Wisconsin Professor Murdered: Two Teens Charged For Alleged Roles In 'Execution' Near Campus

Two Wisconsin teens were formally charged Wednesday for their alleged roles in killing a University of Wisconsin professor Dr. Beth Potter and her husband Robin Carre.

Khari Sanford, 18, was charged by the Dane County District Attorney’s Office on two charges of party to the crime of first-degree intentional homicide and two charges of use of a dangerous weapon. Ali’jah Larrue, 18, is facing two charges of party to the crime of first-degree intentional homicide. Both were taken into custody Friday by the Dane County Sheriff’s Office and were booked at the county jail over the weekend.

Bail was set for each teen at $1 million.

A jogger on March 31 discovered the bodies outside one of the school’s botanical buildings. Carre, 57, had been pronounced dead at the scene. Potter, 52, later died at a local hospital. Multiple bullet casings were reportedly found by the bodies. An autopsy later confirmed the pair was shot near point-blank in the back of their heads.

“This was a brutal execution,” Dane County Assistant District Attorney William Brown told the Wisconsin State Journal.

Sanford was identified as a person of interest after investigators learned he was in a relationship with Potter and Carre’s daughter, Miriam Potter Carre. Police said Sanford and Miriam Potter Carre were staying at an Airbnb near her parents because she suffered from a “medical condition” and wasn’t following social distancing guidelines for the COVID-19 pandemic.

A criminal complaint acquired by Madison CBS-affiliate WISC said that Miriam Potter Carre told detectives that Sanford was home with her the night her parents were killed. However, surveillance footage reportedly showed a white minivan registered to Carre driving around Madison and the university’s campus the night of the shooting. Several phone calls and text messages were also found that reportedly showed Sanford and Miriam Potter Carre were not together.

The complaint said detectives spoke with a friend, whose name wasn’t released and who reportedly overheard Sanford and Miriam Potter Carre talking about ideas to get money fast. The friend reportedly said Miriam Potter Carre had previously discussed how her parents were rich and had “bands” of money.

The friend said he saw Sanford on March 30 when he showed up at their home and was acting “frantic.” Sanford then allegedly confessed to the friend about the shooting and called Larrue to talk about the shooting.

Police said Larrue’s phone placed him in the area where Potter and Carre’s bodies were discovered on March 30.

“It was calculated, cold-blooded and senseless,” University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Chief Kristen Roman said during a video briefing.

According to the Associated Press, Potter worked at a family medical center, run by the University of Wisconsin and was medical director of UW Health’s Employee Health Services. Carre worked with high school student soccer players.