TOMBALL, Texas — A Lone Star College employee is charged with murder in connection with the death of his baby son, according to court documents obtained by KHOU 11 News.
Those documents show Emmitt Eugene Carter, 38, was arrested Friday, Aug. 16, for allegedly killing his 6-month-old son by shaking and hitting him with a blunt object on July 8, 2023.
According to court records, Carter is an assistant dean of student success at the Lone Star College campus in Tomball and has been for the last 10 years.
Carter made his first court appearance on Monday morning.
His defense attorneys asked the judge that he be released on his own recognizance, meaning his bond be set at $0 instead of $600,000. His bond was set at $300,000.
The defense argues Carter noticed his 6-month-old was struggling to breathe and choking last July so he performed chest compressions which caused the broken ribs.
However, the defense says the rest of the child’s injuries are a mystery and could’ve been caused by the child’s mother early on. She was out of town during this incident.
Prosecutors said it’s taken more than a year for an arrest to be made in this case because they didn’t want to rush to judgment.
“We want to make sure that everybody is equal justice under the law, that we’re fair and we apply the laws and the facts appropriately especially in cases like this when you’re dealing with an accused and a child at 6 months old and a child who doesn’t have a voice,” Assistant District Edward Appelbaum said.
“What happened here is not a crime. It's a horrible tragedy,” defense attorney Will Vaughn said. “And there's a lot of mystery to that. But it wasn't a crime. And the fact that an innocent man like Dr. Carter is having to be in here in handcuffs, answering for something he didn't do instead of mourning the death of his child is heartbreaking.”
KHOU 11 reached out to Lone Star College for comment Sunday night and are waiting to hear back.