[TN] UPDATED: Ex-cop Cartmell on trial for murder of wife Shari

Shari Bethel Cartmell died of a gunshot on March 16, 2010 in her own home. Her husband, former Metropolitan Nashville police officer Deon Cartmell, is on trial this week for her murder. For those who pray - please pray for truth, justice, and strength for the families.

UPDATE: GUILTY OF SECOND DEGREE MURDER AND SENTENCED TO 18 YEARS IN PRISON FOR THE MURDER OF SHARI.

PREVIOUS POSTS:

• [TN] Good-bye to Shari Cartmell, wife of Nashville Police Officer Deon Cartmell - ...At first, police ruled her death a suicide as the gunshot wound appeared to be self-inflicted but as of Wednesday morning, the death was no longer classified and the investigation remains open...
• [TN] Nashville Police arrested their own Officer Deon Cartmell and the grieving family of his murdered wife Shari are thankful - Nashville Police Officer Deon Cartmell has been decommissioned and charged with 1st degree murder in the killing of his beautiful wife Shari Bethel (Cartmell).
• [TN] Officer Cartmell can't get his story straight about how his wife Shari was shot to death - ...Investigators said [Nashville Police Officer] Deon Cartmell has told different stories about what happened that night, saying he told them he was in the kitchen when he heard a shot and then he was in a closet when he heard it...
• [TN] Family of slain Shari Bethel Cartmell flee state in fear as DA acknowledges potential danger - With nothing much to left lose after making starkly contradictory statements regarding Shari's death, why isn't Deon Cartmell considered a potential risk to himself and others? Why is there no explanation in the news for why the court has completely disregarded the fear of Shari's family?

[News Channel 5's First edition]

TESTIMONY UNDERWAY IN FORMER OFFICER'S MURDER TRIAL

News Channel 5

Updated: Aug 23, 2011 1:06 PM PST

[Excerpts] Testimony is underway in the trial of a former Metro Police officer accused of killing his wife. 25-year-old Deon Cartmell is accused of killing his wife, Shari, but he said she accidentally shot herself. During opening statements Assistant District Attorney Tom Thurman told jurors Cartmell had motive to kill his wife... "Financial problems, talk of divorce, abuse," Thurman said... Shari Cartmell was killed on March 16, 2010... There was a nine millimeter Glock handgun on the coffee table, and a shell casing lying next to the table. Thurman said after the shooting Cartmell told different stories about how the shooting happened... He also said an expert will testify how a test for gunshot residue on Cartmell's hands was inconclusive, but there was some on his shirt and pants while there was nothing on his wife. "The most significant thing they will say is the swabbing that was done on Shari Cartmell's hands were negative. They found no gunshot residue on her hands and she'll testify you would expect in an accidental or suicide she would expect to find gunshot residue on her hands"... Family members have been present in the courtroom, but are not expected to comment on the case until it is over...

JURY SELECTION

OPENING STATEMENTS

TESTIMONY

[News Channel 5's Second edition]

TESTIMONY UNDERWAY IN FORMER OFFICER'S MURDER TRIAL

News Channel 5

by Mark Bellinger

Updated: Aug 23, 2011 4:07 PM PST

[Excerpts] Testimony will continue on Wednesday in the trial of a former Metro Police officer accused of killing his wife...[Assistant District Attorney Tom] Thurman said Deon Cartmell was seeing another woman he had met at a convenience store. Thurman said they began a relationship a month before Shari's death. According to Thurman, Cartmell and the woman exchanged 167 text messages or phone calls. He said some of them were sexually explicit. In fact he said they were supposed to meet for an affair at a hotel. Thurman told jurors the woman will testify that Cartmell acknowledged he was in an unhappy marriage and his wife wanted to take everything he had. The woman was married with children. She called the relationship off after she saw Cartmell driving by her home, when she did not give him her address... On March 12, 2011 Thurman said Cartmell showed up at Skyline Medical Center where Shari worked and blew up at her. "Cartmell yelled, 'I want my money,'" Thurman said... On March 16, 2010, a 911 call came from the home and Shari Cartmell was dead... "Cartmell told the fire department he was in the kitchen when he heard the gun shot," Thurman added. That was one of three stories. Thurman said Cartmell told a police officer he heard the gun shot from a bathroom and later in a statement with his attorney present he said he was in the living room. Defense Attorney Jim Todd took his turn. "It's a tragedy, but it's not a crime," he told the jury. Todd told jurors the state will be able to prove his client is cocky, immature, irresponsible around weapons, and he may have had girlfriends, but he didn't kill his wife... There was also blood evidence collected at the scene... Family members have been watching from the gallery. On one side, Cartmell's father sat alone. There is a full house on the other side with friends and family of Shari. All of them want justice... [Full article here]

