Brittany McGlone Murder: 2022 Arrest, Grand Jury No-Bill, and Dispute

The Brittany McGlone murder is an unsolved 2007 Texas homicide in which the 19-year-old was beaten to death inside her boyfriend’s home in Winnsboro. A suspect, Chad Earl Carr, was arrested on a capital murder warrant in September 2022, but a Wood County grand jury declined to indict him that November. The case is open, and the Wood County Sheriff’s Office says investigators are still pursuing leads.¹

What Happened on May 4, 2007

McGlone drove to the Winnsboro home of her boyfriend, Jeff Stogner, on the morning of May 4, 2007, after finishing an overnight shift. Stogner and his stepfather Kelly Bourland had left town that day to pick up a relative in Cleburne. Bourland saw McGlone alive at about 9:00 a.m.² Stogner told investigators he came home around 2:30 p.m., found her in his bedroom, and called 911.³

An autopsy performed at the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Science determined the cause of death was blunt force trauma, with severe injuries to her head and face, and ruled the manner of death a homicide.⁴ She had also been sexually assaulted.³ There were no signs of forced entry or robbery. McGlone was found naked, her underwear was missing, and investigators noted evidence that the killer had showered in the home’s bathroom before leaving.²

The Suspect Investigators Focused On

Attention turned early to Chad Earl Carr, who was dating the sister of McGlone’s boyfriend at the time, a connection that placed him within the family’s orbit.⁵ Because Stogner and Bourland were out of town that day, investigators believed Carr would have known McGlone was alone in the house and asleep.⁴

Investigators identified a gap in his timeline. Surveillance footage placed Carr at an ALCO store at 9:21 a.m., and his whereabouts between then and 10:20 a.m., when he arrived late for an eye doctor appointment, were not fully accounted for.² On May 17, 2007, Carr took a polygraph examination at the Amarillo Police Department and failed. Four days later, investigators executed a search warrant at his residence and recovered two pairs of women’s underwear, clothing with possible blood, and a ski mask. One pair of underwear matched McGlone’s size; the other matched Carr’s girlfriend’s size. Investigators also noted a similarity between the blunt force trauma inflicted on McGlone and a prior aggravated assault conviction on Carr’s record, in which he had struck a female in the head with a blunt object.⁴

No arrest followed. The case went cold.

The 2022 Arrest and the Grand Jury No-Bill

The case moved again after Kelly Cole became Wood County Sheriff in January 2021. Cole, who had been an investigator with the department at the time of the original murder, made cold cases a departmental priority and said his office spent significant time reviewing existing case material and retesting physical evidence, including blood stains and DNA.⁶

On September 1, 2022, Captain Mike Chilson and Texas Ranger John Vance arrested Carr in the Dallas-Fort Worth area on a capital murder warrant. He was booked into the Wood County Jail with bond set at $1 million.³

District Attorney Angela Albers and Assistant District Attorney Logan Sawyer presented the case to a Wood County grand jury. Albers later said she presented “all the evidence I have — the good, the bad and the ugly,” and that a witness testified for nearly two hours.⁷ The grand jury returned a no-bill, finding insufficient evidence to indict, and Carr was released from jail on November 30, 2022.³ Sawyer said a no-bill is not a dismissal but a determination that there was not sufficient evidence or probable cause to return an indictment at that time.

The Dispute Between the Sheriff, the Family, and the DA

Sheriff Cole publicly disagreed with the outcome, calling the evidence “overwhelming” and saying an injustice had been done to the family.⁸

McGlone’s half-sister, Hope McGlone, said the district attorney’s office “did not do their part and did not come through.”⁷ The victim’s mother, Patricia Tice, alleged that Albers had “actively persuaded or nudged the grand jury to no-bill Chad Carr.” Tice also said the family later learned that Assistant DA Brandon Baade had previously represented Carr as a defense attorney in a 2007 sexual assault case.⁹

Albers denied influencing the grand jury’s decision, stating: “In no way could I cause a specific outcome on a case presented to the Grand Jury. Any claims to the contrary are false.” She said the no-bill meant the sheriff’s office could continue working the case and gathering evidence.⁷

On May 4, 2023, the 16th anniversary of McGlone’s death, family members and supporters held a daylong vigil at the Wood County Courthouse in Quitman, saying the DA’s office had refused to communicate with them or explain the no-bill decision.⁹

Where the Case Stands Now

The case is open. Sheriff Cole has said investigators have turned over new information, are actively pursuing leads, and that the suspects are believed to still be in the community. In late 2025, the cold case advocacy organization Season of Justice sponsored a billboard on Interstate 30 near Rockdale Road in Sulphur Springs seeking new information; it was scheduled to run from November 2025 through May 2026. The Wood County Sheriff’s Office and Wood County Crime Stoppers have also increased the reward for information leading to an arrest. The family also runs a Facebook page called “Justice for Brittany McGlone” to keep the case in front of the public.¹

The Wood County Sheriff’s Office (Case No. 07-02400) remains the lead agency. Anyone with information can contact the office at 903-763-2201 or submit anonymous tips through Wood County Crime Stoppers at 903-760-1008.²

1
Season of Justice. Brittany McGlone
2
Crime Junkie Podcast. Murdered: Brittany McGlone
3
NBC News. 15 Years Later, Arrest Made in 2007 Texas Homicide of 19-Year-Old
4
Wood County Monitor. Affidavit Details Cold Case Murder Arrest
5
KLTV. Sister of 2007 Wood County Murder Victim Reacts to Arrest of Suspect
6
KSLA. Wood County Sheriff Says Mix of Old and New Evidence Led to Arrest of Brittany McGlone Murder Suspect
7
Wood County Monitor. McGlone Murder Suspect Freed After No-Bill
8
KETK. Family Left Living Without Closure in 15-Year East Texas Cold Case
9
KLTV. Family, Friends of Murdered Wood County Teen Rally for Justice on 16th Anniversary of Death