On Wednesday, April 14, Jared Randall Carter was sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole, plus an additional five years after being charged with the malice murder, felony murder and aggravated assault of his 81-year-old grandmother, Valearia Mann. Carter was also charged with the possession of a knife during the commission of a crime. Carter was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Alicia Gassett and Don Kelly and was represented by Public Defender Claudia Meier.
One of the victim’s best friends testified that prior to her death, Mann said, “If anything happens to me, he did it.” Weeks before her death, Mann reached out to Adult Protective Services and reported emotional and verbal abuse. A week before her death, Mann received a Wellness Check from Warner Robins Police Detective Paul Peck. During his visit, Mann told Peck to check back in a week. When Peck arrived, on June 9 of 2018, Mann was found murdered in her home at 77 Willow Avenue.
After finding Mann’s body, Peck, alongside several members of the Warner Robins Police Department, conducted a thorough investigation. Sergeant Antonio Vallio also worked on the case, working with evidence from the crime scene over the course of several days.
The investigation revealed that Mann suffered blunt force trauma to her head from a crock pot, and a stab wound to her chest from a large kitchen knife. Evidence showed that Carted attempted to dispose of the evidence, with shards of the crock pot being in the trash. According to Gassett, blood was found on the tops and bottoms of Carter’s shoes
After nearly three years of investigation and prosecution, Carter was convicted by the Houston County Superior Court for his crimes on April 9. Five days later, he received his sentence of life with parole, with an additional five years. According to Gassett, the time Carter has served previous to his sentencing will go toward his time.
Gassett gave her comments on the case. “I feel like justice was served. I was very pleased with the Jury and how hard they worked on the case. He got the max sentence, and although he gave him the opportunity for parole, but I believe he will serve a significant amount of that time in prison. I’m pleased with the outcome of the case, I feel like justice was served.”
In a media release provided by the District Attorney’s Office, Gassett was quoted as saying, “Ms. Mann’s life was taken in such a heinous and unimaginable way by someone she loved dearly. I am very thankful for Detective Paul Peck and members of the Warner Robins Police Department for their hard work and commitment to bringing Jared Carter to justice. I am thankful to my trial partner, Don Kelly, who was an integral part of the prosecuting team. The Houston County DA’s Office will continue to seek justice for victims of violent crime.”
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