John Lichtenstein (left) and Tony Anderson (center), attorneys for David Eisenhauer, stand in Montgomery County Circuit Court as Eisenhauer reads a statement apologizing to Nicole Lovell’s family.
On the fifth day of the trial, Eisenhauer entered a no-contest plea after the data recovered from his phone was presented the previous day. Judge Robert Turk found him guilty of all of the three charges he faced, which were first-degree murder, abduction and concealing a dead body.
On Jan. 27, 2016, Lovell, who was a student at Blacksburg Middle School at the time, climbed out of her bedroom window to meet with David Eisenhauer, who was a former freshman and track athlete at Virginia Tech. According to prosecutors, Eisenhauer had struck up a relationship with Lovell and decided to conceal the relationship by killing her.
On June 26, 2018, Eisenhauer was sentenced to 75 years in total for three charges: 60 years for first-degree murder, 10 years for abduction and five years for concealing a dead body. After he serves 50 years in prison, Eisenhauer will be on probation for 20 years.
We were in court in September 2018 when Natalie Keepers was convicted and later in November when she was sentenced to 45 years in prison for her role in the murder of Nicole Lovell.
On June 26, 2018, Eisenhauer was sentenced to 75 years in total for three charges: 60 years for first-degree murder, 10 years for abduction and five years for concealing a dead body. After he serves 50 years in prison, Eisenhauer will be on probation for 20 years.
On Wednesday, the commonwealth called Officer Michael Via and Detective Mike Czernicki with the Blacksburg Police Department to the stand, they both investigated the crime scenes of where Lovell was killed and where her body was then found in North Carolina.
David EisenhowerSpouseJulie Nixon ( m. 1968)Children3, including JennieParentJohn Eisenhower (father)RelativesDwight Eisenhower (grandfather) Richard Nixon (father-in-law) Mamie Eisenhower (grandmother) Pat Nixon (mother-in-law)5 more rows
The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office for the City of Danville prosecutes all felony cases in the Danville Circuit Court, the Danville General District Court, and the Danville Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. The Office also prosecutes misdemeanor offenses in all three courts.
Petra Haskins joined the office as a Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in June, 2010. She is now the Chief Deputy Commonwealth Attorney.
Paula joined the office as a Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in February, 2022.
Bo Palmore has served as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney since September, 2018 and is now a Senior Assistant Commonwealth Attorney.
David McKaig has served as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney since July, 2018 and is now a Senior Assistant Commonwealth Attorney.
Kenneth Kuper has served as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney since December, 2019. Kenneth graduated from Regent University in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts in History. Kenneth received his juris doctorate from the Antonin Scalia School of Law in 2019.
Hanna Lee has served as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney since April, 2019.
Judge Robert Turk found him guilty of all of the three charges he faced, which were first-degree murder, abduction and concealing a dead body.
Eisenhauer’s defense attorneys John Lichtenstein and Tony Anderson of Roanoke asked for a penalty that fell within sentencing guidelines that ranged from 23 years and nine months to 39 years and seven months behind bars. However, Turk said he was exceeding the guidelines because of the seriousness of the crime.
In the messages, Keepers instructed Eisenhauer to get some sleep because he deserved it. Jensen then exclaimed, “She’s proud!”. On the fourth day of the trial, the jury found Keepers guilty of accessory before the fact and recommended a 40-year sentence in prison. Turk followed the jury’s recommendation and imposed the sentence.
During the trial, the prosecutors presented evidence including security photos of Keepers and Eisenhauer at Cook Out, where they allegedly planned the murder, and Walmart, where the pair purchased a shovel, among other items. In addition, the prosecutors also presented GPS data that mapped the pair’s route to Cook Out and Walmart, as well as a trip near Lovell’s home and a location off of Craig Creek Road where Lovell was reportedly later killed.
Keepers’ trial began on Sept. 17, 2018, and also lasted five days. Prior to the trial, Keepers pleaded guilty to concealment of a dead body. Keepers’ defense attorneys Kris Olin and John Robertson hoped that some evidence related to the concealment charge could be excluded in the trial in September.
Eisenhauer’s jury trial ended suddenly in February when he switched his pleas to no contest and was found guilty on all counts.
Before pronouncing the sentence, Turk asked Eisenhauer, 21, if he had anything to say.
Turk said that what he wanted to know was whether Eisenhauer knew the difference between right and wrong.
Turk questioned both Scheiderer and neuropsychologist Dr. Joette James of Washington, D.C., saying that their findings echoed what Keepers’ defense team was saying in her case – each defendant was blaming the other for Lovell’s fate.
Mike Gangloff covers crime, breaking news and courts in the New River Valley. He can be reached at [email protected] or (540) 381-1669.
David Eisenhauer’s first-degree murder trial in the 2016 death of Nicole Lovell is scheduled to begin Monday in Montgomery County Circuit Court in Christiansburg. Prosecutors say Lovell... Read More. Criminal Justice News, News. David Eisenhauer.
CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. (AP) — The trial of a former Virginia Tech student charged with killing a 13-year-old girl begins today. David Eisenhauer, of Columbia, Maryland, is charged with abduction and murder in the 2016 stabbing death of Nicole Lovell.
David Eisenhauer was an 18-year-old freshman studying engineering when he developed a relationship with Nicole Lovell, a 7th-grader in Blacksburg. Prosecutor Mary Pettitt said Eisenhauer and... Read More. Criminal Justice News, News. David Eisenhauer.
At the opening of David Eisenhauer’s murder trial, his attorney, John Lichtenstein, tried to shift the... Read More
Montgomery County Commonwealth’s Attorney Mary Pettitt introduces evidence in the trial in which Natalie Keepers is accused of being an accessory before the fact in the January 2016 murder of Nicole Lovell, Christiansburg, Virginia, Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018.
Natalie Keepers is accused of being an accessory before the fact in the January 2016 murder of Nicole Lovell, Christiansburg, Virginia, Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018.
Blacksburg Police Department detective Ryan Hite is sworn in before testifying in the trail. Natalie Keepers is accused of being an accessory before the fact in the January 2016 murder of Nicole Lovell, Christiansburg, Virginia, Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018.
Tammy Weeks, mother of murder victim Nicole Lovell, testifies during the proceedings. Natalie Keepers is accused of being an accessory before the fact in the January 2016 murder of Nicole Lovell, Christiansburg, Virginia, Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018.