A court rejected a Gary man’s appeal Tuesday in his ex-girlfriend’s slaying.

Drew Carter III, 48, got 101 years in October 2024 for the Feb. 24 or 25, 2019, shooting death of Jessica “Heaven” Flores, 36, of South Chicago Heights.

Carter killed Flores after they argued in a car after leaving George “Sax” Heath’s Gary drug house, according to documents. Carter asked if he could have sex with her friend, who was with them. When Flores said no, he turned around and shot her in the head. He chased and tackled her friend, the eyewitness, before taking her to another house, until she later escaped.

Carter was originally charged with Flores’ murder in March 2019, before it was dismissed about six months later. Her body was not found for more than a year until her skull and vertebrae were discovered in April 2020 in Gary’s Brunswick Park. The murder case was refiled in October 2022.

He was released from jail in January 2023 under Indiana Criminal Rule 4, when a judge ruled prosecutors took too long to bring him to trial. It requires defendants to be tried within a certain timeframe, aside from procedural or the defense’s delays.

On appeal, Carter’s lawyer Kristin Mulholland argued that his “motion for discharge” just before trial — a bid to throw out the case — should have been granted under Indiana Criminal Rule 4.

She also argued prosecutors should not have been allowed to question the star eyewitness, whom Carter told he had killed other people. At trial, Deputy Prosecutor Infinity Westburg argued the defense opened a legal door to question the witness, which had been restricted previously by a motion in limine, topics supposed to be kept from the jury.

In a 3-0 decision, Appeals Judge Paul Mathias rejected Carter’s arguments.

Mathias acknowledged prosecutors belatedly said before trial they would use cellphone evidence, which he rebuked, noting he “did not approve” of the late disclosure. However, Carter could not claim a Rule 4 violation for the trial because he ultimately agreed to his finalized trial date, he wrote.

The trial itself largely rested on the eyewitness’s credibility. The Post-Tribune has not named her over concerns for her safety.

On the stand, the woman testified she and Flores went out that night to score drugs, drive around and smoke crack throughout Gary. At the drug house, the women got into an argument and got kicked out, along with Carter.

On cross-examination, defense lawyer Mark Gruenhagen asked the woman why she didn’t report Flores missing for 12 days.

Carter said he didn’t “leave loose ends,” the woman told Gruenhagen. “I didn’t want to get myself into something I wouldn’t be able to get myself out of.”

Westberg, with co-counsel Eric Randall, argued to Judge Natalie Bokota that they should be able to zero in on why else she feared him – Carter said he killed another person the same day. Otherwise, jurors would be left with incomplete information.

The judge allowed it.

Based on the woman’s testimony, prosecutors argued in closing arguments that she and Flores had “ruined” Carter’s plans to kill Pamela Crider, 43, of Hammond, who the witness knew as “Little Debbie” there at the alleged drug house by “making a scene” and getting kicked out.

The woman said Carter called Crider a “loose end.”

Crider was found shot dead in the face in Gary on Feb. 27, 2019.

Mathias wrote Bokota correctly admitted the testimony since Carter appeared to admit he killed Flores and it was a threat meant to scare her from “going to the police.”

Indiana sentencing laws require inmates to serve 75% of a sentence. His earliest release date is in May 2099.

He can appeal to the Indiana Supreme Court.

Sources close to the investigation have said Carter is a potential person of interest in six other deaths. He was only formally charged in Flores’ murder.

Four people — Tracy Valentine, 48, Timothy Snow, 55, Jimmy Valentine, 55, and Wayne Valentine, 69 — were killed within a week of each other in February 2019.

Two others — Crider and Heath, 55 — were both found shot to death after Flores’ disappearance.

Post-Tribune archives contributed.

mcolias@post-trib.com