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Larry Webb’s deathbed confession solves 2000 cold case murder of Susan and Natasha Carter, 10, whose remains were found hours after he died
An ailing West Virginia man confessed on his deathbed to killing a mother and her 10-year-old child nearly a quarter century ago and led investigators to their bodies.
Larry Webb, 82, said he shot and killed both Susan Carter, 41, and her daughter Natasha “Alex” Carter in August 2000 and then buried their bodies in a shallow grave in the woods on his property, WSAZ reported.
The remains of the mom and daughter were discovered on Webb’s Beckley property Monday — roughly six hours after their killer died at Mount Olive Correctional Complex in Fayette County in what police called “a bit of a poetic ending.”
Webb said that he had gotten into an argument with Susan Carter, who was living in his home with her daughter, over money and shot her. He said he was missing cash and believed that she had taken it and spent it, Raleigh County Prosecuting Attorney Ben Hatfield said.
After fatally shooting Susan, Webb said he “knew he had ruined his life forever,” investigators said, according to WSAZ.
He then shot little Alex dead so that there were no witnesses.
“Once he had killed both individuals, he had stored them in the basement of the home where he cried himself to sleep that night. And then over the course of the next two nights, dug a shallow grave in the woods on his property,” Hatfield said, according to Fox News.
Webb was previously indicted for Alex’s death in October 2023 and was placed in custody earlier this month after the FBI took back up the cold case in 2021, according to the local news station.
Investigators searched his home last year and found a bullet embedded in the wall of what was the girl’s bedroom, the station reported. The bullet was tested for DNA, which confirmed that blood on it belonged to the 10-year-old girl.
Webb reportedly confessed to the murders in a “come to Jesus” moment on his deathbed during the first week of April, West Virginia state police said, according to Fox.
Alex’s father, Rick Lafferty, who was in a custody battle with Susan over their daughter at the time of her death, said he was thankful to investigators for finally closing the case.
“Kind of a sad day, but also a happy day, because I can bring my baby home,” he said at a press conference announcing the findings.
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Afghan CIA fighters face stark reality in the U.S. : Consider This from NPR
A makeshift memorial stands outside the Farragut West Metro station on December 01, 2025 in Washington, DC. Two West Virginia National Guard troops were shot blocks from the White House on November 26.
Heather Diehl/Getty Images
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Heather Diehl/Getty Images
They survived some of the Afghanistan War’s most grueling and treacherous missions.
But once they evacuated to the U.S., many Afghan fighters who served in “Zero Units” found themselves spiraling.
Among their ranks was Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the man charged with killing one National Guard member and seriously injuring a second after opening fire on them in Washington, D.C. on Thanksgiving Eve.
NPR’s Brian Mann spoke to people involved in Zero Units and learned some have struggled with mental health since coming to the U.S. At least four soldiers have died by suicide.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
This episode was produced by Erika Ryan and Karen Zamora. It was edited by Alina Hartounian and Courtney Dorning.
Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
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Video: Behind the Supreme Court’s Push to Expand Presidential Power
new video loaded: Behind the Supreme Court’s Push to Expand Presidential Power
By Ann E. Marimow, Claire Hogan, Stephanie Swart and Pierre Kattar
December 12, 2025
News
Europe’s rocky relations with Donald Trump
Gideon talks to Jens Stoltenberg, Nato’s former secretary-general, about Ukraine and Europe’s strategic priorities after recent scathing criticism from US president Donald Trump over its failure to end the war: ‘They talk but they don’t produce.’ Clip: Politico
Free links to read more on this topic:
The White House’s rupture with the western alliance
Trump pushes for ‘free economic zone’ in Donbas, says Zelenskyy
Friedrich Merz offers to host Ukraine talks so deal not done ‘above Europe’s head’
Ukraine’s ‘fortress belt’ that Donald Trump wants to trade for peace
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