Tragic murder of autistic man Carl Henry Starke: A detailed case overview

In August 2015, 36-year-old Carl Henry Starke was shot and killed while he was trying to fight off his assailants during a carjacking attempt, not far from his home in St. Augustine, Florida.

Starke, who had autism, had just come home from a trip to Walmart when two teenagers from Jacksonville followed him and attacked him. This case involved a four-agency investigation that used surveillance footage and a stolen vehicle, and then the police worked coordinated to arrest the suspects.

Within 24 hours, the suspects were apprehended and later charged as adults with first-degree murder and related crimes, as reported by The Cinemaholic.

Carl Henry Starke's case has been featured on Season 5, Episode 8 of See No Evil. The episode aired on April 10, 2019.

What happened to Carl Henry Starke?

At approximately 9:05 p.m. on August 18, 2015, Carl Henry Starke was recorded on Walmart's security cameras making purchases. He left the store alone and drove back to Vista Cove, a gated community that he lived in with his mom.

Video from the Walmart security shows a stolen vehicle without its headlights following Starke's vehicle out of the Walmart parking lot. Around 11:30 p.m., a resident of Vista Cove saw Starke lying on the ground between two cars in the parking lot.

A resident of Vista Cove saw Starke lying on the ground between two cars in the parking lot(Image via Pexels)

The officer who arrived on the scene confirmed Carl Henry Starke was shot in the chest and was dead. His car keys and purchased items were located at that location. Investigators treated the case as a possible carjacking and viewed the surveillance video from Walmart to obtain video of the vehicle related to Starke's death, according to Jacksonville.com.

The following day, on August 19, deputies recognized the stolen vehicle on Masters Drive and initiated a police pursuit that ended after the suspects crashed into a ditch. The three suspects exited the vehicle and fled on foot.

Two suspects, Kevin Trevon Williams (17) and Christopher Koran O'Neal (16), were apprehended not far from the crash. The third suspect was transported to the hospital for crash-related injuries and was not immediately charged as as reported by Augustine.com.

Investigators later learned the group was involved in a series of vehicle burglaries and targeted Starke in the Walmart parking lot. Upon following him to his home, only the suspects Williams and O'Neal exited the car and attempted a carjacking. During the incident, Starke was shot and left behind. The suspects fled without attempting to take his vehicle.

Arrests, charges, and sentencing of Carl Henry Starke's attackers

In September 2015, Williams and O’Neal were indicted by a grand jury on charges of first-degree murder with a firearm, attempted carjacking with a firearm, and burglary of an unoccupied conveyance. Both were charged as adults due to the severity of the crime.

On October 31, 2016, Christopher O’Neal pleaded guilty to all three charges. On December 12, 2016, he was sentenced to thirty-seven and one-half years in prison for first-degree felony murder with concurrent sentences of fifteen years for carjacking and five years for burglarizing the vehicle.

More specifically, he was a juvenile and was not the shooter; he would be eligible for judicial review in fifteen years. Kevin Williams was identified as the shooter and eventually pleaded no contest and received a 50-year term in prison for his crimes. He had the same charges as O’Neal, but his role as the shooter marked a much longer term.

See No Evil streams on Hulu.

About the author

Preethika Vijayakumar is an Entertainment writer at Sportskeeda with a keen interest in pop culture. Although a law student, her curiosity about the world and passion for writing inspired her to explore and analyze the complex narrative and diverse character arcs that define the daily soaps.

With experience as a legal content writer, Preethika also achieved a notable accomplishment as her work was published in a book about criminology and victimology. As a fellow binge-watcher, Preethika aims to provide insightful analysis based on her firsthand viewing experiences, ensuring accuracy and relevance in her writing.

Outside of professional endeavors, she enjoys reading, playing guitar, and creating ceramics. Her favorite celebrity is Jensen Ackles, and if given the opportunity, Preethika would love to be a part of his show, Supernatural, although she isn’t sure she could last until the end.

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Edited by Bharath S