Kristin Carrier never made it out of Robert Hendrix's Jacksonville home alive. The 43-year-old woman was dead—shot and stabbed—when her boyfriend's mother discovered her wrapped in a large brown tarp inside a bedroom, authorities said. The macabre finding came as the family rode out Hurricane Milton together in October 2024.
Background
Hendrix, then 33 years old, invited his 71-year-old mother to stay at his Florida home so they could ride out the storm that battered Jacksonville in mid-October 2024, according to a probable cause arrest affidavit by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. After Milton passed on October 10, Hendrix left to purchase supplies from a nearby store—a routine errand that would soon reveal the horror hidden behind closed doors.
When Hendrix returned, his mother and sister confronted him about what they had found inside his bedroom: Carrier's body, wrapped in tarp. Deputies said Hendrix became "animated" during the confrontation with his family. His mother and sister immediately left the home and contacted law enforcement.
Investigators later determined that another witness had heard Carrier yelling from a bedroom inside the home around 3 p.m. on October 9, 2024—one day before Hurricane Milton made landfall. Cellphone data analysis confirmed that Carrier was the only person present in Hendrix's residence at the time of the murder.
The Investigation
Duval County Sheriff's deputies responded to the scene and documented extensive blood patterns coating the floor and walls throughout the home. Inside the tarp at the bedroom entrance, they found Carrier deceased. Evidence collectors recovered a knife, baseball bat, and firearm from the property—potential weapons still being analyzed as of the initial charging documents.
Because Hendrix was a convicted felon, deputies arrested him immediately for illegal gun possession. A search of the residence also yielded methamphetamine, adding additional charges to the growing list against the defendant.
Detectives spent weeks building their case before formally filing murder charges in February 2025. By that time, Hendrix remained in custody at Duval County Jail, where he awaited prosecution for second-degree murder and related offenses.
Key Takeaways
- Kristin Carrier, 43, was shot and stabbed to death inside Robert Hendrix's Jacksonville home before Hurricane Milton struck in October 2024
- Hendrix invited his mother to shelter from the storm; she discovered Carrier's body wrapped in a tarp after he left for the store
- Cellphone data placed Carrier as the only occupant of the home during the estimated time of the murder on Oct. 9, 2024
- A witness reported hearing Carrier yelling inside the residence hours before Hendrix's mother arrived to ride out the hurricane
- Investigators collected a knife, baseball bat, and firearm from the scene; methamphetamine was also found in the home
- Hendrix pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, ammunition possession by a convicted felon, and drug possession charges
What's Next
Robert Hendrix has been sentenced to 40 years behind bars following his guilty plea to second-degree murder. He also admitted guilt to possession of ammunition by a convicted felon and possession of methamphetamine as part of the same case. The sentence marks the resolution of a case that began with an unsuspecting mother seeking shelter from a hurricane—and ending with her discovering the violent death of her son's girlfriend.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office investigation concluded with Hendrix in state custody, where he will serve his 40-year term under the Florida Department of Corrections.