INDIANAPOLIS — A 39-year-old Indianapolis man is in custody after allegedly confessing to killing his 62-year-old father, Raphael Carter Jr., following days of lying to his husband and police.
IMPD officers responded to a report of a man found dead Sunday, Nov. 26 around 8 a.m. who had been fatally shot inside an apartment in the 100 block of North Oxford Street, near North Rural and East Washington streets.
Carter's son is the person who found the body and reported it. According to court documents, the son was staying at the apartment for the last three to four weeks "reconnecting with his father," after being gone since June 2023.
(NOTE: 13News does not name suspects until charges have been filed by prosecutors.)
The son allegedly said he was with his father until 6 p.m. the night before. According to court documents, the son then said he left to go to a church to set up for the service. After the service, the son said he went to an Anderson casino and provided detectives with the receipts that showed times around 5 a.m.
After an interview with him, the detective noticed several calls coming into the son's phone and decided to answer one. The caller identified himself as the son's husband and asked what was going on.
After the detective explained the situation, the husband said there was no way police found Carter dead at his apartment because the victim "had passed away" a week earlier in a local hospital.
Court documents say the husband agreed to then speak with the detective and clear up the situation.
Court documents say the husband was told by the son that his father was going to have a surgery later in the day on Nov. 22, and then later got a call that his father "had just passed away." The two then went to the hospital where the father was said to be at.
According to court documents, the husband dropped off the son at the front of the hospital as he went to get a parking spot. As he was walking up to the hospital, the son came out and said his father's body was already sent back to another state and there was "turmoil over who was going to bury his dad and where."
After talking with the husband, the detective asked for both of them to come back in for another interview. In their talk later Sunday, the son confessed to shooting and killing his father, according to court documents.
Court documents say the suspect told police Carter wanted the suspect to leave his husband. The suspect allegedly told investigators, "he just wanted to do what he wanted to do finally."
"That was his son. I mean, he loved him, and he wanted the best for him," said Pastor Louis Norris, with Serenity The Prince of Peace Church of God in Christ.
Norris said the victim was his assistant pastor at the church. He said he got a call from Carter's phone Sunday morning when they would normally be getting ready for the day's service, but it was Carter's son, the murder suspect, on the other line.
"You need to get over here. Dad is unresponsive, and he's laying in a puddle of blood," said Norris, recalling the phone call Sunday morning.
He said he thought the bleeding was a complication from a leg Carter had amputated a couple years ago.
"When I got there, I talked to the police officer and said what happened? Did his leg bleed out or what? He said no, it was blunt trauma force to the head," Norris said. "I'm like what? Nuh-uh. Elder Carter didn't let nobody in his house, I mean nobody. Something's not right."
Norris said he believed Carter and his son were on the path to fixing their relationship.
"For this to happen, it's amazing that you would take the life of someone because of your sexual preference or whatever that happened," Norris said.
Court records show the suspect is due in court for an initial appearance Wednesday morning.