On August 30, 2024, the Sixth Court of Appeals of Texarkana upheld the conviction of Carlton Grant, who had been found guilty of Capital Murder by Kidnapping by an Upshur County jury. Grant was convicted on October 12, 2023, and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
During the trial, the defense denied Grant's involvement in the crime and requested a lesser included offense of murder. However, the Upshur County jury rejected this request, convicting Grant of Capital Murder and sentencing him to life in prison without parole for his role in the brutal murder of Rachel Rhoads.
Case Details
On March 29, 2018, at approximately 2:30 p.m., 24-year-old Rachel Rhoads was at her residence in the Flamingo Trailer Park in Gregg County, Texas. 43-year-old Carlton Grant and 35-year-old Lindsey McFadden, who were in a dating relationship, lived at the Longview Square Apartments. Although Rhoads did not know Grant or McFadden, her roommate was mutual friends with them, and all lived within walking distance of each other's residences.
On that day, Grant and McFadden, who had no vehicle and wished to travel to the Dallas area, found themselves at Rhoads' trailer house. Once inside, Grant asked Rhoads if she could give them a ride back to McFadden's apartment, and after some hesitation, she agreed. McFadden sat in the front passenger seat while Rhoads drove, with Grant in the backseat directly behind Rhoads. As they neared the Longview Square Apartments, Grant requested to be taken to an unnamed friend's house instead.
It was at this point that Rhoads attempted to fight for her life. Grant suddenly swung a homemade garrote made of ligature and hooks around Rhoads' neck, choking her. According to McFadden, the vehicle swerved uncontrollably as Grant used the garrote to pull Rhoads into the backseat. McFadden took control of the steering wheel to steady the vehicle while Grant tied a black zip tie around Rhoads' neck, tightening it. McFadden testified that Rhoads was unable to resist with the same force, and when she continued to struggle, Grant struck her multiple times before placing her in the backseat floorboard.
With Rhoads' body lying limp in the floorboard, Grant and McFadden drove to Big Oak Trailer Park to purchase marijuana. They then visited several locations where witnesses described Grant as "happy, in a good mood, and boisterous." Following Grant's instructions, McFadden cleaned out the victim's vehicle, moved Rhoads' body to the trunk, entered McFadden's apartment to destroy their clothing, packed their bags, and slept soundly that night.
The next morning, they drove to Stop-A-Mint in New Diana, Texas, borrowed a lighter from an employee, and then wiped down Rhoads' body with vinegar and Windex. They transported the body to a utility right-of-way near a farm-to-market road, poured gasoline on her, and set her on fire. Shortly after, they left in Rhoads' vehicle for Ft. Worth, Texas, where Grant had family and friends.
On April 1, 2018, Rhoads' body was discovered by a private citizen on FM 726 off of State Highway 154 in Gilmer, Texas. At the crime scene, investigators found Grant's sock near Rhoads' body, the black zip tie still around her neck, part of a vinegar bottle, and a zebra-print blanket that had been used to cover the victim in the backseat floorboard. All items recovered from the scene contained Grant's DNA, mixed with Rhoads' DNA.
On April 5, 2018, Grant and McFadden were arrested in Bedford, Texas, with stolen license plates. McFadden cooperated with authorities, providing a detailed account of the events leading to and following Rhoads' murder. Grant, however, denied all allegations.
