Transcripts For MSNBCW Dateline 20200301 : vimarsana.com

I did not shoot my mom and i would never shoot my mom. Two trials. Every emotion hit. Two verdicts. There were only two people who knew what happened that day. One of thems dead and the other one is sitting in that chair. Too much to bear. Its just been a hell on earth. Hello and welcome to dateline. Bill and Shirley Carter built a comfortable life and raised a family. As their golden years approached the couple fell into a routine. Daily coffee, working the fields and spending time with the grandkids. But one morning gunshots rang out leaving shirley dead and planting the seeds of a mystery that would turn one Family Member against another. Heres Dennis Murphy with the farm. Council bluffs, iowa. In a small courtroom the new and final scene of a fouryearlong drama was playing out. Count one murder in the first degree the defendant did with malice aforethought with premeditation kill Shirley Carter. Its a case that ripped the stitches out of a closeknit family. Shattering ribs and perching holes through her long and heart. Shirley carter shot twice with a deer rifle in the cornfields she shared with her husband of 50 years, bill carter. In pleasantville, iowa, planting the seed and then ringing in the harvet, corn and soy mostly. So that june morning in 2015 dawned with no particular omens. They started their day as they always did with coffee at the general store. They went to coffee every morning to caseys. That was a ritual. After coffee bill dropped off shirley at the top of the driveway. I let her out of the pickup and she said i think ill finish my coffee before i chore. And i said, honey, ill see you between 11 00 and 11 30. You never know do you, bill . You dont know. Bill headed off to sell corn at a granary. By 11 00 a. M. He remembers being just a few miles from home when he got a call from his daughter. And she said, dad, moms dead. Jason found her. Jason, bills son had called 911. This is what he said. My mom my mom is laying here on the floor. Theres blood everywhere and shes dead and i dont know what happened. Bill got to the house, ran from his truck passing son jason on the back deck. I went in and there she lay. She looked like she was asleep. Not long after Marion County sheriff jason arrived at the farmhouse. Did you get into the house itself . I did. And there you are saying what happened here . Correct. And who would have a desire to kill a lady in rural iowa . The sheriff called for help. He works for a division of the state police, the department of criminal investigation, the dci. This was his first case in pleasantville, about an hour away from des moines. There were multiple vehicles in the driveway, Law Enforcement on the scene and the family is gathering around the big tree. Does any of the arriving officers tell you thats the husband or thats the son . It was apparent to me these are Family Member and i dont know names yet. As soon as he got a search warrant agent ludwick entered the house with crime scene techs. It looks as though someone had ransacked the place but there sitting on a chair you first see this purse. Its untouched. Money in it . Money in it, cash in it, credit cards in it, gift cards in it. Was not touched. Some papers were strewn about. Thats it. Her jewelry box was untouched. Shurllys bodies was lying right here on the Kitchen Floor. We know the gun was in this area and shirley was standing in the middle of the kitchen. The first bullet went through shirleys body and pierced the refrigerator. They thought the weapon was a high powered gun, perhaps a rifle. Held from the hip. We know shirley would have fallen on the Kitchen Floor and the shooter would have moved up towards and then fired a shot like this. A coup de grace shot to surelys chest. She was in a casket like position. Her arms were crossed. As though the funeral director had posed her for viewing. Yes, and thats not normal. There were still tests to be done, interviews to conduct, but it was coming, coming with the relentless fury of an iowa summer twister. No stopping it. A family was about to be destroyed. The investigation starts with a closer look at the family which didnt make the family very happy. Coming up they are upset that we are wasting time. But police have their reasons. The murder weapon may have belonged to someone within the family. So the question is where is this 270 remington. Thats correct. When dateline continues. Protect your pet with the 1 name in flea and tick protection. Frontline plus. Trusted by vets for nearly 20 years. You have power over pain, so the whole world looks different. The unbeatable strength of advil. What pain . Welcome to portabellas. Thisfor some scampi bites. Eady wait a sec i feel like i know you . Oh have you dined with us before . No, youre youre that insurance guy, arent you . The pasty one . Oh, yeah. 