Dateline: Secrets Uncovered - What happened to Shirley Carter?

Shirley Carter, an Iowa grandmother, was found shot to death in her rural Marion County home in June 2015. She was shot twice and was found dead on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood.

Shirley's husband, Bill Carter, was at work hauling corn when the incident occurred. The scene was first discovered by their son Jason, who called his sister before he made a 911 call. Bill accused his son Jason Carter of fatally shooting the 68-year-old and later filed a wrongful death lawsuit against him. He was also charged with first-degree murder but was found not guilty in a criminal trial in 2019.

Dateline: Secrets Uncovered is slated to revisit Shirley Carter's shooting death, further examining the unusual case in an upcoming episode titled The Farm. The synopsis states:

"Bill and Shirley Carter raise a family on their sprawling farm in America's heartland; as their golden years approach, tragedy strikes and the seeds of a mystery, pitting one family member against another, are planted."

The Farm will air on Oxygen on Tuesday, February 21, 2023, at 9 pm ET.

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Mother-of-three, Shirley Carter was shot twice at her Marion County home

Shirley Carter, 68, was gunned down in the kitchen of her rural Marion County, Iowa, home on June 19, 2015. She was found in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor with two gunshot wounds.

According to the victim's husband, Bill, the two went out for coffee as they frequently did that morning, after which he dropped her off before leaving to haul some corn with his son. Bill stated that while heading home after work, his daughter Jana Lain called and informed him about the incident.

Jana reportedly heard the news from her brother Jason Carter, who was the first to discover the crime scene. After making a call to his sister, Jason then called 911 to report the incident. Upon arriving at the crime scene, authorities found the home had been ransacked. The office and bedroom drawers were pulled out, and there were papers thrown all over.

Although authorities initially suspected that the incident resulted from a botched burglary, they soon discovered that nothing had been taken from the house. Moreover, Shirley's purse was lying untouched with $140 and credit cards inside, along with an envelope on the dresser, which reportedly had $1,700.

Although the murder weapon was never found, it is alleged that a missing gun from the cabinet in the basement may have been used during the shooting incident.

No arrests were made in connection to Shirley Carter's death until two and a half years later, in December 2017, when her son Jason was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

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Shirley Carter's son Jason was charged with her murder but was found not guilty

Unhappy with the investigation, Bill Carter, who believed that his son was responsible, voiced his concerns about the incompetence of law enforcement, who failed to gather appropriate evidence, including Jason's clothing and boots. He eventually hired a private investigator and an attorney about a year after Shirley's death and made some shocking revelations.

Bill and his two other children, Billy and Jana, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Jason on January 5, 2016, accusing him of Shirley's murder. The lawsuit mentioned a range of arguments, including his financial troubles and that his family would have refused to provide financial assistance if they knew about the affair he was having.

In 2017, the wrongful death civil lawsuit trial got underway, and Jason Carter was ordered to pay $10 million by the Marion County jury, which sided with Bill Carter's lawsuit. Not long after, he was charged with first-degree murder but was found not guilty in Shirley Carter's murder during a 2019 criminal trial.