Suspects in death investigation of 13-year-old Nicole Lovell in court

(Copyright by WSLS - All rights reserved)

CHRISTIANSBURG (WSLS 10) - 18-year-old David Eisenhauer and 19-year-old Natalie Keepers both made initial appearances in Montgomery County court on Monday. Both Eisenhauer and Keepers are Virginia Tech students.

Eisenhauer is charged with first degree murder and abduction of 13-year old Nicole Lovell. Her body was found in Surry County, North Carolina on Saturday.

Recommended Videos



Keepers is charged with one felony count of improper disposal of a body and one misdemeanor count of accessory after the fact in the commission of a felony.

WSLS 10 has obtained the arrest warrants for David Eisenhauer. In it, Eisnenhauer stated when arrested for abduction, "I believe the truth can set me free."

We've also learned that both warrants state no firearm was used in the alleged offense.

Also, when charged with first degree murder, the warrant shows "the accused had no comment."

Eisenhauer was appointed lawyer Chris Tuck.

Keepers' will be represented by Kris Olin.

Here's a news release from Montgomery County Commonwealth Attorney, Mary Pettitt:

Montgomery County Commonwealth’s Attorney Mary Pettitt announced that David Eisenhauer, 18, of Columbia, MD, and Blacksburg, VA, was arraigned this morning on one count of First Degree Murder and one count of Abduction. Both charges involve the death of 13 year old Nicole Lovell of Blacksburg who was killed on or about January 27, 2016.

Natalie Keepers, 19, of Laurel, MD, and Blacksburg, VA, was arraigned this morning on one count of Transporting or Concealing a Dead Body and one count of being an Accessory after the Fact.

First Degree Murder carries a sentence of 20 years to life in prison. Abduction carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

Transporting or Concealing a Dead Body is a felony and carries a sentence of up to five years in prison. Being an Accessory after the Fact is a Class 1 misdemeanor and carries a sentence of up to 12 months in jail.

Both Eisenhauer and Keepers remain in jail without bond. Their next hearing date is March 28th at 1pm for a preliminary hearing in Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court. If they request a bond hearing, a date and time for that will be set. Neither has requested a hearing as of this time.

Attorney Kristopher Olin represents Keepers. Attorney Christopher Tuck represents Eisenhauer.

An autopsy of Nicole Lovell is being performed today at the Western Division of the Department of Forensic Science. Certain portions of an autopsy, such as laboratory results, take time. Receipt of a formal report is not anticipated until just prior to the preliminary hearing.