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Celina man who murdered ex was later found with 'grudge list,' Halloween mask
A Celina man will spend the rest of his life in prison without parole for stalking and killing his ex-girlfriend.
CELINA, Texas - A Celina man will spend the rest of his life in prison without parole for stalking and killing his ex-girlfriend.
What we know:
Karl Stanley, 55, broke into the victim's home using a car jack. He attacked her with it, and ultimately choked her to death.
Prosecutors say he had a history of stalking the victim, and they found evidence there could have been more.
Bodycam video shows bloody scene, arrest
Dig deeper:
Bodycam video from November 2024 showed his arrest. Celina officers found Stanley inside his ex-girlfriend’s home.
"Let me see your hands! Do not move!" an officer shouted.
Another officer discovered the victim’s lifeless body just feet away, in a bathroom. She had been strangled to death.
Her blood was on Stanley’s hands as he was placed in handcuffs.
"He was fairly calm," said Cresta Garland, chief felony prosecutor with the Collin County District Attorney’s Office. "He did not show any remorse."
Celina man gets life sentence for murder of girlfriend during home invasion
Karl Andrew Stanley was sentenced to life without parole after a Collin County jury convicted him of capital murder for strangling his former girlfriend in Celina.
Months of escalating behavior
Big picture view:
Stanley was convicted of capital murder on Oct. 8 and sentenced to life in prison.
During the trial, prosecutors described months of escalating behavior, beginning after Stanley and his girlfriend broke up in May 2024.
"His jealousy became out of control. He began calling, texting, showing up at her home unannounced," Garland said.
By November, the victim had made several police reports. On Nov. 23, officers arrested Stanley for violating a trespass warning. But that arrest did not end the danger.
"He bonded out of jail and the very next day he went and committed the crime of capital murder," Garland said.
Prosecutors say Stanley attacked the victim with a car jack before strangling her.
‘Grudge list’ and Halloween mask found during investigation
During the investigation, police found a "grudge list" in his vehicle. At the top: the victim’s name. Below it: other names and government agencies.
A mask found while authorities were investigating a Nov. 2024 homicide in Celina.
Jurors also saw a white Halloween mask marked with the words "anger, disgust, shame and guilt."
Stanley testified in his own defense. The prosecutor says he tried to downplay his actions and offered excuses for his behavior. She described him as showing little emotion throughout the trial.
The Source: The information in this article was reported by Fox 4's David Sentendrey.