to be loved.

This eloquently sums up Nicole's victimhood.

She was not a "player" in a criminal scene. Heck, she was not even on the fringes of a criminal scene. Nor had she made lifestyle choices as an adult that that can carry varying degrees of risk.

Rather, she was what, a fourteen year old who as you stated, "wanted to be loved". With this as her only "fault", she was murdered.

 

[Sunrisenow]

‘She deserves to be here’: Family, friends and police remember Nicole Lovell five years after disappearance

To honor Nicole’s memory on this anniversary, family and friends gathered at her final resting place. To Tammy’s surprise, even police officers and the Commonwealth’s attorney involved in the case also came to pay their respects.

 

[Sheila Terranova]

Nicole’s murder , a very vulnerable child really, not even yet a young lady, by two upper middle class college students on the fast track to engineering degrees makes the least amount of sense to me, especially Natalie’s part, of any murder I have ever heard of in my life.

 

[wyome]

Nicole’s murder , a very vulnerable child really, not even yet a young lady, by two upper middle class college students on the fast track to engineering degrees makes the least amount of sense to me, especially Natalie’s part, of any murder I have ever heard of in my life.

I completely agree. I still replay David's "the truth shall set me free" comment from his arrest and gasp. Typical sheltered and entitled "gifted" athlete kid that has learned to manipulate people his whole life. To the bitter end I believe he expected his attorneys and parents to "get him out of this." He deserves to be in prison for a very long time for what he did to Nicole.

Natalie, I struggle with. I suppose I stand with my original thoughts at her trial that I believe she displayed real grief at the realization of what she did not do to protect Nicole.
I think she showed sincere remorse at her sentencing. She was a very troubled soul who had extremely low self esteem and confidence. With her mental instabilities, she really shouldn't have been at VT for engineering or any degree for that matter.

 

[BrownRice]

Nicole’s murder , a very vulnerable child really, not even yet a young lady, by two upper middle class college students on the fast track to engineering degrees makes the least amount of sense to me, especially Natalie’s part, of any murder I have ever heard of in my life.

Ya this entire case made absolutely no sense.

 

[Kemug]

At this late date, I am starting to wonder if Natalie really did have a hand in the actual killing of Nicole. I think because poor Nicole received so many injuries, far more than needed to kill her. So perhaps DE and NK both attacked her, I can imagine DE handing the knife to NK and saying "Now it's your turn."

 

[Cryptic]

At this late date, I am starting to wonder if Natalie really did have a hand in the actual killing of Nicole.

You could well be right.

In the sentencing portion of the trial, the District Attorney told the jury that the totality of the evidence indicated that NK was probably present when the murder occurred. He then encouraged the jury to consider her likely presence to be an aggravating factor.

 

[wyome]

Why wouldn't David sing like a canary if she was there? That's the thing I don't get.

 

[Kemug]

Because he sees himself as an "officer and gentleman"?

 

[Cryptic]

Why wouldn't David sing like a canary if she was there? That's the thing I don't get.

Because he sees himself as an "officer and gentleman"?

I agree, it might have been gentlemanly realization of the inevitable fact that his life was essentially over and there was no absolutely no benefit to himself in dragging the accomplice in deeper.

I am thinking that his unwillingness to implicate his accomplice was initially pragmatic. He first pled was not guilty. The basis of the plea was probably a clumsy all or nothing: "Flat out not guilty, wrong person, no involvement- period". Thus, he could not really implicate his accomplice with out also implicating himself.

Once he switched his plea to no contest, he knew that by entering that plea, his life was effectively over. Thus the change to a more gentlemanly motivation?

 

[Kemug]

I believe DE said at one time that when he headed off to college his parents warned him not to "stuff up". That seems a little odd to me, not what most parents might say as they send their son and heir off into the world. I would like to know if he had already "stuffed up", and if so, how.
PS I apologise for trying to stir things up again - I only joined WS a year ago!

 

[Cryptic]

I believe DE said at one time that when he headed off to college his parents warned him not to "stuff up". That seems a little odd to me, not what most parents might say as they send their son and heir off into the world. I would like to know if he had already "stuffed up", and if so, how.

I think that is a very good observation. All children "stuff up" to degrees at some point. As a result, not "stuffing up" would appear to go with out saying.

