Former Judge’s Son Arrested For Capital Murder

Following the murders of a former judge from Texas and his wife, Seth B. Carnes was apprehended and charged with capital murder.

Texas authorities received a call around 11:45 pm about a shooting.

When the police arrived, Seth Carnes was leaving the house. He informed officers that he had just shot and murdered his parents, Susan and Alfred, both 74 years old, according to the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies discovered Alfred and Susan’s lifeless bodies inside the house, both shot to death. The preliminary inquiry found that Seth and his parents had a quarrel, which led to the deaths. At the scene, Seth did not elaborate on how the arguments escalated to murder.

According to the investigation, “family violence and death” occurred after an argument became violent. Seth Carnes allegedly murdered his mother because he refused to take a sleeping medication that she was attempting to put in his mouth, according to the probable cause arrest affidavit. Reportedly responding to the question of why he killed his father, he stated: “I was simply looking for something and decided I would finish it off.”

Seth lived in an apartment located above the garage. That is where his mother’s body was found.

A Remington 870 shotgun, which he supposedly kept next to his bed, was purportedly used by Seth to murder his father.

After twenty-four years of service, Williamson County’s 368th District Court Judge Burt Carnes resigned in 2013. Susan Carnes spent over 30 years in the classroom, primarily teaching elementary school students.

In the courtroom, Burt Carnes was notoriously severe, even going so far as to enforce a clothing code.

According to his retirement interview with the American-Statesman, he believed that a judge had to maintain control of the courtroom to ensure a fair trial.

If his son is convicted of his murder, Seth is facing the possibility of a life sentence or even the death penalty.