Confession of Carlos Hallowell - A detailed case overview

Dateline: Secrets Uncovered episode titled Horror at the Lake follows the case of Carlos Hallowell, who was convicted of murdering his mother, Denise Hallowell. The episode first aired on November 5, 2021, and will re-air on Oxygen on August 13 at 4 pm ET.

In July 2019, the quiet lakeside community of Inverness, Florida, was shaken by the gruesome murder of school teacher Denise Hallowell. The incident was reported by her 17-year-old adoptive son, Carlos Hallowell, who placed a frantic 911 call, claiming he had found Denise murdered in her bedroom.

When authorities arrived, they found Denise dead from an ax blow to the back of her head. Soon, Carlos became the prime suspect in the case.

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Who is Carlos Hallowell? All about the accused and his relationship with Denise Hallowell

Denise Howell was found murdered in her bed (Image via Getty)

On July 13, 2019, 17-year-old Carlos Hallowell placed a frantic 911 call, reporting that someone had murdered his 57-year-old adoptive mother, Denise Hallowell. Authorities rushed to the Inverness, Florida, residence to find someone had taken an ax to the back of Denise's neck as she slept in her bed.

According to NBC6, Denise was a special education teacher who had adopted Carlos from Guatemala when he was four years old. However, their relationship became increasingly strained over the years and was marked by conflicts over Carlos' substance abuse and lifestyle choices.

Carlos began using alcohol and drugs like Xanax, morphine, ecstasy, methamphetamine, and cocaine from a young age. This upset Denise, who wanted him to pursue a stable career and attend a university instead of a vocational school, as reported by Oxygen.

Carlos Hallowell also alleged that Denise Hallowell was physically abusive toward him and a second child named Angel, whom she had adopted from Honduras. NBC Miami reported that Denise was arrested in 2015 for alleged abuse of Angel, but prosecutors later dropped the charges due to insufficient evidence. Following this, Angel was removed from the home but was allowed supervised visits with Carlos.

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The night Denise Hallowell was murdered

Carlos Hallowell told investigators that on the night of Denise Hallowell's murder, after he took the ax into his mother's room, he blacked out.

"I remember sharping [sic] the ax, and now, all of [a] sudden, it's in the back of her head. It was kind of on the fly... I didn't intend for it to happen," he said, according to The Chronicle.

Investigators claimed that Carlos had premeditated the murder. He had removed the home security cameras and Denise's phone, disposing of them in a nearby lake. Oxygen reported that divers later recovered three cameras and the phone from the lake.

As per the outlet, initially, Carlos had told authorities that he had been woken by dogs barking, only to find the door of their home wide open. Then, he said he went into his mother's bedroom, and that was when he discovered her dead. However, forensic evidence and interviews soon led investigators to conclude that he was the culprit.

During questioning, Carlos Hallowell admitted to the murder but claimed it was impulsive. But according to prosecutors, the act was premeditated and motivated in part by a desire to obtain his mother's property and assets, as per Oxygen.

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Carlos Hallowell's trial and sentencing

Carlos Hallowell was convicted of Denise Hallowell's murder (Image via Pexels)

Carlos Hallowell was put on trial, and the Citrus County Circuit Court Judge Richard Howard agreed with the prosecution's position. He also cited expert testimony that Carlos met 16 of 20 criteria for psychopathy and stated that the murder was not a sudden outburst but planned, as reported by The Chronicle.

Since Carlos was a minor at the time of his conviction, he was ineligible for the death penalty. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

"Mom, I'm so very sorry. Words can't describe how I feel right now, how much I miss you… I love you so much," Carlos said in court, as per the Chronicle.

Carlos Hallowell is serving his sentence in the Holmes Correctional Institution in Florida, according to Florida Department of Corrections records.

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Catch the case today on Oxygen.