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Use caution driving or operating machinery. Tell your doctor if youve had Mental Health problems. The most common side effect is nausea. Quit smoking slow turkey. Talk to your doctor about chantix. In iowa cornfields a warm sun was beating down on the farmhouse where a Murder Investigation was under way. Shirley carter is lying dead shot ipher kitchen. The sheriff and his team of investigators were trying to figure out what had happened. When your crime scene techs cleared the house they really didnt have much for you, did they . They did not. No forensic wheres no blood, no dna, nobody walked in front of a security camera. Right. So theyd have to learn more about her life, a back story to a murder. Turned out she was a local girl. Her dad a grocer, her mother an assistant at a law office. In high school she met bill. Whered you go on your first date . I took her to the homecoming dance. She was quiet, prettiest thing youd ever seen. As bill tells it they were kids in love, deeply maybe carelessly. During her sophomore year shirley got pregnant. We were married at a very young age. I was 18 i had just turned 18 and she was 16. Soon daughter janna was born and then came billy. 8 years later jason completed the family. With three kids to raise bill and shirley went into farming on a small plot of starter land they grew some corn and then plowed the profits into more prime iowa acreage. Shirley loved farming. She did everything. She just took to it, huh . She was a natural. She loved being in the tractors. Long time friend and neighbor Irene Schultz says shirley brought a little pizzazz to the fields when she climbed into her custom made tractor. She always put a little bit of makeup on every morning before she went on. Up on the john deer shes decked out . She had rosy cheeks. She was beautiful inside and out. In time daughter janna married and moved away to a job in des moines. Son billy went into the heating and airconditioning business. But jason the youngest child took to the land. I really enjoyed working with him. I was teaching him. He is a good farmer. Jason would carry on the farming tradition for another generation. And best of all he and his wife shelly lived close by. Bill and shirley soon had grandchildren to dote on. A happy Family Picture suddenly disfigured by the ugly murder of Shirley Carter. The dci mark ludwick took the lead for the investigation. First of all we want to identify all witnesses, we want to separate them and we want to conduct a facetoface sit down interview as soon as we can. Early on the most important witnesses were bill, the husband, and jason, the son. Ludwick assigned deputies to take the two down to pleasantville pd. And she said do you want a cookie, coffee . In an Interview Room bill told investigators the same story he told us, he he took shirley home and raced home to find his wife still on the floor. When i went in and i felt her she was cold. Jason in turn said his day started pretty much the same. Hed also taken a load of corn to that same granary. I went back down the drive and headed down to eddyfield. Later in the morning she said he went to his parents house to help with some chores and then discovered his mother. She wasnt alive. It was terrible. With their accounts on the record deputies sent bill and jason home that night. The farmhouse was still taped off as a crime scene so bill stayed at jasons place. And i didnt sleep that night. I smoked cigarettes and i walked that deck. In the meantime crime techs had finished with the scene and deputies had seized half a dozen guns they found in the house. Jason took a look at the inventory of weapons theyd confiscate asked he noticed one gun was miss wrg, a high powered remington 270 rifle like this one. How did the weapon come to you . My oldest son bought it for me in 2005 for christmas. Bill kept the rifle in a gun safe in the basement. So the question is where is this 270 remington and is that a murder weapon . Thats correct. The crime scene investigators had examined the two slugs they collected. And it could be ammo used in a. 270 remington. Certainly consistent with being rounds fired from that type of weapon. Thats correct. Bill stored that rifle unloaded deep in his basement. The killered with have gotten lucky finding the gun or the ammo. Or investigators thought maybe the shooter was someone who knew where that gun was, maybe someone in the family. That didnt go over well with the carters. We go over to the crime scene and the family is matd. Jason, his wife shelly, bill and daughtera janna all gathered in the living room. And janna and bill let us have it. They are upset that we are wasting time on this investigation. We were screwing up the investigation because we were looking at Family Members. Bill and his daughter were right about one thing, they were now focusing on the family. Coming up i think we found out that jason carter is having an affair. If jason was hiding an affair, was he hiding anything else . I never hurt my mom. If you want to hold those affairs against me thats fine. But i never hurt i never hurt my mom. When dateline continues. No matter where you are, Xfinity Mobile gives you the most reliable Wireless Network to connect you with those who matter most. Thats because its the network that gives you the best coverage and more