Celina man who murdered ex was later found with 'grudge list,' Halloween mask

A Salina man will spend the rest of his life in prison without parole for stalking and killing his ex-girlfriend. Carl Stanley broke into the victim's home using a car jack. He attacked her with it and ultimately choked her to death. Prosecutors say he had a history of stalking the victim and they found evidence there may have been more targets. This November 2024 body camera video shows the arrest. Salina officers find 55-year-old Carl Andrew Stanley inside his ex-girlfriend's home. Let me see your hands. Do not move. As one officer locates Stanley in a bedroom. Put your hands behind your back. Another officer discovers the lifeless body of Paola Bekvar just feet away in a bathroom. She had been strangled to death, her blood and hair on Stanley's hands as he's cuffed. He was fairly calm. On October 8th, Carl Stanley was convicted of capital murder in Collin County and sentenced to life in prison. During the trial, prosecutors described months of escalating behavior, beginning after Stanley and his girlfriend broke up in May of 2024. His jealousy became out of control. He began calling, texting, showing up at her home unannounced. By November, she had made several police reports. On November 23rd, officers arrested Stanley for violating a trespass warning, but that arrest sadly did not end the danger. He bonded out of jail, and the very next day, he went and committed the crime of capital murder. Prosecutors say Stanley attacked Bekvar with a car jack before strangling her. During the investigation, police found this grudge list in his vehicle. At the top, the victim's name. Below it, other names and government agencies. Jurors also saw this white Halloween mask that was recovered, marked with the words anger, disgust, shame, and guilt. Stanley also testified in his own defense. The prosecutor says he tried to downplay his actions and offered excuses for his behavior. She described him as showing little emotion throughout that trial.