Deputies said the 71-year-old man was left outside overnight after being struck in a driveway.

QUITMAN, Texas — A 59-year-old East Texas woman has been charged with murder after deputies said she struck her live-in boyfriend with a modified golf cart, left him outside overnight and later gave investigators an account that did not match the evidence.

Lisa Ann Guetter is being held in the Wood County Jail on a $1 million bond in the death of Gene Donald Kaping, 71. The case began as an injury call at a Quitman home and later grew into a murder investigation after Kaping died at a hospital about four days after he was found. Investigators said the central questions now involve the golf cart’s condition, Guetter’s actions after the crash and what the couple’s past may show about the moments before Kaping was injured.

Deputies with the Wood County Sheriff’s Office were called April 3 to a residence in Quitman after Kaping was found unresponsive on the ground in front of his home. First responders found him with severe injuries and took him to a hospital, where he remained for several days. Guetter told investigators that she and Kaping had been drinking on April 2 before the crash. She said she was driving what she called a “souped-up” golf cart at about 15 mph when it hit him. According to investigators, she said Kaping appeared to “hydroplane” away from the cart and land near large rocks. She also said the two argued after the impact.

Guetter told deputies that Kaping walked a short distance after being struck and then lay down in the driveway. She said he told her not to call for help, and she left him there through the night. Investigators said she did not check on him for about 12 hours. When she returned, Kaping was still outside and unresponsive. The delay in medical care became one of the first major points in the case. Guetter was initially accused of abandoning or endangering an elderly person after deputies said she left Kaping injured instead of seeking help. The charge was later upgraded after Kaping died and investigators reviewed more evidence.

The brake system on the golf cart became another key issue. Authorities said Guetter first claimed the cart’s brakes were not working. Investigators later determined the brakes were functional. Detectives also said Guetter had been driving the golf cart in loops in the driveway before striking Kaping, a detail they said placed her close to him before the impact. According to the affidavit, that pattern would have made her “very aware” of his location. Officials have not released a full crash reconstruction, and the exact mechanics of the impact remain part of the investigation. The record available so far does not say whether Kaping was standing, walking or trying to move away at the instant he was hit.

Investigators also searched the couple’s home and reported finding a handwritten note attributed to Guetter. The note said, “Why let him be there? Why not shoot him?” Deputies have not publicly explained when the note was written or what they believe it meant in relation to the April 2 crash. Kaping’s sister spoke with authorities and described Guetter as “controlling, mean and evil,” especially when Guetter drank alcohol. The arrest affidavit also referred to an earlier domestic violence incident in which Guetter allegedly attacked Kaping with a knife. Officials have not said whether that prior case was still open, whether it led to a conviction or how it may be used in the murder case.

The case now turns on what prosecutors can show about intent, recklessness and the hours after Kaping was injured. A murder charge in Texas can cover an intentional or knowing killing, but it can also apply in some cases where a person commits or tries to commit a felony and an act clearly dangerous to human life causes death. The affidavit details the alleged impact, the failure to call for help, the brake statement and the later search of the home. It does not include a public statement from Guetter’s defense. Court records cited in reports did not immediately show a scheduled hearing, and it was not clear whether she had retained an attorney.

The setting was a private driveway in Quitman, a small Wood County city east of the Dallas-Fort Worth area where sheriff’s deputies handle many investigations outside larger police departments. The vehicle described in the affidavit was not a standard passenger car or pickup but a modified golf cart, which Guetter herself called “souped-up.” Investigators have not publicly released photographs of the cart or a detailed list of modifications. The speed Guetter gave, about 15 mph, was her own reported statement to deputies. Kaping’s final injuries were described by officials as severe, but the public reports have not included a full medical examiner’s finding or a detailed cause-of-death report.

Guetter remains jailed on the upgraded murder charge as the case moves through Wood County courts. Investigators have said the brakes worked, Kaping was left outside for hours and the evidence gathered after the crash changed the direction of the case. The next public milestone is expected to come through court filings or a hearing date.

Author note: Last updated May 21, 2026.