Martin Wesley Reynolds Jr.

The person who drove Martin Wesley Reynolds Jr. to confront a 19-year-old Tyler man he is accused of shooting to death in 2017, said Tuesday in court he knew the potential for violence was high.

Reynolds, 25, of Whitehouse, is charged with murder in connection with the Nov. 5, 2017, death of Andrew Carpenter. He has been in the Smith County Jail since that day on a $750,000 bond.

Police documents state Reynolds and Carpenter argued on the phone in the early morning hours of Nov. 5, and Carpenter said if Reynolds showed up at a mutual friend’s residence on Deerwood Drive in Tyler, he would put a gun to Reynolds’ head.

Nathan Ryan Garcia drove Reynolds from Whitehouse, where they were at a party, to Deerwood Drive to confront Carpenter, and Colton Wade Tate gave Reynolds a pistol, the arrest affidavit read.

Garcia testified Tuesday that he knew there was “beef” between Reynolds and Carpenter following a call between them, but he believed the confrontation would be a fistfight.

Reynolds told Garcia that Carpenter was threatening to shoot his truck so Garcia parked away from the yard. Reynolds said, “If he shoots your truck, I’ll kill that (expletive),” Garcia testified.

Reynolds and Garcia were walking to the residence when they heard Carpenter yell and saw him grab a shotgun, according to the affidavit. Reynolds said Carpenter shot him in the leg, and Reynolds used a pistol to shoot Carpenter twice, the document stated.

Garcia said he saw Carpenter run into the house, and Garcia took Reynolds back to the truck to drive toward the hospital. Garcia recalled Reynolds was crying, saying he messed up.

Carpenter fired the shots first, and Reynolds shot back, Garcia said.

Garcia testified he called Tate to get the gun out of the truck, knowing it had been used in the shooting.

In December 2018, Tate and Garcia, who had their previous murder charges dismissed, were convicted of tampering with evidence and sentenced to probation. Reynolds previously denied an offer of a 15-year prison sentence if he pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder charge.

Garcia agreed with the prosecution that he wished he didn’t take Reynolds to the Deerwood residence.

Garcia said he heard neither Reynolds nor Carpenter threaten one another on the phone, and Reynolds’ injuries appeared to be serious.

Matt Perdue, who lived with Reynolds in 2017, testified he and Reynolds were hanging out with friends and a prank phone call from Reynolds made Carpenter angry.

Carpenter started cussing at Reynolds, and Reynolds said something like “say that to my face” and he was cussing as well, Perdue said.

Perdue said he wasn’t there to see Tate give Martin a gun.

Perdue testified he would’ve tried to stop Martin from taking a gun but he was also unsure because he wasn’t there.

Carpenter said over the phone something like, “I’m going to shoot you in the head,” Perdue told the jury.

Perdue said it was possible Carpenter was upset over Carpenter’s ex-girlfriend, Alyssa, hanging out with Reynolds but they weren’t in a relationship.

He added he did not know for certain why Carpenter was threatening to kill Reynolds.

After multiple questions from the prosecution, Perdue said Reynolds should not have gone over to the house uninvited with a gun.

Alyssa testified she heard Reynolds and others calling Carpenter names and Reynolds said he would fight Carpenter on the prank call.

She recalled asking Reynolds to stop, and Carpenter texted her afterward asking if she was getting people to mess with him.

She was unsure why Carpenter was so angry and thought possibly her being at the same place as Reynolds caused the problem.

If Reynolds went to see Carpenter, she thought the worst-case scenario would be a fistfight. She testified that it was odd that Tate was giving Reynolds a gun around 1 a.m.

Carpenter texted her if Reynolds came to the Deerwood property he would be shot, and if Carpenter felt threatened he would fight back, she testified.

She told the jury Carpenter was likely scared of Reynolds that night and said Carpenter never left the house whereas Reynolds traveled for confrontation.

David Turner, a former Smith County Sheriff’s Office detective, testified he went through Reynolds and Carpenter’s phones to get call and text information.

Turner said Reynolds started the “trash talk” between him and Carpenter over the phone. He said the place where Reynolds was and the Deerwood residence was 6 to 6.5 miles away, which would take roughly 10 minutes for Reynolds to get there.

Through the investigation, Turner said he learned Reynolds and Garcia went there to confront Carpenter.

Turner testified Reynolds was asked not to come to confront Carpenter, and he made a call to Tate before going to confront Carpenter.

Neither Reynolds nor Carpenter had a license to carry a gun on the property that night. Reynolds was not arrested for unlawful carrying of a weapon, Turner said.

Turner said he got a warrant for murder because Reynolds arranged a ride and gun to confront Carpenter.

Dr. Tracy Dyer, a medical examiner who performed the autopsy on Carpenter, testified Tuesday the gunshot hit directly at Carpenter’s chest and there were other wounds on his arms.

Based on the autopsy, Dyer said the shot was fired at close or medium range. She testified the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the chest and labeled the death as a homicide.

Regarding Reynolds’ gunshot wounds to his legs caused by Carpenter, Dyer testified it is possible that a gunshot wound to the leg without treatment could be fatal.

She said from a medical standpoint, a shot from a shotgun is a serious bodily injury.

The prosecution is expected to have his final witness Wednesday morning, and the jury could begin deliberations Wednesday.