Both sides rest, close after experts in Michael Carlson trial

Yahoo

10-04-2025

WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — After experts took the stand for the prosecution and the defense, both sides rested and closed in the trial of a former Knox County sheriff, setting the stage for closing arguments on Thursday morning.
Michael Lloyd Carlson, 65, of Truscott in Knox County, faces a charge of manslaughter stemming from a three-vehicle crash on US 287 near Electra on May 17, 2023, that led to the death of 22-month-old Aveline Hill, of Dallas, at Cook Children's Hospital.
READ MORE: State rests case in trial of former Knox County sheriff
Carlson served as the sheriff of Knox County about 25 years ago, according to Knox County officials. Records show he was on probation for deadly conduct at the time of the fatal crash.
Testimony began on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in the 78th District Courtroom, with Judge Meredith Kennedy presiding. The Wichita County jury of 10 women and 2 men was sworn in on Monday, April 7.
Lead prosecutor Chelsea Carlton called a handful of witnesses on Wednesday morning, April 9, 2025, including an expert in accident reconstruction, before resting the state's case. After the jury left the courtroom for lunch, Carlson invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to testify.
When testimony resumed Wednesday afternoon at around 1:15 p.m., Mark Barber, Carlson's defense attorney, called their own expert in accident reconstruction, Scott Linkletter, one of over a hundred available forensic experts with Aperture, LLC.
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Linkletter testified regarding looming, or a driver's perception of its closing speed as it approaches a vehicle rapidly. Looming is a term often used when describing rear-end collisions.
Linkletter testified that a looming threshold is the point at which a driver can perceive they're closing in on a vehicle too fast. He testified that for an average driver, the perception-reaction time is 2.1 seconds. He testified that, adding the time it took Carlson to apply the brakes, he determined Carlson's perception-reaction time was 2.7 seconds.
Linkletter testified that research shows that 85 percent of drivers fell within the percentile that Carlson fell into. He testified it takes some time for a driver to fully appreciate their closing speed if a vehicle is in front of them, especially on open roads, in free-flowing traffic, and rural areas.
Carlton then cross-examined Linkletter, who testified that while he's testified in several depositions, this trial was the first time he'd testified in court.
Carlton asked Linkletter why no more wrecks occurred at the same time if many more cars were behind Carlson. Linkletter testified that he had no specific answer. He testified that he had no idea what Carlson was doing in his pickup before the crash, and that he was not able to definitively if the looming effect occurred or if Carlson was distracted while driving.
'I don't have any opinions on whether he was or was not distracted,' Linkletter testified.
Before Linkletter left the stand, Carlton asked if a looming effect could occur if a driver was not looking at the road. Linkletter testified that it could not.
The prosecution then reopened its case and recalled James Evans, an expert in accident reconstruction who testified on Wednesday morning, to testify as a rebuttal witness.
Evans testified that most of the research on the looming effect has to do with driving at night because tail lights are the only real source of light for those driving after dark. He testified that research in that area doesn't really apply to driving in the daytime.
READ MORE: 1-year-old dies following three-car crash near Electra
Evans then testified that Linkletter didn't really calculate a perception-reaction time, but instead, just created a possible range. He testified that regardless of the range Linkletter testified to, there was still no evidence of Carlson reacting until less than a second before impact.
'Perception-reaction time and stopping depends on what you see and when you see it,' Evans testified.
Evans testified that most people can see and recognize when traffic is ahead of them on the highway, and that other drivers on U.S. 287 on May 17, 2023, were slowing down due to the detour ahead of them.
During cross-examination, Barber questioned Evans on the difference between looming in the daytime and at night. Evans testified that in the daytime, a driver has more visual cues than just tail lights to perceive.
Evans testified that he didn't know what Carlson was doing in the pickup before the crash, and that he wasn't aware of his state of mind at the time of the crash. He also testified that he wasn't speeding when the crash took place.
'All that time he was driving down the roadway, why did it take so long before he saw there was a problem?' Evans asked.
After cross-examination, Carlton indicated she had no further questions. Evans was excused from the witness stand. Carlton once again rested the prosecution's case, then closed it. Barber, on behalf of the defense, closed the case as well.
After Evans was again released from the stand, Carlton again closed the prosecution's case. Barber then closed the case on behalf of the defense.
Attorneys for the prosecution and the defense remained in the courtroom after the jury was dismissed in order to work on the charge that will be read to the 10 women and 2 men to begin proceedings on Thursday, April 10, instructing them on their deliberation.
After Judge Kennedy reads the charge, both sides will have the opportunity to make final arguments to the jurors, beginning with the prosecution, followed by Carlson's defense, and finished after the prosecution gets another opportunity to address the jury.
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After that, the jury will begin deliberating until a unanimous verdict is reached, either convicting Carlson of manslaughter or acquitting him of the charge.
If the jury finds Carlson guilty, the punishment phase of the trial will begin. Both sides will again present witnesses and evidence to the jury, followed by closing statements. The jury will again deliberate to determine Carlson's sentence.
Both Carlton and Barber indicated to Judge Kennedy on Wednesday afternoon that they expect to call a handful of witnesses in the punishment phase if Carlson is found guilty by the jury.
If convicted, Carlson faces up to 20 years in prison.Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.