February 14, 2023
(McKinney, Texas) – Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis announced that Aston Carrier, 28, of Houston, Texas, was sentenced to 60 years for murder after a jury found him guilty. “Aston Carrier showed time and time again by his criminal history, numerous pending charges in Harris County, and repeated violations of bond, that he cannot be a lawful member of society. He then brought his crime spree to Collin County, where we prosecuted him to the fullest extent of the law and asked the jury to remove him from society for as long as possible,” stated Willis after sentencing.
On June 2, 2020, witnesses found the deceased, Derek Carr, on the sidewalk outside of the Sutton Place Apartment Complex in the Collin County portion of the City of Dallas, after hearing multiple rounds of gunfire. Officers from the Dallas Police Department, as well as EMS, were unable to revive the victim.
After a two-month long investigation, Dallas Police Department Detective Patty Belew determined that Aston Carrier and his accomplice traveled from the Houston area to the victim’s apartment in the early morning hours of June 2, 2020. Surveillance video from the victim’s apartment showed Aston Carrier and his accomplice attempting to get the victim to come out of his apartment before they intentionally disabled the cameras.
Witnesses reported that the victim was shot in the back while running through the parking lot. Detective Belew ultimately identified Aston Carrier and his accomplice from the surveillance video and multiple witness interviews. DNA evidence later confirmed that Aston Carrier and his accomplice were involved in the shootout at the apartment complex.
The jury found Carrier guilty of murder. During punishment, the State presented evidence to the jury that Carrier was on probation out of Harris County for the felony offense of Evading with a Motor Vehicle at the time of the murder. Additionally, the jury heard that Carrier had been previously arrested for Unlawful Carrying of a Weapon, Aggravated Robbery, Unlawful Use of a Criminal Instrument, Evading with Prior Conviction, and Failure to Identify, all out of Harris County. Prosecutors also presented evidence that Carrier was arrested in Harris County twice while in possession of firearms while on bond for this murder charge. Finally, the jury heard that while in custody in the Collin County jail, he brutally assaulted another inmate. The jury sentenced Carrier to 60 years in prison. The accomplice is currently awaiting jury trial.
Judge Benjamin Smith presided over the case.
Assistant Criminal District Attorneys Ashley Briggs and Christina Skipper prosecuted the case, assisted by District Attorney Investigators Mike Smith, Victim Assistance Coordinator Melissa White, and Legal Secretary Lisa McCurdy.
#####
