Eisenhauer found guilty after pleading no contest in murder trial

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Va. – UPDATE NOON: A summary 

Former Virginia Tech student David Eisenhauer pleaded no contest in the murder and abduction of 13-year-old Nicole Lovell. He also pleaded no contest to hiding her body before the judge found him guilty on all three charges. 

After the dramatic ending Thursday in court, we knew to expect fireworks Friday morning and that a plea change could happen. 

Court began about 30 minutes late, which is unusual. When it started, Eisenhauer's attorneys asked to be re-arraigned. 

Eisenhauer then changed his plea from not guilty to no contest. What that means is that Eisenhauer is not admitting he is guilty but is not denying the charges. This is him accepting the sentence he is given for the crime. 

After signing the necessary paperwork with attorneys, Eisenhauer told the judge he understood that he was waiving his right to a trial and the right to defend himself. 

We then heard from the Commonwealth about what evidence they would have presented, which was certainly a bombshell. 

We heard a long reading of multiple conversations pulled from Natalie Keepers' phone, as well as Eisenhauer's. 

During those conversations, Eisenhauer talked about a "little problem...because I couldn't keep it in my pants," and how he planned to deal with it. He even had a conversation with a 16-year-old girl he had a romantic relationship with that he feared he got Lovell pregnant. 

He even told someone he needed a place to hide a body, and confirmed to another that Lovell was dead. 

The hardest moment to hear, however, was a message that Lovell sent to Eisenhauer. Her mom cried as it was read aloud.

"Dear David, you are my crush but I know you don't think of me like that," Lovell wrote. "I want to be in your life."

This has been an incredibly difficult time for Lovell's mom, Tammy Weeks, and her family. Family and supporters surrounded Weeks as she left the courthouse and the sheriff's office.

She didn't have anything further to say about Eisenhauer being found guilty after pleading no contest to the charges. Earlier, she did thank law enforcement involved with the case, and she shared her memories of her daughter, who she called by the nickname "Coley."

Sentencing for Eisenhauer has been set for May 22 and 23, but that date could be moved. Because he pleaded no contest, a judge will now make his sentence, not a jury. 

LOOKING BACK AT WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY IN THE TRIAL

COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE CASE

TIMELINE DETAILING THE PAST TWO YEARS OF EVENTS IN THIS CASE 

UPDATE 10:30 a.m. 

Blacksburg Police Chief Anthony Wilson spoke in a news conference, saying, "Today, there were no winners. Truly, if we would've won, we wouldn't be in this room, and Nicole would be in Blacksburg Middle School, where she belongs." 

Tammy Weeks also spoke. "I was blessed to be Nicole's mother. To be her friend for 13 years. We fought every fight together but this last one. Coley will always rest in our hearts, and no amount of time will ever change that."

Commonwealth's Attorney Mary Pettitt also spoke in the conference, saying, "Today, obviously, I'm happy that we were able to get some resolution to this, in the sense of a guilty conviction."

Pettitt said she would not discuss evidence at this time because Natalie Keepers' trial is on the horizon. 

"The justice system is just incapable of healing this loss for Nicole's family, Nicole's friends, all the community," Pettitt said. 

Brenda Drake, spokesperson for Montgomery County Schools, said counselors and teachers are always looking out for students who may need additional help, and there's been a heightened alert at Blacksburg Middle School through this process. She said there will be support in place for students and staff through sentencing as well as Keepers' trial. 

UPDATE 10 a.m.

David Eisenhauer has been found guilty on all charges after pleading no contest. 

The jury would have seen evidence of communication between Eisenhauer and Lovell, and Eisenhauer and Keepers. 

One Kik message from Lovell to Eisenhauer read:

"dear david you are my crush. 
i know you don't think of me.
i want to be in your life.
I'm too stupid to think you want to be in my life."

Eisenhauer did a number of Google searches on January 24, including:
lakes near Blacksburg Virginia
how to destroy something
most creative ways to destroy things
how to destroy bodies
how hot does kerosene, rubber, gasoline, ammonia burn
what melts or burns flesh
how hot does it have to be to burn bones
knock out drugs
how does Dexter get rid of bodies

UPDATE 9:30 a.m.

David Eisenhauer is pleading no contest to abduction, murder, and concealing a body. By pleading no contest, he waives his right to a trial along with his right to defend himself or make an appeal in the case. He is not admitting he is guilty but is not denying the charges. Previously, he had pleaded not guilty to all charges. 

He is asking to be re-arraigned. He is being read his charges again. 

Eisenhauer's charges could amount to life plus 15 years. 

Court began 28 minutes later than scheduled Friday. 

ORIGINAL STORY

A murder trial that has gripped the New River Valley community is set to resume Friday morning. 

David Eisenhauer is accused of kidnapping and killing a 13-year-old Blacksburg girl while he was a freshman at Virginia Tech. Nicole Lovell disappeared in January 2016. Her body was found in a wooded area.

On Thursday, the jury was shown data that was taken from Eisenhauer's Garmin GPS on January 26 and January 27, the same time Lovell went missing and was believed to be killed. It tracked Eisenhauer traveling to a Walmart, where a receipt found in his car shows he purchased a shovel. That shovel, which was bloody, was found in the truck of his car. Surveillance photos from Walmart show a man and woman, believed to be Eisenhauer and Natalie Keepers, who is also charged. 

The GPS logged travel on Fairfax Road, the same road Lovell's home is located. The GPS shows he arrived shortly after midnight on January 26. From there it tracked travel back to Craigs Creek Road, which is the same area where investigators say Lovell was killed. 

Autopsy results show Lovell was hit with a shovel and had been stabbed 14 times. Most of the wounds were to the head, but she also had wounds in the neck and chest area. 

Keepers, who was also a Virginia Tech student at the time of the murder, is accused of helping Eisenhauer murder Lovell, and concealing her body. Keepers is expected to take the stand in this trial. 

Keepers told investigators that Eisenhauer met Lovell at a high school party. She also said he worried that he might have had sex with Lovell, but claimed he could not remember because something caused him to black out at the party. He allegedly woke up in a ditch the next morning remembering nothing.

Lovell was not pregnant, according to the Medical Examiner's Office. 

This story will develop throughout the day. Check back for updates.