HILLSBOROUGH - A confidential witness told investigators that Demario Atwater admitted that he and Laurence Lovette Jr. entered Eve Carson's home in Chapel Hill through an open door March 5, according to search warrants made public today.

The documents offered the first detailed public accounts of the crime, in which Atwater and Lovette are accused of killing Carson, the student body president at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Atwater and Lovette forced Carson into the backseat of her Toyota Highlander and drove her to an ATM machine, the witness said.

The witness also said Lovette shot Carson multiple times, and Atwater subsequently shot her with a different weapon. Carson's body was found at 5:30 a.m. on March 5 on a residential street in Chapel Hill; she was wearing sweat pants and a T-shirt.

Over the next two days, Atwater and Lovette took $1,400 from Carson's bank account, the witness said.

According to the documents, police found the confidential witness with the aid of an anonymous tipster who called CrimeStoppers on March 11.

The tipster said she had spoken to a man she knew as "Rio," who told her that he and someone else had taken Carson to an ATM machine. "Rio" told the caller that he and the other man planned to obtain the PIN number of Carson's bank card before killing her.

The caller then told an investigator the name of the confidential witness, saying she knew additional details.

On March 12, investigators interviewed the confidential witness, who identified "Rio" as Atwater. She told investigators that she had spoken with Atwater after learning that his photo had appeared in a surveillance photo taken March 7 by a security camera at a BP convenience store at 1002 N. Alston Avenue in Durham. Carson's ATM card was used at the store that day.

Police arrested Atwater on March 12. After his arrest, he admitted being in Carson's Highlander in Chapel Hill on March 5 and identified himself as the person whose image was captured in the BP security photo, according to the warrants.

During the interview, he identified Lovette as the person in another surveillance photo taken at an ATM at the Bank of America in Chapel Hill, the warrants state. The next day, police arrested Lovette.

Furthermore, police tapped a cell phone call in which Atwater talked to an informant about his involvement in the crime, according to the documents.

The documents indicated that police investigated the possibility that Carson was sexually assaulted. However, District Attorney Jim Woodall said today that she was not a sexual assault victim.

Police seized more than a dozen pairs of shoes from Lovette's home at 1231 Shepherd St. in Durham. They took eight pairs of shoes from Atwater's residence at 2507 S. Roxboro St., Apt. 11, in Durham. They seized assorted vehicles keys, two shotgun shells, a Motorola cell phone, two cameras, one house key, assorted notes, clothing and drug paraphernalia.

Police also collected samples of hair, saliva and blood from both Lovette and Atwater for DNA evidence.

The search warrant for Atwater's and Lovette's homes sought a shotgun, a .25 caliber pistol, ammunition, hooded sweatshirts, blue jeans, white athletic shoes, a black coat, a Houston Astros baseball cap, gloves, Carson's ATM card, keys, purse, wallet or identification. There was no indication whether police actually found and seized these items.

Police also sought cell phones and computers or digital storage devices, cash, cameras. The documents indicated that police were looking for gang-related material, including clothing, bandannas or documents.

Superior Court Judge Allen Baddour this morning ordered the release of the six search warrants associated with the Carson murder case.

Woodall, the district attorney, assured Baddour that the police investigation had progressed to the point where releasing the documents would not compromise its integrity or the safety of confidential informants.

Defense attorneys objected to Baddour's order, saying pretrial publicity would convict their clients before the trial ever began.

But Baddour said the judicial process -- including pretrial motions, jury selection and instructions to the jury -- would ensure a fair trial.

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