Arkansas Inmate Charged in Woman's '23 Death in Marion County

Arkansas Inmate Charged in Woman’s ’23 Death in Marion County

Arkansas prison inmate Dalvin Carter is charged in ‘murder-for-hire’ shooting of Erica Pedroza in July 2023 on Indy’s southwest side.

A close-up portrait of a Black man with a beard, wearing a white shirt and looking directly at the camera. — Dalvin Carter (Source: Arkansas Department of Corrections)

INDIANAPOLIS — An inmate at an Arkansas prison is facing murder charges in Marion County for his involvement in the shooting death of Erica Pedroza in 2023.

In July 2023, Erica Pedroza was found dead in the bedroom of a home in Camby. Her husband, Seth Smith-Robinson, was arrested in Nashville, Tennessee, in connection with her death in 2024.

In an announcement made Friday, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said Dalvin Carter, 34, will eventually be extradited to Indianapolis to face his murder and robbery charges. Last year, investigators received a tip that Pedroza’s death may have been a murder-for-hire.

Marion County prosecutors issued a warrant for Carter’s arrest on Tuesday. He’s currently being held in the Arkansas Department of Corrections on a seven-year sentence for a robbery and domestic battery incident.

“This arrest was made possible not only by the determined efforts of IMPD detectives but also by a critical community tip that moved this case forward,” IMPD said in a release. “We remain grateful for our detectives’ hard work and the partnerships that help ensure violent offenders are held accountable.”