http://thefacts.com/story.lasso?ewcd=3fccfb1c128d6951 Man indicted on murder charge
By Velda Hunter
The Facts
Published June 22, 2006
ANGLETON — A 32-year-old man who had been convicted three times of driving while intoxicated has been indicted on a murder charge by a Brazoria County grand jury.
The indictment came Wednesday, about five weeks after the truck Elden Lee Carter of Angleton was driving May 13 struck a van, killing Jessica Engel-brecht, 32, of Houston, on the Highway 288-B overpass in Clute.
She died two days after the accident.
Police have said Carter, who was on probation for a DWI conviction, had a blood-alcohol level twice the legal limit, and beer cans were found in his vehicle.
Carter remained in the Brazoria County jail on the murder charge Wednesday. His bond was $1 million.
“Obviously, we intend to seek the maximum sentence,” Brazoria County District Attorney Jeri Yenne said. “He’s a danger to everyone who’s on the road. … He’s dangerous to the public at large.”
An indictment is not a finding a guilt but an indication that enough evidence exists to proceed to trial.
If found guilty, Carter faces up to life in prison and a $10,000 fine.
A court document shows Carter previously was convicted of driving while intoxicated in December 1996, January 2000 and March 2005. The document states the defendant “did commit an act or acts clearly dangerous to human life.”
Engelbrecht’s father, Chris Futrick, said he is thrilled the system might work this time, unlike before when he said, “the system totally broke down and let my daughter die.”
The day before the accident, Carter, who was being monitored by the probation department, appeared before District Judge Robert May after the state claimed he wasn’t living up to the terms of his sentence, including failing to complete a DWI Intervention Program.
Carter was screened for alcohol and drugs that day and tested positive for cocaine, officials have said. But he wasn’t arrested. Carter was supposed to report back to the judge May 19, and he intended to do another test.
“I’m very irate about what happened,” Futrick said. “He deserves to have his rear-end planted behind bars for the rest of his life.”
Futrick described his daughter as great and tremendous. He recalled how she constantly went out of her way for people, especially after Hurricane Katrina.
Engelbrecht and her husband filled a pickup with water and food, then gave it to evacuees who came to Houston, Futrick said.
She even helped care for one of the transplanted families, putting them up in a hotel room for at least a month, helping them find jobs and an apartment, he said.
But God wanted her, and it was her time to go to heaven, Futrick said.
Velda Hunter is the senior reporter for The Facts. Contact her at (979) 849-8581.
