December 22, 2025 | By: Sarah Mitchell, PCC Advocate

Earl Carter Jr. was Latonya Carter’s second-born and biggest baby. Latonya described Earl, “He just had this special way about him, as he grew, I saw more and more in him”.

Earl Carter Jr. was born in Jacksonville, Florida, on November 10, 1990. Earl comes from a big, loving family and is one of nine siblings, seven boys and two girls. Earl always stood out. He loved everyone and was just the type of person that his siblings would go to for advice. “He was the peacemaker in the family and mentored all his siblings,” Latonya explained. Earl was not only a mentor to his siblings, but he also mentored kids around him in the neighborhood. “He never discriminated; if there was a rivalry between two kids, he would stand in the middle and try to fix the problem”. Big June, as his cousin, Moe Moe, affectionately called him, described Earl as “one of the most caring, funny, and loving cousins anyone could ever ask for; his smile and personality always brought joy and laughter everywhere he went.”

Earl attended Andrew Jackson High School in Jacksonville, Florida, and played football. “He had the height and size to excel at Football”. Earl was great at everything in school, not only sports. He was an A/B student in all his academics. One of his dreams and goals was to be a pharmacy technician. Latonya remembers fondly the day Earl came home and told her that he was going off to college. She was so shocked that he had applied on his own and was accepted to Florida State University. Earl had told his mom I’m packing up my bags, and if I have to sleep on the floor, I will. Latonya lovingly added, “He was so determined and had so much potential”.  Moe Moe and Earl attended and graduated from high school together, and Moe Moe expressed, “I didn’t like that he wanted to leave for college, but I had to respect the greatness and intelligence within him; he was destined for more, and I knew it.”

In December 2012, Earl Carter Jr. came home for Christmas to celebrate the holidays with his family. They were all excited to have him home. They spent Christmas Day celebrating and eating together. Earl’s favorite was his mom’s mac-n-cheese. The next day, Latonya was sitting in the front living room while Earl was waiting for his best. Earl stepped outside to wait on his ride. “Wasn’t long after he walked outside, it was like the fourth of July outside, gunshots everywhere,” Latonya described. Latonya ran outside and saw Earl lying in the middle of the ground. Earl was transported to the hospital after suffering gunshot wounds in the front yard of his home.

Latonya remembers the hospital being flooded with Earl’s friends; she didn’t even realize he had that many. Moe Moe recalled walking into the hospital room and seeing him lying in bed. “It’s a moment that will never fade from my thoughts, I can still hear the machines beeping, the rhythm of the breathing machine keeping time, and the smell of blood in the air as he fought for his life”. Earl succumbed to his injuries that evening.

After Latonya left the hospital, she returned home, and there were so many people stopping by to show their respects to Earl and their family. Latonya described her porch becoming a memorial for Earl, “People would stop by and mourn and remember Earl”. Moe Moe recalls the day she received the phone call about the shooting, “It felt like a nightmare, one I still play in my mind”.

Earl’s family would come together every April at a local park in Jacksonville. “My mom wanted all the kids, grandkids & cousins to be together”. After the passing of Earl, the happiness was taken out of everything. Christmas was one of the biggest days of joy for their family, but ever since Earl’s death, it’s been hard to be joyous. “Everyone goes into their shell the day after Christmas,” Latonya explained.

Latonya now has a memorial of Earl in the front room of her home, with pictures to reflect on Earl’s life. “I want my grandchildren to know him and see him. I try to keep his face in our family as much as I can.” Latonya prays every night, “Don’t let another year end without my son’s case being solved”.

---

Anyone with information concerning Earl Carter Jr.’s unsolved homicide is asked to call the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at (904) 630-0500. To remain anonymous and possibly be eligible for a reward, call First Coast Crime Stoppers at (866) 845-8477.

---

Please use the buttons below to share this case in hopes that someone, somewhere, will come forward and give this victim and family the answers they need and the justice they deserve.

If you have a loved one who is the victim of an unsolved homicide, please submit their case here for consideration in a future Cold Case Spotlight post.