Shraman Mitra
Carlos Hallowell was the one who called 911 on the evening of July 13, 2019, to report his mother’s death. Although he claimed that he was fast asleep and not involved in Denise Hallowell’s murder, evidence soon hinted otherwise. ‘Dateline: Horror at the Lake’ draws a vivid picture of the murder and shows how the police gradually unfurled a terrifying plot fueled by blind rage. Let’s dig into the details of the crime and find out where Carlos Hallowell is at present, shall we?
Who Is Carlos Hallowell?
Denise Hallowell adopted Carlos from Guatemala when he was just four years of age. Already an intelligent kid, he proved to be a brilliant student and even won laurels in athletics and academics. Initially, life seemed quite happy, and Denise even adopted another child who became Carlos’ younger brother. Unfortunately, by age 11, Carlos fell into bad company and began exploring the vices of alcohol and drugs. It was quite a heartbreaking moment as the once brilliant child began falling behind in school and ultimately got expelled in 2019 when he was 17.
Although Denise got to know of this development later, she was understandably pretty hurt. She decided to be strict and began cutting down on Carlos’ bad habits. However, the teenager was quite annoyed at what he believed was overbearing parenting. His anger for Denise then grew to have no bounds, and the two shared a tumultuous relationship. When emergency responders reached the Hallowell residence on July 13, 2019, they found Denise murdered in bed with an ax still embedded in her head.
Carlos was the only one present in the house. However, he claimed that he was napping and discovered his mother dead upon waking up. However, the forensic evidence pointed at Carlos being present at the murder scene, while pictures from CCTV cameras recovered from an adjacent lake proved he wasn’t asleep. Moreover, the police also recovered the victim’s phone from the lake and location-tracked Carlos’ phone to refute his alibi. Thus, Carlos was arrested and charged with Denise’s murder.
Carlos Hallowell is in Prison Today
Even when faced with the evidence, Carlos insisted on his innocence and claimed he had nothing to do with the murder. Nevertheless, once forensic evidence proved his involvement beyond the shadow of a doubt, he finally gave in and partly confessed. Carlos mentioned that he was enraged and was using an ax to cut wood as a calming technique. He further insisted that anger almost put him into a trance-like state and made him attack his mother with the same ax. As for his motive, per the show, it was apparently anger combined with a fear of abandonment as his adopted mother had recently started indicating she did not want him anymore.
Even after providing a confession, Carlos surprisingly pleaded not guilty at his trial. However, after testimonies as well as deliberation, the jury convicted him of first-degree premeditated murder. Thus, in the fall of 2021, he was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole; though this verdict will get a review following 25 years since the assailant was a minor at the time of the crime. Therefore, today, Carlos is incarcerated at the mixed-security Jackson Correctional Institution in Malone, Florida — a place he claims he deserves to be because he did kill his mom and there’s no going back from it.
Read More: Denise Hallowell Murder: How Did She Die? Who Killed Her?
