Kevin Frazier murder trial opens in Coryell County, cousin testifies to threats

Jurors in Coryell County heard the first testimony in Kevin Frazier’s murder trial focus on the relationship at the center of a Copperas Cove killing that has now moved into the courtroom.

Prosecutors say Frazier killed his wife, Destiney Jassmund Carey, on April 7, 2022, inside a home in the 1000 block of Hobby Road. Copperas Cove police said officers were dispatched around 12:25 p.m. that day to a 911 hang-up call, and an arrest affidavit said dispatchers could hear screaming before the call disconnected. When an officer arrived, he reportedly heard screaming, kicked open the door and shots were fired from inside the home.

Carey was 33 when she died. Frazier was 37 at the time. Justice of the Peace Bill Price pronounced Carey dead at the scene, while police said Frazier was transported to the hospital in stable condition. Frazier was later charged on April 11, 2022, with murder and aggravated assault against a public servant, and local reporting said he was held on bonds totaling $1.75 million.

The early testimony came from Prudence Stegall, Carey’s cousin, who told jurors Carey had called her in distress and said Frazier was threatening to take her phone and smash it. Stegall said Carey wanted a divorce and planned to leave him. She also described the relationship as contentious and testified about an alleged incident in which Frazier punched Carey in the face while they were in a car.

Stegall said she tried to contact authorities after the call, attempting both 911 and the Copperas Cove non-emergency line. The defense pushed back, arguing that Stegall’s knowledge of the relationship came from Carey herself. Defense attorneys also introduced Facebook Live videos of the couple into evidence as jurors began sorting through competing accounts of what was happening in the days and hours before Carey died.

KCEN reported live from the courtroom on April 23 and April 24 as the trial continued, with additional witnesses called, including Shawana Martin. The case remains closely watched in Coryell County because it ties a fatal Copperas Cove shooting to a domestic-violence allegation that has taken years to reach a jury.

The trial also lands in the middle of a wider Texas pattern. The Texas Council on Family Violence reported at least 216 Texans were killed in domestic violence homicides in 2022, the second-highest total in a decade, with most victims killed by firearms. That backdrop gives the Frazier case added weight for a county jury now weighing testimony, timelines and the evidence each side says explains Carey’s death.