Suspect in killing of NC police chief’s daughter is scheduled to appear in western NY court

Suspect in NC woman’s slaying expected in NY court

LOCKPORT, N.Y. — The man accused of killing a North Carolina police chief’s daughter and dumping her body in a self-storage unit has admitted to having a lifetime of substance abuse that started when he was 12.

Police say Michael Neal Harvey killed 23-year-old Valerie Hamilton last week and dumped her body in the Charlotte area before fleeing to Niagara Falls, N.Y., where he grew up.

Court records show Harvey told authorities he was adopted by his grandparents at the age of 3 because his mother abused drugs. He got his high school equivalency diploma at a New York State shock camp for young offenders.

He is also a convicted sex offender.

The 34-year-old Harvey is due in a western New York courtroom Tuesday afternoon on charges of being a fugitive from justice.