flexible data that you can share, mix with unlimited and switch at any time. Youll save up to 400 a year on your wireless bill. Plus, get 300 off when you buy a new Samsung Galaxy s20 ultra. Xfinity mobile. Click, call or visit a store today. Welcome back. Did someone close to Shirley Carter want her dead . A rifle missing from her husbands bills gun safe led investigators to believe her killer knew where bill stored his weapons. Surelys loved one was were under scrutiny and soon detectives would discover that someone in the carter clan had plenty to hide. Continuing with our story heres Dennis Murphy with the farm. Shirley the farm wife and mother had been gunned down in her kitchen and it was no obvious explanation for the crime. As investigators began digging into the karlter family background, though, they came across a detail that became the focus of investigation. We found out jason carter was having an affair. How had you find that out . A friend during the interviews. So whos this girlfriend . We locate her, we bring her in and we determine theres another phone in play. Another phone . A phone they just had. It lovers had, what they call burner phones, off the book. Burner phones, we call it the sixing phone. He kept it stashed away hidden under the hood of his pickup truck. Jason not only didnt mention the affair in his first interview, he also never told investigators about that secret phone. Does it change him where he stands in your suspects . Absolutely. He gets elevated at that point. If jason had tried to hide the affair agent ludwick wondered if jason was hiding anything else about his mothers murder. The investigator called jason and told him he knew about the affair and the phone. So he says i will meet you at the sheriffs office. Hes there and he hands the cellphone over. Say here you go, knock yourself out, huh . Yep. Then surprise, jason wanted to talk some more. Comes in on his own free will, no attorney. In this video investigators went over his story again in detail, the time line of that morning. How long from 911 phone call to your dad got there . 11 minutes. Jason was bent on letting them know he had nothing to hide no matter how long it took. Bring on your questions. And he sits in a chair and he proceeds to sit in this chair for over 10 hours. Lets do this. Lets step out. Were going to give you a minute. Im fine. Doesnt shift, doesnt move, doesnt stand up. No bathroom breaks, no nothing . We begged him to take bathroom breaks. We begged him to bring him food. You need anything else . Whats that about . Hes going to stay here until we believe him. He admitted to being unfaithful but said it was ludicrous to think he killed his mother. I never hurt my mom. If you want to hold those affairs against me thats fine, but i never this isnt about the affair. I never hurt my mom. I walked in and found my mom the way she was. This is about shirley being killed. I know that and youre not doing anything about it because whoever did kill her is still out there. He headed home but a cloud of suspicion hung over the Carter Family not only over jason but will, too. Bill knew agent ludwick was look at him since he was the last person known to have seen shirley alive. And he said, you know, you could have done this when you brought her back from coffee. Then for weeks nothing happened. We have no leads. Nothings going on in the investigation. So the Shirley Carter murder case was heading to the cold case file . It was headed that way, yes. But bill carter wasnt going to let that happen. He hired his own detective. Nick is a crime scene analyst and a former homicide detective from texas. Bill instructed him to dig into the case with an open mind. If its the good, the bad, the ugis it all going to be in your final report . We are only advocates for the truth. To aide in his investigation he purchased a rifle similar to the one missing from bills basement. At least one of those shots would have flown out as the killer racked another round in the chamber to shoot shirley twice. It was never found. So someone had the presence of mind to gather it up. Thats correct. And since webb had to look at every possibility he examined bills day the day of the killing. By 9 00 a. M. Bill was spotted at the granary 50 miles from the house. Webb said bills only opportunity to kill her was after that. Bill has to leave the granary, has to get home, kill his wife, shirley, and then leave before jason can get there. Is it impossible for bill to do all this toing and froing in the time allow snd. It would certainly be a tight time line. Squeaky to get it done, huh . Certainly. Then the private analyst looked at jasons time line. He already puts himself there, so jason simply has to commit the murder instead of doing the other task he said he did. Is it your belief jason shot his mother . Yes. Painful as it was bill had been suspicious of his son early on and remembers a moment it all became clear. Not long after the murder, bill says, jason found out he was going to visit his lawyer. He came barging through the door and he said what are you going to go see your lawyer about . And