I also like your point that the order not to "stuff up" was given in the face of alot of promise:

Acceptance into a good school and the enrollment in a challenging / prestigious major. Then factor in that he also "walked on" a Division 1 sports team (even in lesser known sports, D1 is still D1. Competition is very intense and nearly all athletes are actively recruited).

Given the promise, I am thinking that the previous "stuffing up" must have been rather severe- perhaps involving a sexual theme?

 

[wyome]

I believe DE said at one time that when he headed off to college his parents warned him not to "stuff up". That seems a little odd to me, not what most parents might say as they send their son and heir off into the world. I would like to know if he had already "stuffed up", and if so, how.
PS I apologise for trying to stir things up again - I only joined WS a year ago!

Interesting. Neither of my two kids were athletes in HS, but the parents of kids that were and were really good were super driven for their kid's success. The fact that he was a star in HS, and then got onto VT's team makes me think his family pushed him hard for this goal, and he probably pushed himself as well. I'm assuming he was attending VT on a scholarship, but not sure. But I agree, it's an odd thing to say to a kid that's achieved so much. They may have even said it in jest, who knows. But if David recalled this comment, it would appear he didn't take it that way.

 

[wyome]

I think that is a very good observation. All children "stuff up" to degrees at some point. As a result, not "stuffing up" would appear to go with out saying.

I also like your point that the order not to "stuff up" was given in the face of alot of promise:

Acceptance into a good school and the enrollment in a challenging / prestigious major. Then factor in that he also "walked on" a Division 1 sports team (even in lesser known sports, D1 is still D1. Competition is very intense and nearly all athletes are actively recruited).

Given the promise, I am thinking that the previous "stuffing up" must have been rather severe- perhaps involving a sexual theme?

I do wonder about the sexual thing. I always thought David killed Nicole because he thought he had met her at a party and had sex with her on a particular evening when he blacked out and couldn't remember anything. (If I'm recalling correctly). I don't even think if it was ever established that they had even met before the night he killed her. Wasn't all communication on social media? Still hard to fathom that he would kill this child.

 

[Cryptic]

I do wonder about the sexual thing. I always thought David killed Nicole because he thought he had met her at a party and had sex with her on a particular evening when he blacked out and couldn't remember anything.

Still hard to fathom that he would kill this child.

Though I cant remember the circumstances of the sexual contact, I believe the perpetrator murdered the victim because she may of threatened to call the police regarding their sexual relationship following an argument / impending break up. If convicted as a sex offender, he would face a life long impact.

Then factor in fear that his parents would learn that he had "stuffed up" again with in weeks of arriving at Virginia Tech. The horrible irony is the key word: If convicted.

At the end of the day, D, prior to the murder, was probably in a pretty good legal position to avoid a sex conviction (providing that his prior "stuff ups" were not severe).

I imagine that the defense could have taken the approach of:

DE deeply regrets his actions (yeah right). He can plead guilty to Corruption of a Minor- today. Yes- of course he'll receive uhmm..... "extensive private therapy" and.... participate in county "stay in control" group classes. DE looks forward to learning from his experience and also learning about himself (sure he does).....

 

[Kemug]

I'm not sure I even believe that story about DE meeting Nicole at a Middle School dance, I think it was. Nicole was a sweet looking girl, but I would think there would have been many prettier girls there, only too keen to get to know this nice-looking older lad. Unless, with his known preferences, he singled her out because she was the one who looked the youngest. JMO

 

[Sheila Terranova]

Any word on how Natalie is doing in prison?

 

[Kemug]

Not that I can find.

 

[Kemug]

I am thinking that maybe both NK and DE have been busy completing their Engineering degrees, not that there's much point, but presumably they're still interested in it.

 

[tlcya]

I still think about Nicole's case now and again. Couldn't find anything recent but did find this article I missed when it was published. Such a tragic and unnecessary death. Three young lives, ruined, a young girl who wanted love, acceptance, dead. two bright students, imprisoned for her murder. Three families, forever altered.

‘We’re gonna meet again;’ family of Nicole Lovell speaks out on Keepers denied appeal, upcoming anniversary​

BLACKSBURG, Va. (WDBJ) - The 27th of each month is a hard day for Tammy Weeks-Dowdy.

“It’s not the same.”

It’s a reminder that Nicole Lovell is no longer here.
[snip]
Keepers continues to serve a 40 year sentence while David Eisenhauer serves a 50 year sentence.