Anthony Carter
A defendant convicted of murder is scheduled to learn Wednesday if he will spend the rest of his life in prison.
On Nov. 1, a four-day jury trial for Anthony W. Carter, 51, ended with a guilty verdict. The jury determined the defendant deliberately killed Ashley E. Neville, 40, at her home near Azalia on April 16, 2023.
The Bartholomew Superior Court 1 jury recommended that the defendant from Indianapolis serve the remainder of his life in prison without the hope of parole.
At 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Judge James Worton will decide whether to abide by the jury’s recommendation or hand down a different sentence.
Prosecutors argued that Carter became angry and went out of control because the victim refused to let him see her cellphone to find out if she had another lover.
The defendant told investigators a handgun carried by Neville fired and struck her while Carter was attempting to grab it away from her. But according to a probable cause affidavit, he later told an investigator that the victim never had the weapon.
Carter told detectives he “wanted to end her suffering” by putting a plastic bag around the wounded Neville’s head and using duct tape to secure it. The defendant said he then placed his hand over the victim’s mouth to smother her.
Neville, who was Carter’s former girlfriend, had a restraining order to keep him away from her at the time of her death. Nevertheless, prosecutors concede Neville drove to Indianapolis hours before her death and drove the defendant back to her home.
While the defense maintained the shooting was accidental, the prosecution said evidence suggests she was already asleep when Carter walked into her bedroom and shot her, according to court documents and testimony.
As their basis for recommending life without the possibility of parole, the jury agreed the bag and duct tape constituted a form of torture while the victim was still alive. The jury also cited the fact that Carter was on probation for two other crimes when he committed the murder.
