• Mark Carver was convicted in 2011 for the 2008 murder of UNC Charlotte student Ira Yarmolenko. • Prosecutors dismissed the murder charge against Carver in August 2022, citing insufficient DNA evidence for re-examination. • In 2025, Carver filed a federal lawsuit against those involved in his arrest and prosecution, alleging fabricated DNA evidence was used.

In 2008, Mark Carver was accused of killing UNC Charlotte student Ira Yarmolenko. What transpired next was a winding legal saga that took place over the course of 14 years.

Carver, who is intellectually disabled and has schizophrenia, spent close to a decade in prison for a murder he says he did not commit. Here's what happened:

May 5, 2008

Carver was finishing near the Catawba River when Ira Yarmolenko's body was found. Parti

See Full Page