A Louisiana man has gone on trial accused of murdering an elderly woman and driving around with her body for weeks.
Christopher Talton Carter, 43, is facing charges of first-degree murder, identity theft and unlawful disposal of human remains, the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office said.
The victim, 78-year-old Sheila Ortega, was reported missing by her family on 20 August 2023. Relatives told investigators they had not heard from her for a month.
Police found Ortega’s SUV the next day abandoned in a Lake Charles shopping center parking lot. Inside, officers discovered her badly decomposed body. Carter, who was at a nearby business at the time, was immediately arrested.
Sheriff Tony Mancuso said Carter had already drawn attention the night before when a deputy stopped him while he was driving Ortega’s vehicle. When questioned, Carter falsely claimed he had left Ortega with friends in Arkansas and planned to collect her later.
Detectives confronted Carter after the body was found. “When we approached him, he said, ‘I know why you’re here,’” Mancuso told local station KPLC. According to authorities, Carter quickly confessed, telling investigators he had killed Ortega about a month earlier and had opened several loans in her name after her death.
Carter was initially booked on second-degree murder but the charge was upgraded after deputies uncovered further evidence of his alleged scheme.
