Summary of Day 2 of Kirby Carpenter Murder Trial: Caitlin Spence Testimony
PONTOTOC, Miss. – The second day of testimony in the capital murder trial of 67-year-old Jeffrey Spence focused heavily on his daughter, Caitlin Spence, who told jurors that she thought her father confessed to killing her boyfriend, 36-year-old Kirby Carpenter, in November 2022.
Caitlin, who lived with Carpenter and their infant daughter at the time, testified for the prosecution, providing an account that painted her father as both manipulative and intimidating. She also described Carpenter as a man entangled in drug activity and capable of abuse, but said none of that excused his violent death.
Caitlin’s Testimony
On the stand, Caitlin recounted the days surrounding Carpenter’s death. Carpenter was found shot once in the chest with a shotgun, his body concealed under a tarp and tool box in an outdoor storage area on the property. Caitlin did not discover him until two days later, after searching with Carpenter’s mother.
She told jurors her father later admitted he had traveled back to Mississippi on November 30, 2022, the day of the killing. According to her, he said he left drugs under a bucket in the carport for Carpenter to resell and implied that a drug deal gone wrong was to blame. Months later, while walking with her father in Virginia, she pressed him directly about the killing. She said he became aggressive and told her it was her duty to focus on her daughter, Enola, not to question what happened. Caitlin described that conversation as the moment she understood her father was taking responsibility for Carpenter’s death.
She acknowledged Carpenter had been a drug dealer and that she had witnessed suspicious activity at their home. She also admitted he had been emotionally and physically abusive during their relationship. Despite those realities, she told jurors she tried to make the relationship work for the sake of their family.
Defense attorneys pressed Caitlin on why she waited almost two years to come forward with her father’s alleged confession, pointing out that she only did so after being jailed herself and then offered a plea deal. Caitlin responded that she was intimidated by her father and had hoped he would eventually tell the truth himself. In April, she pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to capital murder. Under the terms of her agreement, sentencing will not take place until after her father’s trial, and she is required to testify truthfully.
Forensic and Investigative Testimony
Earlier in the day, jurors heard from multiple law enforcement officers who handled searches, evidence collection, and autopsy work.
- Asst. Chief Scott Watson of the Ripley Police Department described his role in extracting data from the phones of Jeffrey and Karen Spence, as well as Carpenter. He testified that Carpenter’s body showed shotgun wounds to the chest and neck, consistent with homicide. Toxicology reports showed no drugs or alcohol in Carpenter’s system.
- Sgt. Brad Johnson of the Smyth County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia detailed the arrest of Jeffrey and Karen Spence. He told jurors that when Jeffrey was taken into custody, investigators found $17,000 in cash, two phones, and keys leading to a storage unit and a safety deposit box. Inside the deposit box, authorities recovered cash, coins, counterfeit bills, and a personal check tied to Carpenter. A Faraday bag, capable of blocking cell signals, was also discovered, supporting prosecutors’ theory that Jeffrey disabled his phone during the trip back to Mississippi.
- Lt. Tony McCormick, also from Smyth County, described recovering a loaded 12-gauge pump shotgun from the Spence residence. The weapon, found wrapped in a blue jacket under a bed, was presented to the jury along with matching buckshot shells. McCormick also noted cash wrapped in aluminum foil and documented items prosecutors say point to Carpenter’s stolen property.
The Defense Strategy
Defense attorney David Hill worked to cast doubt on Caitlin’s reliability, pointing jurors to texts between her and her mother on the day of Carpenter’s death that suggested Jeffrey Spence was at his home in Saltville, Virginia, grilling hamburgers. The defense also questioned the provenance of the evidence collected in Virginia, arguing that most items seized did not clearly belong to Carpenter and that there was no way to prove when Jeffrey came into possession of them.
Hill emphasized Caitlin’s delayed disclosure and plea agreement, suggesting her testimony was motivated by self-interest. He also argued that if Jeffrey truly was in Virginia that night, it would have been impossible for him to commit the crime in Mississippi.
Looking Ahead
The trial, which was moved to Pontotoc County because of pretrial publicity in Tippah County, is expected to continue into next week. Prosecutors are attempting to tie together circumstantial evidence, physical findings, and Caitlin’s testimony to prove Jeffrey Spence carried out the killing of Carpenter during a robbery.
For the first time, jurors have heard Caitlin directly connect her father to the crime — while also presenting a complicated picture of the victim as both a drug dealer and an abusive partner. Whether jurors view her testimony as credible could become the central question in deciding the outcome of the case.