i said i just need to get some things straightened out. Theres some things that dont add up, and thats when he slammed his fist on the counter top, and he said my life is over. His life, jasons life. His life is over. I knew then he had done it. It was a shocking realization. Youre telling me your boy became a monster. He did, he did. Im ashamed. You shouldnt be ashamed. You did everything you could for the boy. I didnt do something right. Shurlly a shirley and i did something wrong. Bill carter tired of waiting for the prosecutor. He the father would take the almost unprecedented step of bringing his son before a civil jury. My attorney said, you know, we can file a wrongful death suit, and that will force the county attorney to make a move. Bill was about to sue his son for shirleys death. If the jury ruled for the father, jason wouldnt face prison but Something Like financial ruin. Coming up plaintiffs call jason carter. Father against son. You became a practiced, skilled and chronic liar. Son against father. The killer, Shirley Carter is not in this room but its not jason carter. When dateline continues. sensei beautiful. 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So when candidates say we cant guarantee health care for all, make College Affordable for all, combat climate change, or create a world at peace, remember that america is best when we strive to do big things, even when its hard. Im Bernie Sanders and i approve this message. Hello. Im dara brown. Heres whats happening. Nbc news is projecting a big win for former vooiice president jo biden in south carolina. He has a narrow lead of 30 points over Bernie Sanders. This will be bidens first primary win. And he have learned of the first reported death of coronavirus in the united states. The pagts died in kirkland, washington. Governor jay inslee has declared a state of emergency there. Now back to dateline. Welcome back to dateline. Im natalie morales. 68yearold Shirley Carter was shot dead in their kitchen and her husband bill was convinced their youngest son jason was the trigger man. Eddy for just bill readied a civil lawsuit against his own flesh and blood. At trial jasons cheating would take center stage and a jury would decide if its discovery drove him to kill. Once again heres Dennis Murphy with the farm. On a december day in 2017 2 1 2 years after Shirley Carters murder in this courthouse in knoxville, iowa, father faced off against son. There is not a more important courtroom in this estate than this courtroom right now. Bill carters lawyer Mark Weinhardt opened by telling the jury the person wanted shirley dead. Thats the killer right there, jason carter. It started like a murder case but remember this was a civil trial, a wrongful death lawsuit. The father of the plaintiff, his son the defendant. The burden of proof is much lower than it would be in a criminal trial. The plaintiff only has to prove the defendant liable by a preponderance of the evidence. In other words, 51 likely that youre right. Bill carters lawyer played jasons 911 call. He argued jason stated something about the time of death he couldnt possibly have known. It looks like shes been laying here for two hour. You hear him say his mother has been dead for two hours which medically is absolutely not the fact based on what we know about the condition of the body, but also why would he be saying that other than to already create the narrative, hey, it wasnt me. Then bills lawyer attacked jasons character to show the jury he wasnt a devoted family man. Jasons other woman took the stand. Her name terra hope. She was questioned by another of bills attorneys. You could hear a pin drop in that courtroom. Tara recounted her 15month affair with the married jason carter. How frequently were you guys having sex . On average it would be several times a week. Did you ever tell mr. Carter you loved him . I did. Did he every reciprocate and tell you he loved you. He did. Do you recall what your last text message from mr. Carter was . It was something sexual. He said the conversation ended only as jason started texting as he pulled up to his parents house. Text, text, text until 10 50 a. M. At which point the text traffic goes dark. Quiet for 13 minutes until jason made a phone call to his sister telling her their mother was dead. He argued that was more than enough time to kill his mother and stage a robbery. Then came the moment so many had been waiting for. Jason the favorite son in his own words telling the jury about seeing his mother dead. I couldnt believe that i found her. Weinhardt confronted jason about the affair. You did it in a friends residence, in cars, even in your own house . Correct. You became a practiced, skilled and chronic liar . Correct. Now bills lawyer tried to prove motive. It was he argued about money. The jury was told jason was a spendthrift. He puts money into nice motorcycles and trips and vacations. At the same time jason was expanding his farm operation. He was as broke as hed ever been. He had 40 in his personal bank account, 80 in his Business Bank account. Jason saw only one way out, getting