Suspect Thinking

Standing behind his woman? Really? Fiancé of accused mom murderer/baby kidnapperstill wants to marry her

Verna McClain is being held on charges of capital murder.
Madame Noire
Despite all that has happened, Kevin Carter still wants to marry hisbride-to-be.
KHOU.com
Kala Golden Schuchardt and her 3-day-old infant, Keegan, were targeted outsideof a pediatric clinic in Spring.
KHOU.com

The tragic story of the registered nurse turned baby kidnapper and mommy murderer has dominated headlines and shaken hearts since last week.

Verna McClain, 30, allegedly shot and killed 28-year-old Kala Golden Schuhardt outside of Northwoods Pediatric Center in Spring on April 17. She then preceded to kidnap Schuchardt's 3-day-old baby, Keegan.

And bafflingly enough, despite all of this, McClain's 26-year-old fiancé, Kevin Carter, says that he still wants to marry her.

"I still love her so I’m going to still marry her," Carter told KHOU. "I feel bad for the family that it happened to, but I still love her. I don’t look at her no different."

"I feel bad for the family that it happened to, but I still love her. I don’t look at her no different."

McClain and Carter were scheduled to wed on May 5. That ceremony will likely not take place, of course, as the "bride-to-be" remains in custody on a charge of capital murder.

According to investigators, McClain planned the kidnapping to cover up a miscarriage, a circumstance that Carter knew naught of. McClain would pass off Keegan as the couple's new baby. (It is unclear how, exactly, she planned to do that. Keegan is caucasian, and both McClain and Carter are African-American.)

Carter was under the impression that McClain had delivered their child — Kevin Carter Jr. — on April 3, but that he was recovering from a respiratory infection in the hospital. After weeks without seeing the child, he began having doubts about the baby's existence.

"I would have married her anyway. It really wouldn’t have mattered," Carter told KHOU. "She got three [children]. I got two so we wasn’t hurting for no baby."

Would you be so understanding?

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Editor's note: It's time to look back at the top Houston news of the week, including restaurant openings and a major acquisition for MFAH. Plus, where to celebrate New Year's Eve in Houston. Catch up on our most popular stories below, then visit this guide to the best Christmas weekend events.

1. Meet the men behind River Oaks' new destination for bowls and broth. On this episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” Honest Mary’s founder Nelson Monteith and COO Andrew Wiseheart joined CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss the Austin-based restaurant that just opened its first Houston location in the River Oaks Shopping Center.

2. Houston's only Michelin-recognized Tex-Mex restaurant now open in Bellaire. It didn’t take Sambrooks Hospitality Group long to turn Mandito’s into Candente. First announced in September, the restaurant’s second location officially opened December 22.

3. 25 Houston restaurants celebrating New Year's Eve with caviar, bubbles, and more. Houston restaurants are ringing in the new year with indulgent menus featuring caviar, lobster, and steak, along with plenty of bubbly.

4. Houston museum acquires historic Masonic lodge property for new greenspace. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has acquired a prime parcel to expand its campus in the Museum District.

Holland Lodge masonic building The building at 4911 will be torn down for the new greenspace. Holland Lodge No. 1, A.F. & A.M./Facebook

5. Houston's richest residents, best suburbs, and more top city news in 2025. As 2025 comes to a close, we're looking back at the stories that defined Houston this year. These are the City Life stories that captured Houston's attention.