In this March 20, 2019 file photo, Jason Carter speaks to attorney Nathan Olson during his first-degree murder trial in Council Bluffs. Carter was acquitted of the charge and has since turned his attention to attempting to overturn a civil verdict that found him liable for his mother's death and suing investigators that worked the case.
The decision last week of the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals restored most of the claims in Jason Carter’s federal lawsuit against investigators of the murder. However, he will drop the claims he had filed against his father, Bill Carter.
In 2019, Jason Carter was acquitted of that charge by a Pottawattamie County jury. He has since turned his attention to attempting to have the civil verdict against him overturned.
He told his father: "Some son of a b---- has robbed you and killed Mom," according to Bill Carter's testimony. Jason Carter told his father to go to check if "a gun went off," Bill Carter testified.
Jason Carter during murder trial, March 11, 2019. (WHO-HD) This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.
The trial is being held in Pottawattamie County because of pre-trial publicity.
He argued there was a biased investigation and that lead s that pointed to other suspects were not followed up on by law enforcement . Jason Carter also said law enforcement worked with his father Bill Carter to provide false and misleading evidence to be used in the civil trial against him.
U.S. District Court Judge Charles Wolle ruled Friday said the federal court lacked jurisdiction in the case Jason Carter brought against state and local investigators and his father. Attorneys for Jason Carter said he plans to appeal the ruling.
There have been no other arrests in the murder of Shirley Carter, who was shot dead in her home in rural Lacona on June 19, 2015. In June, Jason Carter filed a separate state lawsuit against the same individuals and Marion County.
Federal court tosses Jason Carter's suit. Jason Carter pictured on March 21, 2019 during a break in the criminal trial against him in Council Bluffs. Jason Carter was ultimately acquitted of the charge against him. DES MOINES — A federal lawsuit brought against investigators by the Marion County man accused, then acquitted, ...
Jason Carter was sued by his father, Bill Carter, in civil court for wrongful death following his mother’s murder. Days after the Marion County jury rendered that verdict, law enforcement arrested Jason Carter and charged him with first-degree murder. In 2019, Jason Carter was acquitted of that charge by a Pottawattamie County jury.
Kyle Ocker is a Centerville native and award-winning multimedia journalist. Kyle is currently the president of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council and vice president of the Iowa Print Sports Writers Association.
The statement, delivered by email, said, “It is telling that Jason has found the money to afford teams of lawyers to file a frivolous lawsuit, but he hasn’t paid a penny of the millions of dollars that he owes his mother’s estate.”.
Jason Carter is pictured on March 21, 2019, during a break in the criminal trial against him in Council Bluffs. Jason Carter was ultimately found not guilty of murder and is now attempting to have a civil verdict that found him liable for his mother’s death be set aside.
Kyle Ocker is a Centerville native and award-winning multimedia journalist. Kyle is currently the first vice president of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council and vice president of the Iowa Print Sports Writers Association.
Before jurors came back from a break, Jason Carter's defense team tried to convince District Judge Brad McCall to allow evidence of "significant" domestic violence by Bill Carter against his wife, claiming his portrayal of their relationship was inaccurate.
During opening statements last week, Marion County Attorney Ed Bull painted Jason Carter as a struggling farmer who was pressured to succeed and killed his mother for financial gain.
That was because Jason Carter enjoyed buying expensive equipment, Bill Carter testified. Bill Carter offered to let his son purchase a section of their property, but it was an area where deer ate the land.
Carter testified his wife's blood was still pooled and wet when he arrived and the hogs they kept were still eating, which he said indicated they had been recently fed.
If he had been convicted of first-degree murder, Jason Carter would have been sentenced to life in prison; instead, he walked out of the courthouse a free man.
More: Carter accuses prosecutors of withholding exculpatory evidence. Branstad argued state investigators with "tunnel vision" failed to follow up on significant leads, saying, at one point, no one was interviewed for more than a year.
Shirley Carter, 68, died on June 19, 2015, from two gunshot wounds fired by a rifle. In December 2017, her youngest son, Jason, was criminally charged days after a civil jury found him responsible for her death and ordered him to pay $10 million to her estate. The lawsuit was brought by Jason Carter's father.
Prosecutors must prove a criminal charge beyond a reasonable doubt, a bar much higher than the one used to find someone liable during a civil trial. Bull painted Jason Carter as a struggling farmer who was pressured to succeed and killed his mother for financial gain.
Carter, wearing a black suit and gray tie Thursday, did not testify at the trial that began March 8 at Pottawattamie County Courthouse in Council Bluffs, where it was moved because of pre-trial publicity. As he gained his composure to talk to reporters Thursday, Jason Carter embraced his wife.
Bill Carter still every day wakes up, and his wife isn’t there next to him.". Asked if his office would investigate other suspects, Bull told reporters that was up to law enforcement. But he said when he charges someone with murder, he is "firmly convinced that's the person who committed the offense.".
Throughout the proceedings, Carter’s defense team accused investigators of failing to chase down all leads in the killing of Shirley Carter, describing the state's evidence as thin as they pointed to other suspects. Jurors appeared to agree.