In the early morning hours of a Tuesday in LaPlace, Louisiana, a domestic disturbance shattered the quiet of Oak Arbor Street. Inside their home, 47-year-old Carreta Davis Starks was fatally shot. The call to 911 came from her husband, Richard Starks Jr., who claimed to have accidentally shot his wife during a 'domestic issue.'
When deputies from the St.
John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office arrived at the residence shortly after 2 a.m., they were met by Richard Starks Jr., who exited the house with his arms raised in surrender. He was detained without incident, and upon entering the home, deputies made a grim discovery. Carreta Davis Starks was found seated on the living room floor with a gunshot wound to her head. Despite the immediate medical aid rendered by paramedics, she was unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators found a semi-automatic firearm near her body. While Richard Starks Jr. initially claimed the shooting was an accident, the investigation began to point towards a different motive. It's believed that Carreta had been seeking a divorce, a possible catalyst for the violent encounter. There were no prior reports of domestic issues at the couple's home.
Following the initial investigation, Richard Starks Jr. was arrested and booked into the Sherman Walker Corrections Center. He was charged with second-degree murder in the death of his wife. The couple was alone in the house at the time of the shooting.
