The district attorney filed an official criminal complaint Tuesday for the March 30 murder of University of Wisconsin physician Beth Potter and husband Robin Carre, which revealed new details about the investigation.
The UW Police Department arrested Khari Sanford and Ali’jah Larrue, both 18-year-olds from Madison, as suspects in the murder last week, according to a press release. The UWPD charged both of them with two counts of Party to a Crime for First Degree Intentional Homicide.
According to the criminal complaint, a jogger found the victims early in the morning March 31, near the intersection of Arboretum Drive and North Wingra Drive. Medical examiners performed autopsies on the victims April 1, which revealed evidence of homicidal violence, specifically gunshot wounds.
The criminal complaint stated Sanford and Miriam Potter Carre, the victim’s daughter, had moved into an AirBNB because they refused to follow social distancing rules in light of COVID-19.
Miriam stated in the official criminal complaint she was with Sanford at the AirBNB the entire night of March 30. Traffic cameras, text messages and phone calls, however, reveal Sanford left their residence late on the night of March 30.
Earlier in the month, a witness overheard a conversation between Miriam and Sanford at Madison West High School.
“[The witness] reported hearing Miriam tell Khari Sanford that her parents had “bands” of money and that they were rich,” the criminal complaint said. “[The witness] reported that “bands” likely meant thousands of dollars in cash.”
Additionally, on November 22, 2019, Sanford sent Miriam a photograph pointing what police believe to be a Glock handgun at the camera, according to the complaint.
The complaint included GPS location data obtained from Larrue’s cell phone on the night of March 30, which showed Larrue near the residence of Potter and Carre, the AirBNB and the site of the homicide in the UW Arboretum all during that night.
The complaint also included surveillance video obtained from the UWPD and a church near the Potter and Carre residence. These videos show a white Volkswagen minivan, which Miriam’s parents lent her, driving past both the Potter and Carre residence and the UW campus. This surveillance footage lines up with the GPS coordinates obtained from Larrue’s cell phone.
An interview was conducted April 4 with a witness who said Sanford went to his house the day after the murders and confessed, according to the complaint.
UPDATED: UWPD makes arrest in double homicide at UW arboretum
Director of Communications at the UWPD Marc Lovicott said though the two primary suspects are in custody, the case remains open and active.
According to reporting from the Wisconsin State Journal, bail for both Sanford and Larrue is set at $1 million.
If convicted, each teenager will be sentenced to life in prison, according to the complaint.
“We are in difficult times right now — undoubtedly, this unspeakable crime adds to our community’s anxiety, sadness and feelings of uncertainty,” UWPD said in a press release. “We know that questions about what happened to Beth and Robin — and why — remain.”
The UWPD pledges to continue with the investigation and provide as many answers as possible.
