A Lake Havasu city man who was convicted of manslaughter earlier this year may plead guilty next month to an additional charge of theft involving a firearm he was in possession of at the time of his arrest.
Carter R. Beckwith, 19, was originally charged with second-degree murder in July 2021 in the shooting death of 19-year-old Havasu resident Damon Pethetan. Mojave County prosecutors were unable to convince a jury of Beckwith’s murder charges, but in the end Beckwith was found guilty of misdemeanor manslaughter in the shooting that led to Petetan’s death. As of Thursday, Beckwith remains in custody at the Mojave County Jail, awaiting trial for additional felonies of theft and assault against a detainee.
Beckwith is scheduled to appear on May 16 for a change hearing related to the theft charges. The charges stemmed from a firearm found in Beckwith’s car at the time of his arrest, and Havasu investigators believed he was involved in two vehicle robberies prior to Petetan’s death.
The incident began on July 10, 2021, when Beckwith and the victim were attending a house party at Block 2300 Alpine Avenue. An initial police statement said Beckwith built a handgun before fleeing the scene, and a confrontation ensued between two men who allegedly shot the victim.
Petetan was declared dead at the scene by first responders, and Lake Havasu City Police investigators sought Beckwith for questioning in the case. Police said Beckwith attempted to flee to California after the shooting, but stopped in the town of Parker.
Parker police officers found Beckwith asleep in his car hours after the shooting took place and arrested him at the scene. A police statement said Beckwith was in possession of two firearms at the time of his arrest, including a handgun whose serial number was registered as stolen and a rifle whose serial number had been completely removed. It was believed to have been stolen in a vehicle robbery prior to his death.
Beckwith was charged with two counts of felony larceny on a separate indictment from his earlier murder charges.
He has since filed a notice of appeal against his manslaughter conviction and sentence last month.
Even as Beckwith awaits the next hearing on the theft charges, the Mojave County Attorney’s Office has requested that Beckwith be ordered to pay more than $13,000 in damages to Petetan’s family and the Arizona Victims Compensation Fund. bottom.