control of his parents farmland worth millions. Jason knew he stood to inherit all of it. My dad said that shelly and i and our kids will inherit the ground and that your sister and brother will inherit everything above ground. The lawyer mapped out his theory. Shirley had found out about jasons affair, and if shirley knew then bill soon would know, too. Jason worried hed be disinherited. He had to stop his mother before she disclosed his illicit romance. I want you to look at the jury and tell them the truth. You shot your mother to death. Absolutely not. The jury listened for seven days to the plaintiffs case. And then came the defense. Jason had a loving, close relationship with his mother. Jason carters lawyer challenged the accusation that jas jason in his 911 call was trying to push back the time of shirleys death two hours. This is all happening within a matter of minutes. Jason was simply so distraught and to say you should have done this and that i think is just ridiculous. As for jasons affair he told the jury it was irrelevant, a salacious distraction and of course jason lied about it to preserve his family. If you want to characterize him as a bad guy for carrying on an affair, fine. But that doesnt make the man a killer. Jasons wife shelly told the jury despite everything she still supported her husband. Every day i work on forgiving but never forgetting. I love my husband, and we have reconciled. As for the motive wandrow argued sis jason didnt have one. She said that was business as usual for farmers. We paid that off just like we paid it off every year so we could renew our line and start again. And then he offered an alternative theory of the case. Hes right. The killer of Shirley Carter is in this room. And its not jason carter. Its him. The accuser. Bill carter he said was the likely killer. Shirley, he argued, complained about him all the time. She had to get permission for everything. Jasons wife testified that shirley told her bill was too controlling. Whether it be to go get her hair, make a hair appointment or to help with the kids, whatever it was she had to get his permission before she could do that. Wandrow said it all must have come to a head on june morning. And something happened on that friday that made him snap, and he is the one that killed his wife. After two weeks of trial and mutual accusations, the battle between father and son went to the jury. The court will now read the verdict. It took a little over two hours to answer the question. Did jason carter cause the death of his mother . Did defendant jason carter batter Shirley Carter causing damages to plaintiffs . Answer, yes. Jason had been found liable for the death of his mother. The jury cleared bill. It had to come sooner or later it had to come. Since this was a civil case jason wasnt getting any prison time. What amount of punitive damages if any do you award the estate of Shirley Carter . Answer, 10 million. 10 million. Bill and his lawyer never expected to see a dime. The more important thing for bill was simply to have eight people from that county hearing all the evidence and saying jason did it. Meanwhile the County District attorney ed bull sitting in the back of the courtroom had been watching closely. What would he do now . Coming up the fates were not quite through with the Carter Family. I got right into his face and i said why did you kill your mother . There would soon be an act 2. There really was no significant evidence against jason carter. When dateline continues. Comes power, confidence, reassurance youre doing whats right, to protect your dog from fleas and ticks for a full month. This one little nexgard chew is the 1 vet recommended protection. 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Instead of using aloe, or baby wipes, or powders, try the cooling, soothing relief or preparation h, because your derriere deserves expert care. Preparation h. Get comfortable with it. With a civil case decided against jason carter finding him liable for it death of his mother the District Attorney decided it was time to act. Less than 48 hours after that civil verdict agent ludwick and sheriffs deputies arrested jason carter for the murder of his mother. I got right into his face. And i said why did you kill your mother. But you didnt get anything. Didnt get anything. Stonefaced cold. Jason carter would be brought back into court this time accused of first degree murder. If convicted he could face life in prison. Agent mark ludwick had been convinced of jasons guilt ever since that initial interrogation a few days after the murder. Ill tell you the truth, the godawful truth. Youre not telling me the truth, jason. Yes, i am. That day jason agreed to take a polygraph exam. Regarding the death of your mom do you intend to answer each question truthfully . Yes. Did you physically hurt your mom last friday. He fell. By a huge margin. Not evidence but guidance for you, right . Strong guidance, yes. In march 2019 the curtain came up on the criminal trial. It was first degree murder and jason carter pleaded not guilty. As much as he wanted his son to face justice bill