DENISE HALLOWELL was brutally murdered by her adoptive son in a conspiracy to get access to her inheritance, according to authorities.
Carlos Hallowell is presently serving a life sentence with no chance of parole.
Who was Denise Hallowell?
Denise Hallowell taught school in Marion County, Florida.
She adopted Carlos from Guatemala when he was four years old and treated him as if he were her own.
“From early childhood to early adolescence, [Carlos Hallowell] was a happy child,” Judge Richard “Ric” Howard said, via the Citrus County Chronicle.
“Ms. Hallowell funded the defendant’s college savings account, and covered all bills for the family.”
According to CBS 12, she also adopted a boy named Angel from Honduras.
Additional data about Denise’s personal life are unknown at this time.
Carlos began experimenting with booze and drugs when he was 11 years old.
As a result, in January 2019, he was expelled from school.In an effort to help her son get his life back on track, she began to tough down on his conduct, but prosecutors claimed that this decision resulted in her death.
Carlos, then 17, struck his mother in the head with an axe while she slept in July 2019.
In an attempt to hide his tracks, he dialed 911 and threw the firearm into a nearby pond, but he was finally apprehended.
Defense attorneys contended that their client suffered as a result of his mother’s parenting, but prosecutors told a different story, claiming that he killed her so he could benefit from her parenting.
“The defendant’s murder of his mother was not a result of any sudden outburst of emotion or aberrant thought,” Howard said, via the Citrus County Chronicle.
“Rather, it is and was the culmination of his desire to acquire his mother’s real estate, cars and other property.”
Carlos was a minor at the time of Denise’s death, but because of the severity of the case, prosecutors opted to try him as an adult.
Two years later, at the age of 19, he was found guilty by a jury of premeditated murder.
Who is Carlos Hallowell?
Carlos is a convicted murderer and the son of Denise Hallowell.
During his sentencing, he appeared to show remorse, asking the judge “for justice for my mom, and mercy for me,” according to the Citrus County Chronicle.
“Although she’s not with us, I know she’s listening,” he said.
“Mom, I’m so very sorry. Words can’t describe how I feel right now, how much I miss you, how sorry I am for what I’ve done and everything I’ve done throughout my entire life with you … I love you so much.”
Despite his acceptance of responsibility, the judge sentenced him to life in jail without the chance of release.
According to the Citrus County Chronicle, he will be eligible for a sentencing review after serving 25 years.
