Prosecutors seek death penalty in killing of North Carolina student president

Federal prosecutors will seek the death penalty against a man charged with killing University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student body president Eve Carson.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Friday that Attorney General Michael Mukasey has approved prosecutors’ request to seek the execution of 22-year-old Demario Atwater.

Atwater pleaded not guilty last month to four federal charges, including carjacking resulting in death.

His trial is set for November.

Atwater also is facing the death penalty on state charges in Orange County.

Co-defendant Laurence Lovette also is charged in Carson’s death but isn’t eligible for the death penalty.

The 22-year-old from Athens, Ga., was found shot to death in the middle of a residential street in Chapel Hill in March 2008.