A Missouri couple has been charged in Delaware County with first-degree murder after new evidence emerged linking them to the 2014 killing of an Oklahoma man. James Larson Jr., 41, and his wife, Penny Larson, 40, of Cameron, Missouri, are accused of murdering 20-year-old Dustin Ray Carver.
Arrest warrants were issued last week in Delaware County District Court in Jay. James Larson is currently serving a 14-year sentence in the Missouri State Penitentiary for theft and drug charges. Penny Larson is being held in the Clinton County Jail on an out-of-state fugitive warrant.
Carver was last seen alive on March 3, 2014, at the Larsons’ home in Kansas, Oklahoma. He was reported missing more than two weeks later by his girlfriend. A witness later told investigators details of the killing.
That same year, a search of the Larsons’ property uncovered charred human remains, including bone fragments, teeth, and a clavicle consistent with a male between 18 and 22 years old. Because of the extent of the fire damage, investigators at the time were unable to make a positive identification. Forensic testing also revealed several areas of blood inside the mobile home.
Despite these findings, prosecutors hesitated to file charges without confirmed identification of the remains. The case broke open this summer when the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office contacted authorities in Delaware County after receiving a tip from one of James Larson’s former cellmates.
According to an arrest affidavit, the inmate said Larson admitted to torturing and killing Carver by slitting his throat before burning his body. Larson also allegedly showed the cellmate Carver’s missing person listing online and bragged about getting away with the crime.
Court records suggest the motive may have stemmed from a rape accusation made by Penny Larson against Carver. Witnesses reported hearing Penny tell her husband, “I want him gone” and “I want him dealt with.” Carver denied the allegations.
One witness recalled that after leaving the home briefly, he returned to find Penny cleaning blood from the kitchen floor while James sat outside smoking. The same witness said he then saw Carver’s body on a woodpile with a knife protruding from his chest. He identified the body by a tattoo on Carver’s forearm and the clothes he had been wearing earlier.
The witness also said he saw Carver’s belongings being destroyed in a burn barrel. Court records state Larson threatened to kill the witness if he ever spoke about the crime.