The unimaginable story of two high school students being killed behind a Roswell Publix turned even more horrific Thursday when their autopsy results were released.
To our readers: The following information is disturbing. It sheds more light on the crime, while provoking new questions about the killer. But it also may upset some readers.
Natalie Henderson and Carter Davis, both 17, were shot in the head during the early morning hours Aug. 1. Police found that their bodies weren’t fully clothed and apparently had been posed by their killer, according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner.
The new information provided key details about the killings, but it offered no clue to a possible motive. That may emerge Friday morning at a probable cause hearing for Jeffrey Hazelwood, 20, who has been charged in the deaths.
Natalie, who was found naked, was in a sexually suggestive position, and Carter, shirtless and wearing athletic shorts, was found with his arms stretched out in a cross-like position, according to police statements that accompanied the autopsy reports. Neither was wearing shoes.
Both teens were found on their backs in an empty parking space between their cars, Carter’s black Toyota Camry and Natalie’s Honda CRV.
The autopsy reports were released one day before the probable-cause hearing, which will determine whether the case against Hazelwood should go forward.
“I find the timing awfully suspicious,” Hazelwood’s attorney, Lawrence Zimmerman, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Zimmerman has said his client will enter a not guilty plea but has declined to address Hazelwood's mental health or specific details in the case. Court documents and police records show Hazelwood's childhood was marked by behavior issues and disputes between his maternal grandparents, who raised him, and his mother.
He has been charged with two counts of murder, aggravated assault, identity fraud and theft by taking.
Roswell police have not said what, if any, connection existed between the victims and the suspect. It’s also not known why Natalie and Carter ended up behind the store with their killer, though police have said the teens were followed there. A delivery driver saw the teens’ bodies around 6 a.m. on Aug. 1 and called police.
Natalie was shot at close range; Carter was shot at “medium range,” the autopsy reports said.
No weapon or shell casings were found at the scene, but investigators believe both teens had been shot with a “medium caliber” revolver. They declined to say whether the gun was later found.
The medical examiner’s report for Natalie also contained a copy of the Roswell Police Department’s report from the scene, which noted: “She was nude, and had been possibly posed in a sexually explicit fashion.”
The teenager also had a feather in her hair, the police said.
The autopsy report on her noted that there were no signs of injury around the genitalia. The medical examiner, Dr. Michele Stauffenberg, noted that a sexual assault kit was prepared and sent to the State Crime Lab for both Natalie and Carter.
The police report was completed by Roswell police investigator Mary Beth Hauptle, who said the parents of both teenagers were notified at the scene.
“I was told the parents of both the male and female victims had tracked their whereabouts by querying the positioning devices on their cell phones,” Hauptle wrote.
After Natalie and Carter were shot, Hazelwood used her bank card at a convenience store, police have said. They said he took the card and also jumper cables belonging to Carter.
The morning Carter was found dead was supposed to be the first day of 12th grade. He attended River Ridge High School in Woodstock. Natalie was to begin her senior year the following week at Roswell High School, within walking distance from where she died. Their deaths shocked the communities at both schools, where the popular teens were good students and were involved in school activities.
Carter, a standout lacrosse player, hoped to earn an athletic scholarship. Natalie, a member of the Color Guard, loved to sing and volunteered at an animal rescue shelter. Hundreds attended vigils and funerals for the two.
Two days after the teens were killed, Hazelwood was arrested at a Roswell gas station, according to police. In his first court appearance after his arrest, Hazelwood shook constantly and appeared to be mumbling to himself, though his attorney blamed the behavior on nervousness.
Hazelwood is being held without bond at the Fulton jail.
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