Two former Virginia Tech students were indicted Tuesday for the kidnapping and killing of 13-year-old liver transplant recipient Nicole Lovell.
David Eisenhauer, 18, was indicted on charges of first degree murder, abduction, and concealing a dead body. Natalie Keepers, 19, was indicted on charges of being an accessory to a murder and concealing a dead body.
Both face life in prison if convicted on all charges, the Montgomery County Commonwealth’s Attorney said.
Their trials are set to begin in March. In the meantime, both were being held without bond.
The disappearance of Nicole from her Blacksburg, Virginia home on Jan. 27 set off a desperate search because she went missing without her daily medication.
Nicole was found three days later along a highway in Surrey County, North Carolina and the alleged abductors were quickly apprehended and accused of killing her.
Eisenhauer, who is from Columbia, Maryland, was arrested at a dorm on campus. Keepers is from Laurel, Maryland. Both were freshman engineering majors.
Police have not revealed a motive for the murder. But the Washington Post, citing law enforcement officials, reported that Eisenhauer and the victim had an "inappropriate relationship."
Police later revealed that Nicole used a messaging app called Kik to meet up with her accused killers — who lure her into the woods where Eisenhauer allegedly stabbed her to death.