carter knew there would be no winners. I knew there wouldnt be a good outcome. Why do you say that . If my sons guilty of first degree murder, thats not a good outcome. So thats a bad choice. Youll hear prosecutors talk about motive, means and opportunity. Well, means, she said she was in the home, there was ammunition. Opportunity. So lets talk about motive. District attorney ed bull was telling a jury in council bluffs, iowa, jason was stressed over his finances the day he killed his mother. This case isnt about money. Its about pressure. Its about am i going to be able to be a full time farmer . This time around the burden of proof would be higher, beyond a reasonable doubt. And thats what prosecutors challenged without that rock solid csistyle evidence that juries love. I want three things in a homicide case. I want forensics, i want a confession and i want an eyewitness. In this case i had none of those things. Ed bull would pretty much follow the map of the civil trial but the jury wasnt allowed to know about the civil case or its outcome, and bulls hands would also be tied by the judges ruling that the jury wouldnt be allowed to hear about jasons affair or the steamy texts on his secret phone and that jason had lied about all of that at first. Tara hope, the girlfriend took the stand but only to it testify to the gap in jasons time line and to the abrupt end of their conversation. Was your conversation this morning without telling us any of the details such that you expected it was at a logical stopping point . No. As to motive in his oeng the da had mentioned the financial pressure on jason but in the end he found it hard to explain why jason would have shot shurlly in cold blood. Theres absolutely nothing i can tell you that would make sense of why it is a son shoots and kill his mother. Now it was time for the defense. Jason carters attorney christine brandstead had a clear message for the jury. A shoddy investigation focused on jason early and never looked anywhere else, and there were plenty of people to question. Very, very significant parts of this investigation simply werent completed. Werent followed, werent done. So war room, christine. What is the biggest thing you have going in your favor in this thing . There really was no significant evidence against jason carter. As in the civil case the defense attorney argued jason had a loving relationship with his mother and that his allegedly incriminating how did he know that statements were taken out of context. And by the way, he wasnt in any financial trouble. There was a 3,000 check deposited that day and another check for 3,000 in the mail and 175,000 worth of grain in the bins. And as to the abrupt ending to jasons texting with his his mother on the day of the murder the defense attorney Second Degree the girlfriend on the stand. Did you perceive in any way that jason carter was troubled on the morning of june 19th . No. Then there was the time line of that morning to deal with. All along based on statements of First Responders and crime scene techs it was estimated surely had been murdered some time just before 11 00 a. M. When jason admits he was at the farmhouse. One of the nations pathologists for hire took the stand. Hes been involved in injfk assassination to o. J. Simpson. Were you able to do that to a reasonable degree of medical certainty . Yes. He told the jury that shirley may have been killed two hours earlier than anyone had thought possible. If he was correct then shirley was murdered around 9 00 a. M. He could not have killed his mother. So when the state says to you all clues point to one conclusion, its all the clues that it tunnel vision Law Enforcement and one investigator in particular went after. The defense attorney said the tunnel visioned investigator was special agent mark ludwick. Now he reluctantly became her star witness with brandsteader rumbling about the names of the investigation ludwick fumbled. You were not aware of thats correct, yes. Not aware of jeremy morrison. I did become aware of jason morris. That would be jeremy morris. I think you just said jason. Yeah, that was my mistake. And that was a big part of the point we were trying to make to the jury. And while jasons lawyer argued the investigation hadnt been thorough he said the names raised werent viable specs. No credible information. Would the jury see reasonable doubt or would jason carter be spending the rest of his life in prison . The attorneys would have one more chance to make their case. Coming up the verdict. I ask you to return a verdict of not guilty. There are only two people who knew what happened that day. One of thems dead and the other one is sitting in that chair. When dateline continues. Protect your pet with the 1 name in flea and tick protection. Frontline plus. Trusted by vets for nearly 20 years. Frontline plus. When it comes to parenting, youre a pro. You know reflexes are key. You know your kid doesnt step around puddles. And wet shoes, not cool. You know what else isnt cool . Those cheap leaky diapers. Because with luvs, you get the prolevel leak protection youre looking