Who Killed Shirley Carter: Acquittal, Civil Verdict, and Appeal

No one has been convicted of killing Shirley Carter. Her son, Jason Carter, was charged with first-degree murder and acquitted by a jury in March 2019, but a separate civil jury had already found him liable for her wrongful death and ordered him to pay more than $10 million — a judgment the Iowa Supreme Court later upheld. As of 2025, the question of who killed Shirley Carter has two answers depending on which courtroom you ask, and no other suspect has ever been charged.

What Happened on June 19, 2015

Shirley Carter, a 68-year-old woman from Lacona in Marion County, Iowa, was found dead on her kitchen floor on the morning of June 19, 2015. She had been shot twice in the back with a medium-caliber rifle. Her body lay face-down in a pool of blood, arms folded across her chest, and a bullet hole was visible in the refrigerator.¹

Jason Carter told investigators he discovered his mother’s body and called his sister. Shirley’s husband, Bill Carter, arrived shortly afterward. Investigators placed the killing between 7 a.m. and noon.

Drawers in the office and bedroom had been pulled open and their contents dumped on the floor, but nothing appeared to have been taken. An envelope holding $1,700 in cash sat undisturbed on a dresser, and $140 remained in Shirley’s purse. Marion County Attorney Ed Bull later called the scene an “amateur’s attempt” to make the killing look like a break-in — what prosecutors described as a “fake burglary.”¹²

Why Investigators Focused on Jason Carter

Within a year, investigators had conducted roughly 200 interviews and pursued more than 100 leads. Their focus narrowed to Shirley’s son.¹

Bill Carter publicly accused Jason of the murder. He alleged the family farming operation was roughly $500,000 in debt and that Jason stood to benefit from an estate valued at about $10 million in farmland. Prosecutors argued at trial that Jason killed his mother to gain access to the family’s financial assets.³⁴

Ballistics evidence became central. Bill Carter provided investigators with bullets previously fired from a rifle kept in the family’s basement gun safe, and those bullets were reported to match the rounds recovered from Shirley’s body. Bill also said Jason had given the gun safe to his parents as a gift, contradicting Jason’s claim that he did not know about it.¹⁵

Other allegations surfaced. Reports described a “burner phone” hidden in Jason’s truck fuse box, said to have been used for an extramarital affair Shirley had discovered before her death.³ Jason denied any involvement in his mother’s death.

The Alternative Suspects

Jason’s defense pointed elsewhere. In 2018, after criminal investigation files were turned over to the defense, his attorneys identified brothers Joel and John Followill, along with an associate named Matt Kammerick, as alternative suspects. Defense attorney Alison Kanne filed a 46-page petition citing evidence that a Marion County jail inmate had told authorities back in 2015 that the Followill brothers confessed to him. According to the inmate, the brothers and Kammerick had been burglarizing the Carter home when Shirley surprised them, and they shot her.⁶

Other witnesses reportedly linked the brothers to the killing. One woman told investigators she heard Joel Followill confess. Another said Joel had nightmares about the homicide. Evidence also tied the brothers to a white SUV said to have been used the day Shirley died.⁷

Bill Carter said DCI officials had “vetted” the Followill brothers in 2015 and ultimately focused the investigation on Jason instead.⁶ None of the alternative suspects were charged with the murder. The Iowa Supreme Court later described information from these sources as “inconsistent” and coming from people facing their own criminal charges who had obvious motives to seek leniency.⁵

The Civil Jury Found Jason Liable

Six months after the killing, with no arrest in sight, Bill Carter filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Jason on January 5, 2016. He was joined by his other son, Billy Dean Carter, and by the Estate of Shirley Carter.¹⁸

In December 2017, a Marion County civil jury found Jason Carter liable for his mother’s death and awarded the plaintiffs $10,250,002 in damages. Civil cases require a lower standard of proof than criminal cases: a plaintiff must show liability is more probable than not, rather than proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The civil jury heard evidence about the staged burglary scene, the ballistics match, Jason’s financial difficulties, and inconsistencies in his timeline on the day of the killing.⁵

