Duke nurse’s autopsy report reveals what boyfriend said led up to fatal fight

A Wake Forest man accused of fatally strangling a Duke nurse in her apartment told police he attacked her after she tried to comfort him, according to an autopsy report released to The News & Observer.

Auriel Lowe, 34, died Sept. 10 at her Durham home, The N&O previously reported. Christopher Brian Whitley, 31, her boyfriend, is charged with first-degree murder in her death.

Whitley reportedly told investigators the couple had been dating for two months when he stayed over the night of Sept. 9, according to an investigative report by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The couple woke up shortly before 5 a.m. the next day, and they showered before Lowe asked Whitley if he wanted breakfast, the report states.

Whitley, however, was “in a poor mood” for unspecified reasons, according to the report.

“He sat down on the edge of the bed and she sat next to him to ask him what was the matter,” the report states. “Again, he didn’t reply, so she attempted to be consoling and encouraging to him. He then took his right hand and backhanded her across the left side of her face.”

Whitley allegedly struck Lowe another two times before grabbing a “large glass candle jar” and hitting her in the head with it until it broke, according to the report. He also assaulted Lowe with a nearby mason jar of water, cutting his own hand in the process, the report alleges.

“His hand was cut by the glass shards, so he got up and walked away to get a towel to wrap around it to control the bleeding,” the report states. “He returned, and then strangled her for about a minute until she lost consciousness.”

When Lowe continued to wake up despite Whitley’s multiple attempts at manual strangulation, he smothered her with the towel he’d used to stop his bleeding, the report alleges. It’s not clear when Lowe died, but Whitley allegedly told police he sat on the couch and called his brother around 10 a.m. to confess, according to the investigative report.

Whitley also allegedly FaceTimed his ex-girlfriend around 10:15 a.m. and showed her Lowe’s body, The N&O previously reported. The ex-girlfriend then called 911.

Whitley barricaded himself inside the apartment for several hours before police gained entry around 2:30 p.m., according to court documents. Lowe was pronounced dead at the scene.

Whitley allegedly told investigators he believed Lowe owned a gun and was scared she’d retaliate after he hit her the first time, the investigative report states. Police did recover a gun from the apartment, though it’s not clear from investigative documents who it belonged to.

Lowe died from asphyxiation caused by strangulation, her autopsy report found. She also sustained multiple lacerations and cuts to her chest, back, knee and face and had a fractured rib.

Lowe, a California native, moved to Durham to pursue a nursing career at Duke University Hospital, her parents told The N&O. She had just begun an operating room nurse training program in July after working in the hospital’s neuro intensive care and hyperbaric units.

Multiple women have posted on social media since Lowe’s death to share their own allegations of abusive behavior at Whitley’s hands, The N&O previously reported. He was convicted in 2019 of assault causing bodily injury to a family member in Texas and was given 15 months of probation, records show.

Lowe’s parents have called for stricter requirements for dating apps to conduct background checks on users. Lowe and Whitley met on a dating app, they said, and they believe their daughter’s life could have been saved if she’d known of Whitley’s prior conviction.

Whitley remained in the Durham County jail without bail as of Wednesday morning.