Celina man gets life sentence for murder of girlfriend during home invasion
Karl Andrew Stanley, 55 (Source: Collin County District Attorney's Office)
McKINNEY, Texas - A Collin County jury has convicted a 55-year-old Celina man of capital murder for killing his former girlfriend during a brutal home invasion after she reported his stalking to police, District Attorney Greg Willis announced.
Capital murder sentence
Karl Andrew Stanley received an automatic sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole following the verdict.
The backstory:
According to prosecutors, Stanley targeted the victim in retaliation for reporting his harassing behavior to the Celina Police Department. Investigators testified the victim had filed harassment complaints starting in early November 2024, leading police to issue a criminal trespass warning against Stanley and arrest him two days before the murder for violating it.
A detective had secured a separate stalking arrest warrant for Stanley just two hours before the attack.
Celina woman killed in home burglary; 53-year-old suspect arrested
A man was arrested Monday night after breaking into a home and killing a woman in Celina.
The crime unfolded on November 25, 2024, when a carpenter working at the victim's home in the Mustang Lakes subdivision called the Celina Police Department. The witness reported that Stanley broke into the residence armed with a carjack and began beating the victim. Although the carpenter managed to wrestle the weapon away, Stanley chased the victim inside and strangled her.
Responding officers found Stanley standing just feet from the victim's body with her blood and hair on his hands. Investigators later recovered the carjack outside and located a "grudge list" inside Stanley's vehicle featuring the victim's name at the top. DNA analysis also confirmed the victim's blood on Stanley's hands.
Stanley pleaded not guilty, but a Collin County jury deliberated for less than an hour before convicting him. Judge Richard Davis formally imposed the mandatory life sentence without parole.
What they're saying:
"This man killed a woman in her own home because she reported his stalking to police," DA Willis said following the sentencing. "A Collin County jury convicted him, and now he will spend every day of the rest of his life in prison while her family will live every day with their loss."
The Source: Information in this article is from the Collin County District Attorney's Office.