Jury sentences Tyler man to 16 years in prison for murder

TYLER — A jury has sentenced Martin Reynolds to 16 years in prison for the murder of Andrew Carpenter after more than 4 hours of deliberations. The prosecution had requested 40 years while the defense asked for 10. He’ll get 4 years time served for the time he was waiting for his trial and be eligible for parole in 2025. The latest he will be out is 2033. He was charged after shooting Carpenter in November 2017. According to our news partner KETK, the jury deliberated for five hours before reaching the guilty verdict.

The trial focused on whether Reynolds acted in self-defense after Carpenter shot at him first. On Tuesday, a detective with the Smith County Sheriff’s Office defended his decision to pursue a murder charge by saying the Reynolds initiated the incident by infuriating Carpenter with prank phone calls and then driving to the home where Carpenter was socializing to confront him after they fought on the phone. Thad Davidson, the lead defense attorney for Reynolds, has maintained for years that Reynolds acted in self-defense. He had a gun hidden behind his back, but it was not visible to Carpenter and Reynolds was holding only a beer bottle when Carpenter shot him with a shotgun.

Davidson got Turner to admit on the stand though that Carpenter acted illegally by shooting Reynolds. Carpenter had a gun in his lap when Reynolds arrived at the porch that he had been using previously for hunting. He had borrowed the gun from his dad earlier that week. Two friends, Nathan Garcia and Colton Tate, drove Reynolds to the home where Carpenter was hanging out at. Tate loaned him his pistol for protection, but Reynolds initially hid it behind his back under his shirt. Garcia and Tate have already pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence charges. Reynolds in 2019 turned down a 15-year plea deal from the Smith County District Attorney’s Office.