Martin Wesley Reynolds Jr.

A Whitehouse man convicted of killing a 19-year-old Tyler man in 2017 was sentenced Thursday to 16 years in prison.

Martin Wesley Reynolds Jr., 25, was found guilty of murder Wednesday night for the death of Andrew Carpenter in the early morning hours of Nov. 5, 2017.

Reynolds has been in the Smith County Jail since his arrest that same day. Judge Austin Reeve Jackson of the 114th District Court said Reynolds will get credit for time served.

Jurors deliberated for about four and a half hours Thursday after hearing Reynolds take the witness stand and emotional testimony from Carpenter’s parents.

While on the stand, Reynolds said he regretted fatally shooting Carpenter.

The jury found Reynolds acted in sudden passion, which means the person who killed someone was provoked by the deceased or another and the passion arises when the offense occurs. Sudden passion must not be solely caused by former provocation, according to the Texas Penal Code.

Sudden passion can be addressed in the punishment phase, and if the jurors agree, the offense becomes a second-degree felony. This changed the punishment range from five to 99 years (first-degree felony) to two to 20 years (second-degree felony) in prison, the penal code states.

The prosecution requested jurors give a sentence of 40 years in prison, while the defense recommended a 10-year prison sentence. Reynolds previously denied an offer of a 15-year prison sentence if he pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder charge.

During closing arguments, Smith County Assistant District Attorney Noah Coltman said the case is not sudden passion; it is just first-degree murder.

“Forty (years) says that you don’t get to go and settle your differences with a handgun,” Coltman said. “Forty says you don’t get to commit murder and get a slap on the wrist in this community.”

Reynolds’ attorney Thad Davidson said the shooting was definitely a sudden passion scenario and said Reynolds was not a bad man before this happened.

“I think a sentence of 10 years is perfectly appropriate,” Davidson said.

Police documents said Reynolds and Carpenter argued on the phone in 2017, 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.

Reynolds was driven from Whitehouse to confront Carpenter, and he got a pistol from another person, the arrest affidavit read.

Witnesses said Carpenter fired shots toward the ground first, hitting Reynolds’ legs. Reynolds then shot back twice, causing Carpenter to fall back.

In December 2018, Colton Tate, who gave Reynolds the gun, and Nathan Garcia, who drove Reynolds to the Deerwood residence, were convicted of tampering with evidence and sentenced to probation.

In 2018, Reynolds’ father, Martin Wesley Reynolds Sr., of Meridian, Mississippi, was sentenced to 10 years’ probation with no fine after a jury found him guilty of retaliation against a witness in the murder trial of his son.

Testimony

Carpenter’s mother Julia Roberts said Thursday her son was “a bright spot that was going to bring laughter some way or another.”

Roberts testified Carpenter was preparing to go into the Marines before he was shot and training two or three times a day.

She called it a pleasure to watch Carpenter grow from a little boy through the stages of life and she’s grateful God let her see that.

Carpenter was the guy that offered to sit next to the person who didn’t have anyone to sit next to, Roberts said, adding that he would protect people from bullies.

“He would stand up for people who needed help, and that’s who he was,” she said.

She said they often ran together for exercise, and he was always looking for ways to do better and go the extra mile.

She recalled taking a selfie with her son during a run, and she learned how it was a live photo. When she held her finger on the phone, she saw the last kiss he gave her.

“He was so loving, and he always tried to be real with me,” Roberts said. “He always wanted me to know how much he loved me. I’ll never have him back. Every day’s a fight for me to get up.”

Carpenter’s father, Robert Carpenter, said his son had moved out of his house for a few months before his death.

He told the jury his son was a good boy and he was proud of his East Texas values.

“He was born with a countenance that just made you like him,” Robert Carpenter said.

When he heard his son was shot, Robert Carpenter, who was away with his wife in Dallas at the time, said he collected himself and got to Tyler as soon as possible.

He searched the hospitals for his son, and eventually a detective told him what happened.

He testified his son always wanted to be an entrepreneur and work hard.

While on the stand, Reynolds said he regrets and is sorry that he killed Carpenter. He said he did not intend to shoot or kill Carpenter, and he didn’t think Carpenter would shoot him.

“I’m truly sorry that I took his parents’ (son). That’s not me. I can’t imagine how they feel, and I absolutely hate that it happened. I’m truly sorry that it happened,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds told the jury he doesn’t feel like he “murdered him because that was not my intent.”

“I didn’t want to kill him when it happened. I didn’t want to hurt him,” he said.

He recalled walking between the trucks at the Deerwood residence and he remembered Carpenter saying his name.

Reynolds said he felt his legs go numb when Carpenter fired, and he was afraid for his life.

“I thought he was going to kill me,” he said.

He told the prosecution he couldn’t remember why he called Carpenter initially. Reynolds said he only took the gun he had because it was offered to him, and he wanted it in case of protection.

Reynolds repeated that he did not intend to fight with Carpenter when going to the location. He said he regrets the names he called Carpenter over the phone.

He testified he doesn’t remember holding a gun in either of his hands when walking to meet Carpenter. He said he just had a beer in his hand.

In addition to Reynolds, a few family members and friends testified that Reynolds was a good friend and always respectful.