Saturday, March 8, 2008

LAUREN BURK: COURTNEY LOCKHART, SUSPECT ARRESTED

LAUREN BURK 1989 - 2008

COURTNEY LOCKHART, 22, suspect in murder of Lauren Burk

Photo contributed by http://www.wrbl.com/ News 3

Police arrest man in killing of Auburn student
Saturday, March 8, 2008

(CNN) -- Police have arrested a man in the killing of Auburn University freshman Lauren Burk, who died this week, according to the Auburn, Alabama, assistant police chief.

Courtney Larrell Lockhart, 23, of Smiths, Alabama, is charged with capital murder during a kidnapping, capital murder during a robbery, and capital murder during an attempted rape, Tommy Dawson said Saturday.

The Phenix City Police Department took Lockhart into custody on Friday, police said. Phenix City is about 35 miles southeast of Auburn.

Investigators have the suspect's photo, which was enhanced with the help of NASA, Dawson said, according to The Associated Press. Dawson said the photo matched Lockhart, but he declined to say how police got the photo or why they think Lockhart is linked to the crime.

Burk, 18, from Marietta, Georgia, was found shot on North College Street, a few miles north of campus, on Tuesday night. She died later at a hospital.

Minutes after police responded to the call reporting an injured person and found Burk, they found a car -- which turned out to be Burk's -- on fire in a campus parking lot.

(snip)

The university's Web site said memorial services for Burk are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at a Marietta church and synagogue, and a campus-wide memorial service will be held Monday.

The site carried a message from Burk's father, James, which said: "The Burk family was so proud to have Lauren as an Auburn University student. We want to extend our deepest gratitude and appreciation for Auburn University, the city of Auburn and the Auburn Police Department. We feel very close to your community. We appreciate what everyone is doing for us and Lauren."

READ THIS STUNNING UPDATE...

AUBURN UNIVERSITY MEMORIAL PAGE

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