A former Virginia Tech student-athlete has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for fatally stabbing a 13-year-old girl with whom he was having a relationship in 2016.David Eisenhauer, a former cross country runner for the school, pleaded no contest in February to first-degree murder, abduction and concealing a body in the death ofNicole Lovell.According to prosecutors, Eisenhauer was an 18-year-old freshman studying engineering when he developed an online relationship with Lovell, a 7th-grader, via the app Kik. The case thrust Kik — which is popular among teenagers and allows anonymity — into the spotlight.Nicole Madison Lovell/FacebookDuring her opening statements, prosecutor Mary Pettitt said Eisenhauer and Lovell communicated online for months and met at least once in person. Then, Pettitt told jurors, Eisenhauer lured Lovell out of her family’s apartment with the promise of a “secret date.”He then killed her because he was afraid she would expose their illegal relationship and the possibility he may have impregnated her.Uncredited/AP/REX/ShutterstockLovell’s body was found in North Carolina, just over the state line. During the trial, the medical examiner testified that she had suffered 14 stab wounds, including a fatal one in the neck.Prosecutors allege Eisenhauer didn’t act alone. His now-ex-girlfriend,Natalie Keepers, has been named as an accomplice. She has been charged with being an accessory before the fact and concealing a body. She faces trial in September and has pleaded not guilty. (Her attorney did not immediately return PEOPLE’s call for comment.)• Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage?Click hereto get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.During a preliminary hearing last year, a police detective testified that Keepers called Eisenhauer a “sociopath” and referred to herself as a “sociopath in training.”Prosecutors allege that Keepers told police that Eisenhauer feared Nicole was pregnant. He allegedly told her that he might have had sex with Nicole at a party, but couldn’t remember because he was intoxicated. He blacked out and later woke up in a ditch.Uncredited/AP/REX/ShutterstockEisenhauer expressed remorse as the sentence was passed down. “I am sorry for the pain my actions have caused for Nicole Lovell and her family,” he said.It was not immediately clear if Eisenhauer would appeal his sentencing.During sentencing, Nicole’s father, David Lovell, said that he has been diagnosed with severe depression and PTSD after the murder. “There’s nothing that will happen in this courtroom that will fix it,” he told the judge.Nicole’s mother, Tami Weeks-Dowdy, told the judge that she sees a grief counselor and cannot sleep for a full night. Last month, on what would have been Nicole’s 16th birthday, Weeks-Dowdy spent the day at her daughter’s grave.
A former Virginia Tech student-athlete has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for fatally stabbing a 13-year-old girl with whom he was having a relationship in 2016.
David Eisenhauer, a former cross country runner for the school, pleaded no contest in February to first-degree murder, abduction and concealing a body in the death ofNicole Lovell.
According to prosecutors, Eisenhauer was an 18-year-old freshman studying engineering when he developed an online relationship with Lovell, a 7th-grader, via the app Kik. The case thrust Kik — which is popular among teenagers and allows anonymity — into the spotlight.
Nicole Madison Lovell/Facebook
During her opening statements, prosecutor Mary Pettitt said Eisenhauer and Lovell communicated online for months and met at least once in person. Then, Pettitt told jurors, Eisenhauer lured Lovell out of her family’s apartment with the promise of a “secret date.”
He then killed her because he was afraid she would expose their illegal relationship and the possibility he may have impregnated her.
Uncredited/AP/REX/Shutterstock
Lovell’s body was found in North Carolina, just over the state line. During the trial, the medical examiner testified that she had suffered 14 stab wounds, including a fatal one in the neck.
Prosecutors allege Eisenhauer didn’t act alone. His now-ex-girlfriend,Natalie Keepers, has been named as an accomplice. She has been charged with being an accessory before the fact and concealing a body. She faces trial in September and has pleaded not guilty. (Her attorney did not immediately return PEOPLE’s call for comment.)
• Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage?Click hereto get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.
During a preliminary hearing last year, a police detective testified that Keepers called Eisenhauer a “sociopath” and referred to herself as a “sociopath in training.”
Prosecutors allege that Keepers told police that Eisenhauer feared Nicole was pregnant. He allegedly told her that he might have had sex with Nicole at a party, but couldn’t remember because he was intoxicated. He blacked out and later woke up in a ditch.
Eisenhauer expressed remorse as the sentence was passed down. “I am sorry for the pain my actions have caused for Nicole Lovell and her family,” he said.
It was not immediately clear if Eisenhauer would appeal his sentencing.
During sentencing, Nicole’s father, David Lovell, said that he has been diagnosed with severe depression and PTSD after the murder. “There’s nothing that will happen in this courtroom that will fix it,” he told the judge.
Nicole’s mother, Tami Weeks-Dowdy, told the judge that she sees a grief counselor and cannot sleep for a full night. Last month, on what would have been Nicole’s 16th birthday, Weeks-Dowdy spent the day at her daughter’s grave.
source: people.com
