De Kalb Double Homicide Capital Murder Trial Ongoing
NEW BOSTON, Texas–A jury of seven men and five women have heard two days of testimony in the capital murder trial of a man accused of killing a man and a woman at a residence in De Kalb, Texas, last year during the course of a break-in.
Clyde Allen Stephens, 36, is facing life without the possibility of parole if found guilty of capital murder in the June 19, 2025, deaths of Donna Culpepper, 63, and Charles Beckham, 64.
Testimony from witnesses for the state is expected to wind up sometime Thursday. Depending on how many witnesses the defense elects to call, the case could be in the jury’s hands either Thursday or Friday.
Beckham is believed to have interrupted Stephens as he was stealing items from his home before shooting him and setting Beckham’s body and truck on fire. Culpepper was discovered lying face down in Beckham’s driveway in the 700 block of Private Road 42041 with facial trauma, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Beckham was known to own firearms but none were found in his residence after the murders. In addition to her rental car being missing, Culpepper’s cell phone, purse and wallet were also not found at the scene.
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Stephens was allegedly driving Culpepper’s rental car when he was arrested in Arkansas days after the murders. Stephens fled from law enforcement in White County but was eventually taken into custody.
Investigators allegedly found evidence directly linking Stephens to the murder at a residence in Searcy, Ark., where he had been staying after Beckham and Culpepper were murdered.
The state did not seek the death penalty for Stephens, the only other punishment for capital murder available under Texas law than life without parole.
The elected district attorney “reviews and determines whether to seek the death penalty on all cases,” according to campaign materials circulated by District Attorney Jerry Rochelle ahead of the March primary this year.
Stephens has been held in the Bowie County jail since he was transferred from Arkansas custody to Texas custody on July 2, 2025. His bail amounts total $7.3 million.
Stephens is represented by Texarkana lawyer Jeff Harrelson, who was appointed to the case by 202nd District Judge John Tidwell. The state is represented by District Attorney-elect Kelley Crisp and Assistant District Attorney Bradley Akins.