Former deputy dean of Texas College allegedly shook and beat young son to death

The former dean of a Texas college is being held on $300,000 bail after being charged with murder in the death of his six-month-old son, court records show.

Emmitt Eugene Carter, 38, was arrested Friday for hitting his son with a blunt object, striking a blunt object and shaking the child with his hands, according to Harris County court records. The alleged incident occurred on July 8, 2023.

Carter has served as assistant dean for student success at Lone Star College's Tomball campus for the past two years, but has also served as the school's manager of student services since 2013, according to his LinkedIn profile.

According to court records, he had no criminal record prior to his arrest.

USA TODAY has reached out to Lone Star College and the Harris County District Attorney's Office for more information.

“It is a terrible tragedy”

Carter made his first court appearance Monday morning to decide on bail. His defense attorneys requested that he be released on his honor. Attorneys also argued that Carter performed CPR on his son on July 8 after noticing the child was having trouble breathing and was choking, which led to the broken ribs, KHOU reported.

“It's always awful when a parent has to bury a child, especially a child of that age,” defense attorney Will Vaughn told USA TODAY on Tuesday. “In all of my conversations and interactions with Dr. Carter, he has been found to be a wonderful man of faith, an outstanding citizen and a man who values ​​education.”

Vaughn said there are still many unanswered questions surrounding Carter's son's injuries.

“We have not seen anything that would link the child's injuries to Dr. Carter or the time he was alone with him,” Vaughn said. “Not much has been said, nor have I seen any reports or investigations related to his ex-wife, who was out of town at the time.”

Why did it take over a year for charges to be brought against Emmitt Eugene Carter?

During the hearing, prosecutors said it took more than a year to bring charges against Carter because they did not want to rush to judgment.

“We want to make sure that everyone receives equal justice under the law, that we are fair and that we apply the law and facts appropriately, especially in cases like this one involving a defendant and a six-month-old child who has no voice,” said Edward Appelbaum of the Harris County District Attorney's Office, according to KHOU.

Vaughn said he did not know why it took a year for his client to be charged, but he attributed the long wait to possibly the “huge backlog” of cases in Harris County courts.

“You would think that if a man was accused of killing his young son, the charges would be at the top of a pile on someone's desk,” the lawyer said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Former Lone Star College dean charged with murder of his 6-month-old son