KINGMAN – A 15-year prison term has been ordered for one Golden Valley man who shot and killed another more than 13 months ago. Kenneth Carter, 37, was sentenced by Mohave County Superior Court Judge Lee Jantzen during a September 12 hearing at the Mohave County Law and Justice Center in Kingman.
Jantzen chose the middle of a 12- to 16-year prison term punishment range for Carter’s second-degree murder conviction during a jury trial last month. David Roberts, 41, died of gunfire outside his home in the 3800 block of Diabase Drive on August 2, 2024.
Deputy Mohave County Attorney James Schoppmann told the jury that Carter was armed with an AR-15 when he and his father made a midnight march onto the victim’s property. Defense attorney Tom Jones argued Carter acted in self-defense after Roberts exited his home and used a 9mm handgun to fire the first shot that struck no one.
The jury rejected the self-defense claim in the deadly shooting, and returned a guilty verdict after two hours of deliberation.
Attorneys at trial indicated it was unclear if the deadly dispute involved money, or a love triangle or something else, but that the confrontation escalated, resulting in the gunfire.
Another Carter criminal case was resolved following his murder-related sentencing. Carter pleaded guilty to destruction of a public jail charge for inflicting criminal damage while incarcerated at the Adult Detention Facility.
Judge Jantzen tacked on the one-year punishment on top of the shooting sentence, bringing to 15 the number of prison years imposed.