TRIAL BEGINS FOR FORMER COP ACCUSED OF KILLING WIFE

WSMV-TV, MSNBC

Maurice Miller

Posted: Aug 22, 2011 2:25 AM PST

Updated: Aug 23, 2011 3:39 PM PST

[Excerpts] The trial began Tuesday morning for a former Metro officer accused of killing his wife last year. Deon Cartmell, 25, is charged with first-degree murder in connection to the March 2010 shooting death of his wife, Shari. The prosecutor told jurors Tuesday that Deon Cartmell played mind games with his wife and bragged to buddies about going out with other women. Defense attorney Jim Todd said this was an accidental discharge of the weapon and Shari had the gun in her hand when it went off. He said "this is not a crime, this is a tragedy." Prosecutors said the court will hear from a DNA expert and a gunshot residue expert who will testify that Deon had blood spatter on his right shoulder... Video recordings from Cartmell's police questioning after his arrest were played during Tuesday's trial. For the first time, the public heard his account of how things happened. He said he and Shari had a wonderful relationship, but would sometimes argue. The Metro Police Department decommissioned Cartmell after the death of his wife... When Cartmell was released from jail, Shari's mother, Charlotte Barbour, moved out of Tennessee. During a July 2010 interview, she told Channel 4 News that she feared for her safety. "He could do anything to any of us," Barbour said... Judge Randall Wyatt ordered him to live with his father and to have no contact with his in-laws. [Full article here or here]

UPDATE:

COURT HEARS EMOTIONAL RECORDING OF COP ON TRIAL

WSMV.com

Posted by Maurice Miller

Aug 24, 2011

[Excerpt] ...Video recordings from Cartmell's police questioning after his arrest were played during Tuesday's trial. For the first time, the public heard his account of how things happened... [Full article here]

VIDEO: Cartmell testifies - "I'm trying to be honestly honest with you."

VIDEO: Cartmell testifies - "I'm not going to sit here and try to relive it." Deon cartmell said he was showing Shari how to clean the weapon. Says his memory is very fuzzy.

VIDEO: Cartmell testifies - Deon Cartmell said he was teaching Shari Cartmell how to use the weapon. "I've done everthing I could to push this out of my head."

MOTHER OF SLAIN WOMAN TAKES STAND IN FMR. OFFICER'S TRIAL

News Channel 5

by Mark Bellinger

Aug 24, 2011

[Excerpts] The mother of the slain wife of a former Metro police officer who is on trial for her murder took the stand on Wednesday... [Sheri Bethel Cartmell's] mother, Charlotte Barbour, seemed extremely upset on the stand, but very composed when she testified. She talked first about the relationship she had with her daughter. "Loving, friends, best friends, fun," Barbour told the jury. Barbour accused Deon Cartmell of killing her daughter right after the shooting. Prosecutors said Cartmell was with the chaplain when the chaplain told Barbour her daughter was dead. Barbour yelled at Deon "You killed my daughter, you and those guns"... Barbour did talk about another incident several months earlier when she asked her daughter about starting a family with Deon. "Shari said, ‘momma I can't have kids by him. Deon made the statement he'd kill me, the baby and himself before he'd pay child support,'" Barbour recalled. Barbour clarified the statement a few seconds later saying it would happen if her daughter left Deon... Prosecutors played Deon Cartmell's call to 911, and investigators told jurors why they think Cartmell is not telling the truth... [Deon] Cartmell originally claimed Shari had killed herself. He then told two other accounts to police including that it was an accident... Cartmell gave Metro Police a statement about what happened. He said he was cleaning his guns when his wife Shari came home. Cartmell said Shari picked up his nine millimeter handgun, and when he leaned over to pick up his AR-15 assault rifle he heard the gunshot that killed her. Detective Chuck Robinson said the statement didn't match the physical evidence... There was a big argument at Skyline Medical Center where Shari worked just a few days before the shooting. The state has the burden of proof... [Full article here]

FORMER COP ACCUSED OF MURDERING WIFE TESTIFIES

WKRN

Aug 25, 2011 3:24 PM PST

[Excerpts] ... The former Metro police officer testified that he loved guns and that his wife Shari often asked to use them. He said there had been a previous incident at their home when she accidentally discharged a gun when he wasn't home, causing a hole in the wall. During his testimony he recalled his relationship and marriage with Shari who he says was killed when a gun she was holding accidentally went off. "I remember leaning up to get it and I heard the bang. I could feel it, the force on the side of me," he said. While on the stand, Cartmell said he is having trouble remembering everything that happened on the day his wife died and that he doesn't exactly know how the gun went off. "This was the worst day of my life. I'm not going to try to sit here and re-live it. I've tried everything that I could to push this out of my head completely," Cartmell said... [Full article here]

FORMER METRO POLICE OFFICER TAKES STAND IN TRIAL OVER WIFE'S DEATH

WSMV

Reported by Carley Gordon

Reported by Josh DeVine

Updated: Aug 25, 2011 6:10 PM PST

[Excerpts] ...Thursday, for the first time, the prosecution had the chance to question the former police officer on the stand. "Any idea why your wife would be holding a gun?" asked the prosecutor. "She liked guns. That's all I can tell you," Cartmell replied... They asked Cartmell why he had blood on his right shoulder if he heard the shot over his left. They also questioned why he decided to put his dogs up and his guns away after calling 911 and before medics arrived. But Cartmell stuck to his same story. "I did not shoot my wife," he said... Defense attorney Jim Todd said earlier this week that the death was an accidental discharge of the weapon and Shari had the gun in her hand when it went off. He said, "this is not a crime, this is a tragedy"...V[Full article here]