for. Luvs, parent like a pro you have fastacting power over pain, so the whole world looks different. The unbeatable strength and speed of advil liquigels. What pain . VoMike Bloomberg has a recordgue of doing something. As mayor, he protected womens reproductive rights. Expanded Health Coverage to 700,000 new yorkers. And decreased infantmortality rates to historic lows. As president , hell build on obamacare, cap medical costs, and will always protect a womans right to choose. Mike bloomberg a record on Health Care Nobody can argue about. Mike im Mike Bloomberg and i approve this message. Welcome back. At jason carters murder trial prosecutors knew without forensic evidence a confession or any eyewitnesses they faced an uphill battle. The defense made their case that police had tunnel vision and botched the investigation. The jury was unaware jason had been found liable for his moms death in a civil trial. With the criminal case now wrapping up the stakes were raised for father and son. Heres Dennis Murphy with the conclusion of the farm. The case of the state of iowa versus jason karlter was about to go to the jury. Theres so many holes in this investigation. Theres so much that isnt even explored. Jasons defense attorney made one last plea. And in reality the forensic evidence says jason carter couldnt possibly be guilty. I ask you to return a verdict of not guilty. Now the county prosecutor argued all the viable leads were followed and the defense was just so much smoke and mirrors. And you believe this is a staged burglary, then all of the names and stuff they put up on the board is irrelevant. Bull told the jury jason just snapped that morning and in a fit of rage had killed his mother. There are only two people who knew what happened that day. One of thems dead and the other ones sitting in that chair. Find him guilty as charged. It took the jury less than two hours to reach a verdict. About the same duration as the civil jurys deliberation. And remember that jury had found jason liable for his mothers death so the lead investigator felt good about things. We felt this is it and i had that feeling and emotion of hes going to be found guilty. Ludswick assembled a team to take jason into custody after the verdict. Ladies and gentlemen, have you reached a verdict . Yes, we have. Jason knew a copviction could send him to prison for life. We, the jury find jason carter not guilty. Not guilty. Jason had gotten his life back. I just want to go home and see my kids because its been a long time coming. Jason was a free man. The District Attorney says he gave it his best shot. So youre giving the jury this argument of a moment of rage, but you cant really play that movie for them and explain what it was. Its not a very satisfying thing to Say Something happened, he went downstairs, got the rifle and killed his mom. I dont disagree with you. I wish there was a better story i could tell but im limited based on what the facts are that i can prove to a jury, and thats the best i had. But that wasnt good enough for bill carter. The worst thing i was afraid of was that shirley would never get justice. And that happened. Is this case closed . Yes. We believe that we held the right person accountable, but if new information comes forward we will continue to investigate this. Thats just what jason carter says he wants. Find the killer. He declined an interview with dateline, but his Attorney Says he realizes some people will still believe that he shot his mother to death. Jason knows that until someone has conclusively proven to be the murderer some people will still suspect him. The 10 million civil judgment against jason remains in place. Hes appealing that verdict. But for now jason is as hes always been a farmer and the cycles dont stop. Its planting season. I imagine seeds are going in the ground, huh . Thats exactly it. I know he was planting on easter day and jason has had his father out planting at the same time. What did he think . He said his thought was it just seems wrong. This should have been the time we were both planting, we both quit and we went in for easter dinner together. And its hard for him to understand how his family ended up split up like this. And on his side of that field bill carter watched the son he loved so much work the land just as he taught him. I have to farm right across the fence from him. Can you see him . I was from here to that wall from him yesterday. A few feet but an unbridgeable divide when its a matter of father versus son. Thats all for this edition of dateline. Im natalie morales. Thank you for watching. Im craig melvin. And im natalie morales. And this is dateline. Free meek mill how do you explain why your case has become so important . This is the same thing that thousands of minorities are going through. They just dont have anybody to speak on their behalf. Now they do. Yeah, now they do. Rap star, hashtag, symbol, meek mill inspired a movement. Hes been wronged by the criminal Justice System for a decade now. We have been conducting criminal justice with a chainsaw. In his first postprison interview, he tells his powerful story