Fred Phelps' Anti-Gay Hate Group to Protest Funeral of Murdered UNC Student President

Posted by Jon Ponder, Pensito Review at 4:53 PM on March 8, 2008.

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church, a Christianist hate group whose members are mostly members of the family of Fred Phelps, a disbarred attorney, are at it again, feeding off the misery of innocent, grieving families:

Westboro Baptist Church, a group known for protesting and picketing funerals and memorials of fallen soldiers, is planning to picket at the Sunday afternoon funeral of 18-year-old Auburn freshman Lauren Burk, according to the group's Web site. Burk was killed Tuesday night. Police are investigating her death as a murder...

The group is also planning to picket the funeral of Eve Carson, UNC student body president who was killed Wednesday morning.

Both funerals are listed on the WBC site's online picket schedule for Sunday.

Eve Carson, 22, of Athens, Ga., was murdered on March 5:

[She] was found Wednesday morning lying on a street about a mile from campus. She had been shot several times, including once in the right temple. Her sport utility vehicle was discovered Thursday, a few hours after the police positively identified her as the victim.

The shooting appears to be random, [Chapel Hill Police Chief Brian] Curran said.

Police have reported a break in the case:

Detectives are searching for a man photographed using [Carson's] A.T.M. card.

[Chief Curran] released two surveillance photos of the suspect taken at an automated teller machine, but he declined to say when or where in town the photos were taken. The police also released a photo of a baseball cap the suspect appears to be wearing in both of the surveillance pictures.

Lauren Burk was shot and killed a few miles from the campus of Auburn University in Alabama. Police have arrested a suspect in her killing:

According to police Courtney Lockhart, 23, had been stopped for a driving violation in Phenix City, AL on Friday evening. Police in the Alabama-Georgia border town then contacted Auburn police who identified Lockhart as their prime suspect.

Police focused their investigation on Lockhart earlier in the week after a photograph was obtained that led them to believe he was involved...

Lockhart is now facing capital murder charges, which carries the death penalty. He is also being charged with kidnapping, robbery and attempted rape.

On March 30, activists are planning a protest called the "Million Fags March," near the Phelps' "church" (which is said to be a private home) in Witchita.

H/t: DBM

Tagged as: phelps, unc student shooting, eve carson, lauren burk

Jon Ponder is regular blogger for the Pensito Review