Upbeat Carson glad to be out of jail, says he’ll be vindicated

As murder defendant Frank Carson emerged in the lobby of the downtown men’s jail, about two dozen friends and family waiting outside began to cheer and clap.

Wearing a blue blazer and khaki pants, Carson shook the hand of the deputy who opened the door for him, hugged a few friends in the lobby, then walked outside into the arms of his wife and co-defendant, Georgia DeFilippo.

Carson and two other co-defendants, brothers Baljit Athwal and Daljit Atwal, charged with murder in the death of Korey Kauffman, were ordered released on their own recognizance after the prosecution revealed to Judge Barbara Zuniga that it had additional evidence in the form of recorded conversations that had not been turned over to the defense.

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Carson’s family and friends went directly from his court hearing Thursday afternoon to the downtown jail to wait for him to be released.

DeFilippo brought their dog SweetiePie; one of Carson’s ties was being used as her leash. She huddled with Carson’s mother and sister on a bench outside the jail as the sun set and the temperature dropped.

More friends and family came as news spread of Carson’s pending release. People brought warm coffee and blankets, and Carson’s paralegal Jessica Duran brought a sign that read, “Home for Christmas.”

After waiting for about two hours, Carson was released.

He made his way through the crowd, hugging each person along the way. When he saw his 89-year-old mother, Vallie Carson, he said, “Hi, Mama,” and the two held each other for a nearly a minute as he told her not to worry and “I appreciate you hanging in there.”

Pausing briefly to talk to media, Carson said, ““Every dog has his day; we haven’t had ours yet, but we will,” Asked whether he felt vindicated by the judge’s decision, Carson said, “We will be, I guarantee that.”

Then he left in a car with DeFilippo with plans to “have dinner with my wife.”

Carson is being prosecuted with DeFilippo; her daughter, Christina Anne DeFilippo; Athwal and his brother Atwal; and Wells. Christina Anne DeFilippo is charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice and being an accessory; the other defendants each face a charge of murder in Kauffman’s death.

Korey Kauffman went missing in March 2012. His remains were found in August 2013 in a remote area of the Stanislaus National Forest in Mariposa County.

This story was originally published December 22, 2016 at 9:43 PM with the headline "Upbeat Carson glad to be out of jail, says he’ll be vindicated."