On Sunday, December 7, 2025, police were sent to a home at 138 Baringo Street in Helena–West Helena after a report of a gunshot victim. Inside, they found Jalexus D. Carter, a 27-year-old woman, suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers began assessing her condition as Pafford EMS and the Helena–West Helena Fire Department arrived and took over lifesaving efforts, but the injury had already set the night on a grim course. Carter was rushed to Helena Regional Medical Center, where she died.
In the days that followed, the outline of Carter’s life surfaced alongside the shock of her death—born and raised in Helena–West Helena, shaped by family and faith, and remembered as someone whose warmth could fill a room. Those who knew her described a gentle spirit with an easy laugh, someone who loved music and singing, and who stayed closely tied to the people she cherished. Her passing left a hollow space in her family’s world, and police acknowledged the weight of that loss publicly while promising to pursue accountability.
Investigators moved quickly. Police said witnesses identified Brandon Johnson as the suspect, and he was detained as the department’s primary suspect after the shooting. By the next day, authorities reported Johnson had been located and arrested, and he was being held on a first-degree murder charge. The case was described as still under investigation, with officials indicating more details would be released as they became available.
Booking records from the Phillips County Sheriff’s Office later listed Johnson in custody on a first-degree murder charge, with a $1,000,000 bond and a booking date of December 16, 2025. As of those records, no additional suspects were publicly identified, and there were no publicly reported court outcomes—only the charge and the fact that the community was left to measure time in before-and-after.
