A newly released autopsy reveals that a Duke Health nurse who was killed in September died from asphyxiation due to strangulation.
Auriel Lowe was found inside an apartment on Laurel Springs Drive in Durham. Police identified her boyfriend Christopher Whitley as the suspect and charged him with first-degree murder.
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The medical examiner confirmed Lowe's cause of death was from strangulation. According to the autopsy report, information provided by Whitley to law enforcement aligned with what the medical examiner found.
The two had been dating for two months. Whitley told police that on the morning of her murder, around 5 a.m., he was in a "poor mood" when he didn't respond to Lowe's questions about what was wrong and why he wasn't answering her.
When she tried to console him, Whitley said he hit her twice, smashed glass over her head and then strangled her.
Whitley then told police that around 10 a.m., he called his brother to tell him about what he'd done and then Facetimed an ex-girlfriend to show her what he'd done. The ex-girlfriend called 911, which led to Whitley barricading himself in the apartment for several hours before police were able to arrest him.
Whitley told police he knew Lowe owned a gun and he was scared she would retaliate, which he said was why the situation escalated to the level that it did. The gun was recovered in the apartment by law enforcement.
During his first court appearance back in September, prosecutors said Whitley has a record of two previous convictions, including for assault on a family member in Texas. He continues to be held without bond in Durham County.
Court records show that his next status hearing appearance is scheduled for Jan. 15, 2026.
