Coryell County man gets 10 years in wife's 2022 shooting death

Kevin Frazier will spend 10 years in prison for the 2022 shooting death of his wife, Destiney Carey, after a Coryell County jury rejected the murder charge but convicted him of criminally negligent homicide and deadly conduct. For Carey’s family, the sentence brought a formal end to a case that has shadowed Copperas Cove for more than four years.

Police were called to the 1000 block of Hobby Road on April 7, 2022, after a 911 hang-up around 12:25 to 12:30 p.m. Dispatch reportedly heard screaming before the call disconnected. When officers arrived, they found Carey, who was 33, and Frazier, who was 37, both suffering gunshot wounds. Carey was pronounced dead at the scene. Frazier was taken to a hospital in stable condition. A responding officer was injured during the incident, which is why the case also included a charge tied to an assault on a public servant.

The murder trial opened in Coryell County on April 22, 2026, and ran through several days of testimony. Family members of Carey testified during the proceedings, underscoring how deeply the shooting has affected the people closest to her. The defense argued that Frazier had spent years as a victim of domestic abuse and had reason to fear for his safety. Prosecutors pushed back on that account and challenged the suggestion that there had been a struggle over the gun before the shooting.

The jury returned its verdict on April 30, finding Frazier guilty of the lesser charges rather than murder. That shifted the case quickly into sentencing, where the court handed down the maximum punishment available on each count: 10 years for criminally negligent homicide and two years for deadly conduct. The sentences will run concurrently, leaving Frazier with an effective 10-year term.

Texas law classifies criminally negligent homicide as a state jail felony, while deadly conduct can be a third-degree felony in some circumstances, including when it is committed against a public servant. In Carey’s case, the sentence reflects the limits of the charges the jury chose, but it still marks the most serious prison term the court could impose after the murder count failed. For Carey’s family, it offered some measure of justice and closure after a long and painful wait.