DEON CARTMELL TAKES THE STAND IN MURDER TRIAL
NewChannel5.com
By Mark Bellinger
Aug 25, 2011 4:45 PM PST
[Excerpts] ...When [former Metro police officer Deon] Cartmell was questioned about the shooting, he was emotional and said he called 911 immediately after the gun went off. He told jurors he was cleaning guns and reached for an AR-15 when he heard the gunshot behind him... Cartmell told police he was facing away from Shari... "The impact stains on his face indicated that he was facing or at least his face was facing the source of the entry here," said Jerry Finley... The expert also testified the blood found on the front of Cartmell's t-shirt could not have been there without him facing the shooting. He also believes Shari was shot somewhere near the front door of their home, and walked over to the couch and died. He said he doesn't believe she pulled the trigger... [Metro Detective Pat] Postiglione, like lead investigator Detective Chuck Robinson, said Deon's last statement doesn't match the evidence. Detective Postiglione said not only is the physical evidence inconsistent with Cartmell's statement, so is the timeline... State medical examiner John Davis performed the autopsy. He concluded the gun was less than a foot from Shari's face when it went off... He said it was possible to hold the gun that way, but unlikely... On Wednesday, Shari Cartmell's mother took the stand; jurors heard the 911 call and watched the police interrogation of Cartmell the day after the shooting... [Full article here]

CLOSING ARGUMENTS BEGIN IN TRIAL OF FORMER OFFICER
WSMV

Reported by Carley Gordon

Reported by Josh DeVine

Updated: Aug 26, 2011 12:44 PM PST
[Excerpts] More forensic experts testified Friday in the case of a former Metro police officer accused of killing his wife last year... Closing arguments began Friday afternoon, followed by instructions and then the jury will start deliberations. Thursday, for the first time, the prosecution had the chance to question the former police officer on the stand. "Any idea why your wife would be holding a gun?" asked the prosecutor. "She liked guns. That's all I can tell you," Cartmell replied.... [The prosecution] asked Cartmell why he had blood on his right shoulder if he heard the shot over his left. They also questioned why he decided to put his dogs up and his guns away after calling 911 and before medics arrived. But Cartmell stuck to his same story. "I did not shoot my wife," he said... [Full article here]

CLOSING ARGUMENTS WRAP UP IN FORMER COP'S MURDER TRIAL
WKRN
Updated: Aug 26, 2011 04:24 PM
[Excerpts] Closing arguments have wrapped up in the trial of the former Metro cop accused of killing his wife. Arguments lasted about two hours and prosecutors told the jury there are too many inconsistencies in Deon Cartmell's story regarding how his wife Shari died.... Cartmell said he immediately called 911 following the incident and begun doing CPR on his wife. However, an expert testified it did not appear as if CPR was performed on the woman... "Who on earth that is familiar with guns would pick up a gun in a way that she would have had to pick it up and point it at their face and pull the trigger? We know Shari Cartmell did not point the gun at her face," Prosecutor Amy Eisenbeck said... Defense Jim Todd "This case has not been about proving what happened on March 16. It is about trying to disprove what my client said," Defense Jim Todd said... [Full article here]

UPDATE:


FORMER METRO OFFICER SENTENCED TO 18 YEARS IN PRISON
NewsChannel5.com
Posted: Oct 07,
[Excerpts] The former Metro Police officer convicted of killing his wife was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Friday. A jury found Deon Cartmell guilty of the second degree murder of his wife, Shari, in August. The sentence will be served at 100 percent. During sentencing, members of Shari's family testified... Shari's mother, Charlotte Barbour, was very emotional as she read a statement to the court. "There's a big hole in my heart that I can never fill or close it. Shari was my baby, this was the sweetest person. Everybody, my whole family- her name was Sweet Shari, precious Shari," Barbour said. Shari's uncle, Muriel Cole, testified that Deon had pulled a gun on him because he had borrowed $20 from Shari, and Deon believed he hadn't paid her back. Her sister, Antoya Brandon, also testified about an incident at a Mexican restaurant in which Deon allegedly pulled out a gun while drinking... Members of Deon's family also testified, including his father and an aunt who helped raised him. His father, Timothy Cartmell, testified about how close they were. "He is a good son, I love him, I know him. Deon and I are real close," said Timothy. His paternal aunt testified... "All I know is when he left our family to go out into the world and live, he was a good man," said his aunt. "I don't know what to tell you, but we loved Shari. You're not the only one who lost her, we lost her, we loved her. I am so sorry, but she was ours too"... After the sentencing, Shari's family was asked if they thought the sentencing was enough. "No... Life, because she's silenced for life. That's how I feel about it. She's been silenced for life. I have no grandbabies, I have nothing," said Charlotte Barbour... [Full article here]

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