A Bell County grand jury has indicted 20-year-old Colton Carter on a capital murder charge in the death of 18-year-old Ember Henry, the Salado teen found shot to death in Temple back in May. Carter has been transferred back to Bell County Jail to await state prosecution, months after federal prosecutors accused him and three others of conspiring to rob Henry of THC vape cartridges.
According to KWTX, the same federal grand jury had already indicted Carter, Donivan Bynum, Davier Green and Manyiah Moore on a charge of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery. That indictment alleges the four conspired on or about May 5, 2026 to steal property from Henry, including vape cartridges. Investigators told the station that Henry suffered multiple gunshot wounds and that spent 9mm casings were recovered at the scene.
Police Response To Reports Of Gunfire
Temple police first responded to reports of gunfire at about 9 p.m. on May 5 in the 1300 block of Paseo del Oro. The Temple Daily Telegram reported that officers responded to reports of gunshots at that time and location. FOX 44 likewise reported that officers were dispatched to the 1300 block of Paseo Del Oro around 9 p.m. on May 5 after reports of shots heard, but did not locate a crime scene or anyone needing help that night.
FOX 44 reported that officers returned to the area around 8 a.m. on May 6 for an urgent welfare check and found an 18-year-old male deceased with multiple gunshot wounds, later identified as Henry. The Telegram separately reported that officers identified the victim as the son of former Salado mayor Bert Henry.
From Marijuana Possession Charge To Capital Murder
Carter, who is from Troy, was booked Wednesday morning on the capital murder charge, according to the Telegram. Booking records cited by the paper also show Carter was charged with possession of more than two ounces of marijuana, a class B misdemeanor. If convicted of capital murder, Carter could face life imprisonment without parole or the death penalty, the Telegram reported.
The federal case moved first. Federal documents were filed in July in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, and as of that month, the station reported that murder charges had not yet been filed at the state or federal level, according to KWTX. Each defendant faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted on the federal conspiracy charges, per the Telegram's reporting.
A Fifth Suspect, A Juvenile, Arrested Later
The case eventually drew in a fifth suspect. The Killeen Daily Herald reported that the other four suspects, all adults, were arrested and indicted in July, while the fifth suspect, a male juvenile, was arrested and detained by the Temple Police Department on Aug. 24. The Telegram also places the juvenile's detention on Aug. 24, when Temple police said he was transferred to the juvenile detention center in Killeen. Both outlets reported that his name and age were withheld because he is a minor.
Temple police told the Telegram that a detective interviewed a witness who said Carter, Bynum, Green and Moore planned the robbery together. The Telegram also reported that police initially contacted Carter and another suspect, identified in that report as Bynum, 17, running from the scene, and that investigators said the two claimed they fled after hearing gunshots. Federal and local investigators told the Telegram the killing was connected to a multi-suspect drug robbery involving planned ambushes over THC vape cartridges.
A search of Carter's cellphone allegedly revealed messages and calls indicating he set up the robbery, with Bynum acting as lookout, according to a criminal complaint cited by the Telegram. The paper also reported that Carter's cellphone allegedly belonged to the Bell County Water Control and Improvement District No. 2. Carter is being held without bond in the Bell County Jail as the state case proceeds alongside the pending federal conspiracy charges against him and his three co-defendants.
