FORT MYERS, Fla. — Fox 4 learned new information about a Lehigh Acres murder, after Lukas Carlton appeared in court on Thursday for his pre-trial detention hearing on a second-degree murder charge.
Florida Highway Patrol and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office arrested 23-year-old Carlton earlier this month,after the Lee County Sheriff's Office reportedhe had stabbed a woman on 56th Street West in Lehigh Acres.
FIND OUT WHERE CARLTON WENT WHEN HE FLED THE SCENE IN LEHIGH COMMUNITY CORRESPONDENT ELLA RHOADES' REPORT:
In court on April 17, a lead detective said they had tracked Carlton after the alleged murder of Stephanie Lynch Barnett. The detective said Carlton went to the bank, Top Golf, and Walmart for cleaning supplies and new clothes. Then, they found his truck on the highway.
There, deputies said, they found a knife in his truck, with parts of the blade missing. They said they also found blood and a hair on the knife. The detective in court said this was significant because the victim had pieces of metal in her skull.
Inside the truck, investigators found $13,000 in cash that Carlton went to the bank for. The lead detective said Carlton received the money in a previous settlement.
They also said they found his phone in the truck, and after obtaining a search warrant, found a photo in it of beer cans in the garage taken at 8:54 p.m — the same garage where deputies say the victim was found.
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Carlton's stepfather John Barnett also went to the pre-trial detention hearing.
The state asked Barnett one question:
"If Mr. Carlton was somehow able to post bail or receive pretrial release in this case would he be able to come back and live at the house?"
"Absolutely not. I want him to spend the rest of his life in prison," he replied.
Barnett previously told deputies Carlton was diagnosed with Schizophrenia six or seven years ago.
Police report Carlton was on parole for charges out of a different county, and was not supposed to have left Lee County.
The judge ruled he's being held without bond until his trial. His next court date is May 19 for his arraignment.
