North Texas couple feared living with son accused of using shotgun to kill them: affidavit
For days, relatives of Richard “Mike” and Kay Scarlett tried calling the Johnson County couple in late September and early October.
Family members knew that the Scarletts feared living with their 28-year-old son, Samuel Scarlett, who had mental health issues. He also had been violent in the past, according to an incident report.
The concern turned tragic when deputies with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office found the bodies of Mike and Kay Scarlett in a bedroom of the couple’s Johnson County home, according to an affidavit obtained by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Monday.
Samuel Scarlett was missing, but he was found in a Fort Worth hospital on Oct. 7. Evidence in the investigation indicated that DNA was recovered from the murder weapon that matched the DNA of Samuel Scarlett.
That weapon was a 12-gauge shotgun found in the Scarlett home.
Initially, Samuel Scarlett was taken into custody and accused of stealing his parents’ vehicle. He later was charged with capital murder.
He remained in the Johnson County Jail in Cleburne on Monday with bond set at $1.6 million. He faces charges of capital murder and unauthorized used of a motor vehicle.
The affidavit and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office incident report provided these details in the case:
The brother of Mike Scarlett and the couple’s daughter called the sheriff’s office asking if authorities could check the home because they had not heard from the couple.
Their daughter Sarah was concerned that her brother had done something to their parents.
Deputies checked the house in early October, but no one answered. The couple’s pickup truck also was missing.
Authorities returned on Oct. 6 and discovered the back door was unlocked and unsecured. When they went through the home, deputies found the body of a man with severe trauma to the head/face lying in a recliner in the master bedroom. That man was later identified as 66-year-old Mike Scarlett.
The body of a woman also was found in the bedroom, lying face down on the ground. That victim was 68-year-old Kay Scarlett.
A large amount of what looked like dried blood was on the floor, with two red shotgun shells under the recliner. Five shell casings were found on the floor.
On the foot of the bed was a black 120gauge shotgun with more unfired shotgun shells, according to the incident report.
Samuel Scarlett was not located in the home, and the couple’s 2016 Chevrolet extended-cab truck was missing. Samuel Scarlett did not have a driver’s license and he was not allowed to drive the truck.
Law enforcement documents indicated that the pickup was in Denton County on Oct. 3. Samuel Scarlett checked himself into a Fort Worth hospital on Oct. 3, but authorities did not find him until Oct. 7. The missing truck also was discovered in the hospital parking lot.
On Nov. 29, detectives received DNA/forensic biology laboratory reports from the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office that showed Samuel Scarlett’s DNA was on the handle and trigger of the shotgun, according to the affidavit.
Blood stains found on Samuel Scarlett’s shoes were from his father’s blood, according to the report.
At one point after his arrest, Samuel Scarlett agreed to talk to detectives, but he later declined.
