Trial moved to April for suspect in 2021 slaying

NEW BOSTON, Texas — A murder suspect previously scheduled for a jury trial this week in Bowie County has had his court date pushed back to April, according to court records.

Charles Jerome Carter, 32, has a pretrial hearing scheduled for April 17 and a jury trial scheduled for April 18 in Bowie County 5th District Court, according to court records.

Carter is accused in the Jan. 12, 2021, shooting death of Nicholas Muldrow, 29, of Hope, Arkansas. The shooting happened in the parking lot of Harbor Freight in the 2700 block of New Boston Road in Texarkana, Texas.

A Bowie County grand jury indicted Carter on a murder charge in April 2021.

Muldrow was shot in the chest and leg while seated behind the wheel of his 2004 Cadillac in the parking lot, according to probable-cause affidavits.

A man was seen exiting a black Nissan Rogue Sport and getting into the passenger seat of the Cadillac before the shooting. The man then ran from the Cadillac to the Nissan while carrying a suitcase.

Police recovered the empty suitcase in the parking lot.

Muldrow attempted to drive away after being shot, but his car hit a tree in the parking lot of a nearby Whataburger, according to the affidavit. He died of his injuries at a hospital. Through witness statements and video surveillance, investigators determined that Muldrow and the man who got in the passenger seat argued before two shots were fired. An LG cellphone was found along with the empty suitcase in the parking lot, and the suspected murder weapon, a Smith and Wesson pistol, was found in the Cadillac, the affidavit states. Shell casings that matched ammunition still loaded in the pistol also were found in the Cadillac.

The gun’s serial number led police to a residence in the 200 block of Citation Street in Texarkana, Texas, where Carter’s girlfriend lived. More information gathered in the investigation resulted in an arrest warrant for Carter.

Carter remains in the BiState jail with bail set at $1 million. He previously went before Bowie County 5th District Judge Bill Miller to ask for a bond reduction. The request was denied, according to court documents.

Carter is represented by Michael Bernoudy Jr.