Hyundai Repo Horror Show Trial Begins: Woman Faces 20 Years for Leg Crushing

Detective testified that Culver admitted that she ‘intentionally and knowingly’ drove into the victim.

– Hyundai Repo Horror Show Trial Begins: Woman Faces 20 Years for Leg Crushing

Beaumont, TX – March 25, 2025 – Testimony began Tuesday in the horrific case of a woman charged with crushing the legs of a man trying to repossess her car outside of a strip club in 2023. His leg, ripped up and foot turned to the side, was almost lost. If convicted, she faces between 2-20 years in prison.

The case seemed to have been closed when then 49-year-old Carla Culver pleaded guilty to charges of Aggravated Assault Causing Serious Bodily Injury in November of 2023. But it appears as though she has withdrawn her plea or they are moving on to the sentencing phase.

Hyundai Repo Horror Show Trial Begins: Woman Faces 20 Years for Leg Crushing — Carla Culver – 50

On Tuesday March 25^th, testimony began which recounted the violent incident that stemmed from a repossession attempt made by car dealer, John Neves outside of Temptations Cabaret on College Street in Beaumont back on September 29, 2023.

During Wednesday’s testimony, a Beaumont detective took the stand and testified about the interview with Culver several hours after the crash. The jury watched a video recording of the interview.

The detective testified that Culver admitted that she ‘intentionally and knowingly’ drove into the victim.

Prosecutor Mike Laird asked the detective who reviewed the video if she admitted the vehicle was owned by John Neves, the victim, and if she knew he was under the hood trying to repossess the car when she started the ignition, put the vehicle in drive and ran into him. The detective answered ‘yes.’

He said she never indicated during the interview she’d had trouble with the car accelerating on its own or that she’d ever had brake problems, and that she admitted that she was behind on payments.

Culver’s defense attorney argued that she was upset and that emotion may have played a part in her admission.

On Tuesday, the victim described the injury to his leg. He said his ‘military training kicked in’ and he asked a bouncer to bring over a belt, guiding him on how to use it as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. The victim said he thought he might bleed out and die if something weren’t done quickly.

According to Neves who reached out to us in November of 23’, he had self-financed the loan on a Hyundai Elantra to Culver at the urging of his then girlfriend who was friends with her. Soon after, Culver quit making payments and was nowhere to be found. Three months later, John located her working as a bartender at Temptations Cabaret in Beaumont.

Having the keys, John went inside to talk to her and let her get her things out of the car. Culver was having none of it and rushed out into the parking lot where she got into the car and started the engine.

Neves then made the near fatal mistake of opening the hood in hopes of disabling the car.

In trial, Police say Culver admitted to detectives that she saw and heard the victim underneath the hood of the car that she was driving. Culver claims that she wasn’t sure how the car accelerated forward after intentionally placing the car in drive.

Investigators say “whether or not Culver’s intentions were to harm the victim, she was reckless in her decision to drive the vehicle forward with the hood up,” knowing that the man was still in front of her vehicle.

Neves was slammed into the car in front of them and had his legs crushed against the other car. According to Neves reporting to CURepossession in 2023, he could only scream in pain while Culver, again for unknown reasons, did not back up the vehicle.

John’s screams caught the attention of strip club staff and the club manager was the first to arrive and persuade her to back up. Falling to the ground, John’s pain did not end there, his legs had been nearly severed.

The left leg was “degloved” as doctors later described it. Degloved is defined as “a traumatic injury that results in the top layers of skin and tissue being torn away from the underlying muscle, connective tissue or bone.”

The right leg suffered a severe compound fracture with the ankle bone breaking and piercing the skin causing massive bleeding from an artery.

Culver was indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury of Aggravated Assault Causing Serious Bodily Injury, a 2nd Degree Felony and faces a possible 2 to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. All for a used Hyundai Elantra.

A Teaching Moment

Mr. Neves made a critical mistake during his repossession attempt. A mistake that could have cost him life or limb. A mistake that new and even experienced agents need to understand the consequences to. These consequences are present in the photos of Mr. Neves’ injuries which we published in December of 2023.

These images are gruesome, but serve as an important teaching point for ALL repossession agency staff as to why you never stand in front or behind a vehicle while a borrower is behind the wheel.

Warning! The Images shared are graphic. Out of respect to your stomach and emotional comfort, I have maintained them on a side page for viewing. Click HERE to view them.

This story is just one of many where we see car dealers performing their own repossessions with lethal, injurious and sometimes criminal results. It drives home my belief that legislation needs to be passed that forbids car dealers and other parties from performing their own repossessions unless they are compliance trained and properly insured for repossessions. Just my two cents.

Source: KFDM.com

A Gruesome and Critical Reminder to ALL Repossession Staff

Agent’s Leg Crushed in Strip Club Repossession