Hung Jury Mistrial Declared in Kirby Carpenter Murder Trial, Jury Deadlocked

September 29, 2025 Jon Ross Myers

A hung jury was declared in the Kirby Carpenter Murder Trial which concluded on Monday. Jurors were not able to come to a conclusion.

Jeff Spence faced Capital Murder charges and after a 4 day trial, the jurors initially came back with a 6-6 deadlock before Judge Kelly Luther asked them to continue deliberations. They came back with 6-6 and Judge Luther sent the jurors home. There will be a retrial but it will be after the first of the year according to the Judge. Judge declared that Spence will remain in custody.

Background & Crime

In late 2022, Kirby Carpenter, who was dating Caitlin Spence (daughter of Jeffrey and Karen Spence), disappeared and was eventually found dead on December 2, 2022, on the property near his home, with his body draped under a curtain and a toolbox placed on top.
Investigators determined Carpenter had been shot—autopsy results identified wounds to his neck and chest as fatal.
The circumstances raised suspicion of a robbery or a planned crime: Carpenter was known to carry significant amounts of cash, silver, or gold, but only $2,868 was found on him when his body was discovered.
Text and digital forensics (cellphone extractions) and searches of safe deposit boxes linked items belonging to Carpenter—or items in question—to the Spence family.
During a search of the Spences’ Virginia residence, law enforcement recovered a shotgun wrapped in a blue jacket, as well as shotgun shells.

Parties & Plea Deals

Caitlin Spence, daughter of Jeffrey and Karen, entered a plea agreement in April 2025, pleading guilty to accessory to murder, in return for her cooperation and testimony against her parents.
Karen Spence, Jeffrey’s wife, likewise took a plea deal immediately before jury selection, pleading guilty to accessory to grand larceny after the fact and receiving a 10-year sentence.
Those plea arrangements set the stage for the prosecution to call Caitlin and other witnesses to build their case against Jeffrey.

Prosecution’s Theory & Timing

Prosecutors assert that Jeffrey Spence conspired to rob Carpenter, motivated by greed, and then murdered him during the robbery.
Their timeline puts the murder on November 30, 2022, while the body was discovered December 2.
Evidence presented includes physical items (the shotgun, shells), digital communications, text messages among family members (including references to a business called “Assassin Inc.”), and the recovery of potentially linked items in safe deposit boxes.
The defense challenge is to undermine key witness credibility (especially Caitlin), question the strength and timing of the state’s evidence, and argue alternative possibilities (such as Carpenter’s own risky dealings or conflicts with others).