Sep 6, 2007 10:39 pm US/Central
Parents Of Killed Dallas Musician Talk To CBS 11
by Jay Gormley
DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ―
The funeral for Carter Albrecht will be held Friday at Parkway Hills Baptist Church in Plano. On the night before they bury their son, the musician's parents are talking exclusively to CBS 11's Jay Gormley.
"The sadness is amazing," said Ken Albrecht, Carter's father. "In a lot of ways, it will be with us until our very last breath, and it will probably never lessen."
It's the type of answer you would expect from grieving parents, but Judy and Ken Albrecht of Plano say their son is not the type of person portrayed by his actions early Monday morning.
"That is not Carter Albrecht. That is not his life of 34 years of gentleness and compassion," Ken Albrecht said. "Carter dated a lot of women. They all cherished him and loved him. He never, ever touched anyone."
Police say the 34-year-old musician hit his girlfriend, chased after her and then wandered over to a neighbor's house where he tried to kick in the door.
Fearing it was an intruder, the neighbor fired a warning shot. It turned out to be a deadly shot.
"I know that he and his wife were very frightened. It was obviously dark, and they could not tell who it was," his mother said. "I wish he hadn't had a gun. I wish he hadn't fired. But I don't know what I would have done."
"They didn't invite someone, at that time in the morning, to be kicking at their door. Whatever action he took, that was a decision he had to make at that time," Ken Albrecht said. "He had a house to protect, a wife to protect, and my heart just goes out to them."
No one really knows what set Carter off. His parents confirm that he was taking the prescription drug Chantix to quit smoking. The Albrecht's believe the drug mixed with alcohol altered their son's mood.
"He was pretty excited about not smoking, and he did take it," Judy said. "That's the only connection we have with his out of character behavior."
Carter was considered one of the brightest talents in Dallas. He was a member of several bands, including Sorta and Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians.
His musical talent was encouraged by his mother, a life-long piano teacher.
"In every walk of his life, he was determined to learn and determined to excel," she said.
The Albrechts said Carter was scheduled to play with Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians at a Carnegie Hall tribute to Elton John on Oct. 10.
They said Carter never wanted to bask in the spotlight. Instead, he just wanted to make his fellow bandmates better musicians and better people.
"I hope you've gotten a good sense of Carter's gentle spirit and giant generosity," his mother said.
"He was just a tremendous person. He was my hero," his father added. "He was just a great guy."
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