They were planning to get married this year. Then a carjacking changed everything.
HOUSTON — Nearly two months after a 41-year-old Houston man was shot and killed during an attempted carjacking, police have arrested two suspects — both 14 years old — and charged them with capital murder.
James Tolen was killed on Jan. 20 at Riverside Park. Houston police say the teens were after his truck. His fiancee, Krystal Carter, learned of the arrests by text message.
“I got a text message today saying, ‘we got him.’ And I responded in all caps, ‘thank you.'”
Because the suspects are minors, their identities cannot be disclosed and their faces must be blurred in images released by police. Both will face charges through the juvenile court system. It is unlikely either teen will be released before the case goes to trial.
Carter said surveillance images shared publicly by police weeks ago were what ultimately led to the tips that helped identify the suspects.
“I know that they were the ones on the pictures that you guys shared a few weeks ago — but other than that, nothing.”
Carter and Tolen had been together for seven years and were planning to get married this year. The couple had traveled the world together. His truck now sits parked outside the garage of her home.
Tolen’s death has left Carter searching for ways to stay connected to him. He was a house painter, and she has taken up the hobby herself as a way to feel close to him.
“He was an amazing house painter. I’ve started painting some in our house and I paint and I’ll send a text message time lapse to his phone and say, ‘Bebe, look at what I did.'”
Carter says the arrests bring her some comfort, knowing the suspects who police say took her future husband and the love of her life won’t be able to do this to anyone else. She says she is taking it one day at a time.