Jason spent years challenging that verdict. His motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict was denied in February 2018. Two petitions to vacate based on evidence from the criminal case files were also denied. In March 2021, the Iowa Supreme Court affirmed the full civil judgment, finding the purported new evidence was either already known to Jason, could have been discovered with due diligence, was inadmissible hearsay, or was inconsistent with his own trial theory. A later independent action alleging extrinsic fraud was dismissed on summary judgment and affirmed by the Iowa Court of Appeals in July 2023.⁸

The Criminal Jury Acquitted Him

Three days after the civil verdict, on December 18, 2017, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation arrested Jason Carter and charged him with first-degree murder.¹ The timing drew scrutiny. Prosecutors had investigated the case for over two years without charging anyone, then moved almost immediately after a civil jury found Jason liable.

The trial was moved from Marion County to Pottawattamie County because of extensive pretrial publicity. Jury selection began March 5, 2019. Shortly before trial, the proceedings were briefly delayed after prosecutors turned over two gigabytes of additional information to the defense, which attorney Christine Branstad described as potentially exculpatory. The new material included reports about individuals overhearing the Followill brothers discuss the shooting, and evidence contradicting one of the brothers’ alibis.⁹

At trial, prosecutors presented the ballistics evidence, Jason’s 911 call, testimony from Bill Carter and law enforcement, and the financial-pressure theory. The defense argued investigators had exhibited “tunnel vision,” focusing on Jason while ignoring leads pointing to other suspects, and it accused prosecutors of withholding exculpatory evidence.¹²

On March 21, 2019, after a short deliberation, the jury found Jason Carter not guilty.¹

Why the Two Juries Reached Different Verdicts

Two things separated the outcomes. First, the burden of proof. Civil plaintiffs need only show liability is more probable than not; criminal prosecutors must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Second, and just as important, the two juries did not see the same evidence.

The civil jury heard the case while the criminal investigation was still active, meaning the state was not yet required to turn over all of its files. By the time of the criminal trial, the defense had access to far more material, including reports about the Followill brothers and others who claimed knowledge of the killing.⁵

Where the Case Stands Now

Jason Carter remains liable for the $10.25 million civil judgment, which has been upheld through every level of appeal. He is not guilty in criminal court and cannot be retried for his mother’s murder. His federal and state lawsuits against the DCI agent and Marion County, alleging a botched and biased investigation, have all been dismissed. In June 2025, the Eighth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of his federal claims on qualified-immunity grounds, with Judge Bobby Shepherd writing that the warrant application for Jason’s arrest was supported by probable cause based on the “totality of the circumstances.”¹⁰

No one else has ever been charged in Shirley Carter’s death. The Followill brothers and Matt Kammerick were investigated but never prosecuted. Iowa Cold Cases classifies Shirley’s case as solved, citing the criminal acquittal of the primary suspect.¹ In practical terms, the question of who killed Shirley Carter has no single legal answer. One jury said Jason did it. Another said the state hadn’t proved it. Both verdicts still stand.

1
Iowa Cold Cases. Shirley Carter Case Summary
2
Ottumwa Courier. Prosecutor: Clues Lead to One Conclusion
3
KCCI. Widower Says Son Killed Mom Over Estate
4
Court TV. IA v. Carter
5
Des Moines Register. Iowa Supreme Court Upholds $10 Million Civil Lawsuit
6
KCCI. New Evidence Points to Other Suspects in Mother’s Death
7
WHO13. Carter v. State Petition
8
FindLaw. Carter v. Carter, Iowa Court of Appeals
9
Ottumwa Courier. Carter Trial Delayed After More Evidence Received
10
Des Moines Register. Jason Carter Lawsuit Iowa Murder Investigators Appeal Denied