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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

WEDNESDAY, January 11, 2006

RALEIGH - United States Attorney Frank D. Whitney announced that ARTHUR JAMES CHARLAND, JR., 42, of Fayetteville, N. C. was indicted today by a federal grand jury in Greenville, N. C. The indictment charges CHARLAND with one count of murder and one count of use and discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. CHARLAND was arrested on December 12, 2005, after a Criminal Complaint was filed alleging that he willfully, deliberately, and maliciously murdered Linda Leviton, at the Veterans Administration Hospital, in Fayetteville, N. C., within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States.

The penalty, if convicted of second degree murder, is imprisonment for any term of years or life; if convicted of first degree murder, the penalty could be life imprisonment or death. It should be noted that the death penalty can only be sought after review by the United States Department of Justice and with the permission of the Attorney General. As of the date of this release, no such decision has been made.

Investigation of the case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Veterans Affairs Police Department and the Fayetteville Police Department.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. A trial date has not yet been set.

News releases are available on the U. S. Attorney’s web page at www.usdoj.gov/usao/nce within 48 hours of release.