MARION COUNTY- A jury found Friday that Jason Carter was responsible for the death of his mother, Shirley Carter, in 2015.
The jury returned a verdict awarding the estate of Shirley Carter $10 million, as well as $250,000 in pre-death damages.
Bill Carter, Shirley’s widower and Jason’s father, filed a civil lawsuit against Jason alleging he killed Shirley.
Friday’s closing arguments centered on who would’ve killed Shirley, with the prosecution saying Jason would’ve known how to commit the act.
“Jason knows high-powered rifles, he’s hunted with them,” Mark Weinhardt, Bill Carter’s attorney, said.
The defense painted a different picture, saying Shirley Carter’s will benefited Bill.
“Who benefited from Shirley’s death?”, Jason’s attorney Alison Canne said during closing arguments. “Not Jason.”
On Thursday, Jason Carter took the stand for the second time during the trial. Jason said he had a phone call with his father after Shirley died, and it raised some red flags.
“My dad said on the second day, he wanted to run into a bridge pillar and kill himself,” said Jason. “Mom’s gone, why would you want to leave your family?”
Jason said he tried to maintain a loving relationship with his father after the family tragedy. He said that his father, Bill, tried to move on.
