A former associate dean at Lone Star College in Texas has been arrested and charged with the murder of his 6-month-old baby, but his counsel has raised concerns regarding the timing and severity of the child’s multiple injuries.
Court papers examined by Law&Crime on Tuesday reveal that Houstonian Emmit Eugene Carter, 38, was arrested on Aug. 16 and charged with murder after police said he assaulted his baby son “with a blunt object” and “against a blunt object” in July 2023.
A criminal complaint also claims Carter shook the youngster — known only as M.C. in papers — violently with his hands. According to local ABC station KTRK, the youngster was treated at Texas Children’s Hospital but died within four days after being injured. According to jail records, Carter is jailed on a $300,000 bond. His next court appearance is slated for October 16.
According to KTRK, the charges were brought more than a year after the 6-month-old died because prosecutors exercised extreme care while waiting for an autopsy report. According to Assistant District Attorney Edward Appelbaum, the final postmortem report revealed that the infant was damaged by “blunt object, blunt instrument, or even violent acceleration/deceleration forces.”
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According to the paperwork supporting Carter’s arrest warrant, prosecutors claimed the youngster was struck with such force that it created a “bobblehead motion” and “unresponsiveness.” The autopsy found that the infant had suffered injuries to his head, ribs, and face.
Investigators believe Carter was the primary caretaker for his son at the time of his injury. The baby’s mother had left town, leaving the father and boy alone together.
Carter’s attorney, Will Vaughn, spoke with Law&Crime by phone on Tuesday.
Vaughn stated that Carter retained his services in August 2023 as police investigated M.C.’s death. Vaughn stated that Carter was “unexpectedly being contacted by law enforcement” and had agreed to cooperate with county investigators and be interrogated by police.
When Carter spoke with police in February, Vaughn said the former dean of student achievement believed “that was it” until his arrest on August 16.
Carter is now imprisoned, and Vaughn says he is seeking to get the Houston man’s bond decreased again. During his initial court appearance, Vaughn convinced the judge to reduce the amount from $600,000 to $300,000.
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Vaughn stated that he is convinced his client is innocent, but that he has many concerns regarding the circumstances that led up to M.C.’s killing.
For one thing, Vaughn stated that after M.C.’s death, the child’s mother “left town” and “it appears as though she was pushing for cremation” of the infant “without having a full funeral or a say” from Carter.
The defense lawyer says he is still collecting discovery and examining evidence, but he told Law&Crime that he intends to go “at great lengths,” especially given the case has a lot of precise information regarding M.C.’s ailments and the causes of those injuries.
“Right now, it looks like there are two main concerns: [M.C.] had multiple fractures, including broken ribs and they were in all different phases of healing when he was brought to the hospital,” Vaughn told the media.
The defense counsel stated that on the night the infant died, Carter awoke to the sound of the baby choking and performed “back percussions,” or mild thumping on the baby’s back.
“The consensus in the state is that whatever he did resulted in fractured ribs. However, they were still in the process of mending. The other main issue we have is brain edema and hemorrhage,” Vaughn explained. “[M.C.] could have been herniating. “That is a big mystery.”
Vaughn claims the former Lone Star College employee was detained and prosecuted only because he was the only one caring for M.C. during the choking incident.
“It’s hard to believe all of these injuries happened in the 23 hours he was in Dr. Carter’s direct care [and the baby’s mother was out of town],” Vaughn told the reporter.
The defense attorney also praised Carter’s character, claiming that the guy had no negative history with a 9-year-old child from a previous relationship. Vaughn stated he and the child’s mother co-parent happily and have no history of violence.
“From my side of things, it looks like a really tragic thing with a lot of unanswered questions and it seems as though the state, government or law enforcement want to blame somebody,” Vaughn told reporters.
On Tuesday, prosecutors did not respond quickly to a request for comment. The defense counsel claimed he does not know if police examined M.C.’s mother, but based on what he has seen, she was “not really considered a responsible potential party and not interviewed.”
Carter has had no communication with M.C.’s mother since the child’s death. He filed for divorce soon after M.C. died.
Carter possesses a master’s degree and a doctorate in higher education. He worked in higher education for 20 years. He was fired by the institution following his arrest, according to local CBS station KHOU.
“In all of my interactions with Dr. Carter, he has been honest and upfront. He’s a man of faith who is at peace with his tale and what truly occurred. “The fact that we are here now having to respond to this terrible tragedy was something I hoped he would not have to go through,” Vaughn said Tuesday.
If convicted, Carter could spend five to 99 years in jail.