Published: April 08, 2009 09:03 pm      

Murder cases take next step toward trial

Deaths included local man, mother of David Koresh

A Henderson County grand jury returned two murder indictments when it convened on April 7.

One of those is a capital murder indictment against David Charles Carter, 51, of Athens, who is accused of murdering Jerry O’Neal Stevenson in 2007.

The other murder indictment was for Beverly Clark, 54, of Chandler, who remains in the Henderson County Jail under a $500,000 bond. Clark is accused of stabbing to death her sister, Bonnie Clark Haldeman, 64 — mother of the late infamous Branch Davidian leader, David Koresh. Haldeman also lived in Chandler.

Stevenson’s body was found just after 3 a.m. on the morning of March 1, 2007. He had suffered a gunshot wound to the face and was discovered lying in the doorway of his Jonathan Street residence.

APD Detective Corporal James Bonnette said Rico A. Brown, 22, Shawna Kay Simpson, 22, and Carter each had a murder case filed against them in January. Carter is currently held in the Gurney Unit of the Texas Department of Corrections for a previous conviction. Simpson and Brown were each arrested last December.

There was no immediate word on charges against the other suspects.

Haldeman was murdered in January, according to reports, after allegedly trying to take Clark, her sister, to a doctor’s office.

Investigator Wick Gabbard and Pct. 3 Constable David Grubbs worked the case at Clark’s home on Farm-to-Market Road 3079.

Clark was still in the home when they arrived. They also found a knife they believe was used in the killing.