Retired judge, wife killed with shotgun blasts by adult son after he refused sleeping pill: cops

A retired Texas judge and his wife have been found dead from shotgun blasts inside their home, leading to the arrest of their adult son, who police say admitted to gunning down both his parents because he did not want to take a sleeping aid.

Seth Carnes, 45, was arrested Monday night and charged with capital murder in the slayings of former Williamson County Judge Alfred “Burt” Carnes and Susan Carnes, both 74.

Seth Carnes allegedly told detectives he did not really know what happened, but was aware that he had shot his parents with a Remington 870 shotgun he kept on the nightstand in his parents’ converted garage, where he lived, according to an arrest affidavit cited by Fox 7 Austin. 

The son allegedly said he believed his mother was trying to put a sleeping pill into his mouth that he didn’t want to take. He indicated there was no reason for him to shoot his mother other than the sleeping pill, the document read.

When an investigator asked why Carnes shot his father, he was quoted as saying: “I’ve just been looking for something and figured I would finish the job.”

Shortly before midnight Monday, Seth Carnes’ daughter called 911, saying her father had shot her grandfather, according to a press release from the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.