Kirby Carpenter, a successful serial entrepreneur and dealer in precious metals, was found dead on December 2, 2022, at his home in the Dry Creek Community near Booneville, Mississippi. Authorities believe he was murdered two days earlier, on November 30, with a shotgun or a weapon that fires shotgun-style shells, shortly after returning home from grocery shopping.

A Family Home Turned Crime Scene

Carpenter lived on a 10-acre property with his partner, Caitlin Spence, and their infant daughter, born in July 2022. The home was adjacent to an additional 127 acres of land owned by Carpenter.

After the baby’s birth, Caitlin’s parents, Jeffrey and Karen Spence, came to visit the couple. Although the visit was intended to last a few weeks, they stayed for four months. Caitlin later told Carpenter’s family that her parents had left for Virginia the night before his murder.

But on December 3, one day after Caitlin reported discovering Carpenter’s body behind the garage, the Spences returned to Mississippi.

Alarming Changes and a Race to Secure the Estate

On December 4, Carpenter’s mother, Mattie Jane Jones, found that the locks on the home and codes to multiple safes containing Carpenter’s valuables had been changed. These safes reportedly held precious metals, important documents, and firearms.

Concerned that the Spences might attempt to take items belonging to Carpenter’s estate, Jones was appointed administratrix of her son’s estate.

“We started an immediate inventory to make sure they couldn’t take things out of the home,” said Kaysie Barnes, Carpenter’s sister. “Looking back on it, we should have kicked them out. But we were grieving and thought of it as the baby’s home. We had suspicions—we just didn’t think they’d killed him.”

It is still unclear whether any items were taken before the family regained control of the property.

The Spences Leave Mississippi

On December 20, just three days after Carpenter’s funeral, Caitlin, her parents, and the baby left Mississippi and returned to Virginia, according to Barnes.

As administratrix, Jones set up child support payments for Carpenter’s daughter. The checks were mailed to a home in Saltville, Virginia, an address provided by Caitlin. But after a few months, Caitlin stopped communicating with Carpenter’s family altogether.

A Welfare Check Reveals a Burned Home

Concerned for the child’s safety, Barnes requested a welfare check at the Saltville address. According to her, law enforcement officers found the house had burned to the ground—with only the mailbox still standing.

Investigation Continues, But Questions Remain

As of now, the Tippah County Sheriff’s Department has not released an affidavit of probable cause that would explain the evidence supporting the arrests of Caitlin, Jeffrey, and Karen Spence.

The Carpenter family continues to seek answers while grappling with the mysterious and tragic death of their loved one.

📍Location: Dry Creek Community, near Booneville, Mississippi
Victim: Kirby Carpenter, 36, precious metals dealer
Girlfriend: Caitlin Spence
Involved Parties: Karen Spence is a former nurse at Clarion-Limestone High School. Jeffrey Spence is the former owner of White Oak Whitetail Deer Farm in Reynoldsville. In 2005, he was found guilty of the October 1999 theft of a 28-point whitetail deer buck named Goliath, who was stolen from the Wild Bunch Ranch deer farm in Clarion County.

November 30, 2022 — Day of the Murder

• 6:30 PM: Kirby Carpenter texted Caitlin Spence that he was passing Geno’s Tire Store in Booneville on his way home.
• Shortly after 6:30 PM: Kirby is believed to have stopped at Kroger and purchased groceries. A receipt and groceries were later found in the passenger floorboard of his locked truck.
• 6:45–7:00 PM: Investigators believe this is the approximate time Kirby arrived home.
• 7:15 PM: Caitlin Spence is seen at Booneville Walmart with her baby. Surveillance footage shows her inside, then sitting in her car for 45 minutes. Caitlin texts Kirby again, referencing running into a “crazy dog lady” from Tractor Supply and asking if he wants Chinese food. She never receives a reply.
  
• Later That Night: According to Caitlin, she did not see Kirby that day; she allegedly told Bailey (a friend watching the baby) that she hadn’t seen him at all. However, Caitlin told MBI’s Tammy Hall during a later interview that Kirby was “asleep” when she left and that the whole household had been sick with the flu.

December 1, 2022 — No Contact With Kirby

• Kirby’s whereabouts remain unaccounted for. His mother, Mattie Jane Jones, becomes concerned after not hearing from him.

December 2, 2022

• Kirby Carpenter is found shot to death outside his home.
• 12:30 PM: Caitlin Spence called 911, reportedly while on the phone with Kirby’s mother, Mattie Jane Jones. Dispatchers had trouble understanding her.
• 1:30 PM: Investigator Chris McCallister arrived at the scene. Kirby’s body was found partially covered with a curtain and a truck toolbox, near the carport.
• Kirby’s body is found partially concealed beneath a curtain and topped with a truck toolbox near the carport. Only his boots and possibly one hand are visible.
• Blood is discovered in the carport, with visible drag marks leading to the body.
• Kirby’s truck is parked in the driveway with groceries inside. Doors are locked, windows up.
• His truck key fob is later found in his pocket; other keys are found on the ground near a knocked-over trash can.
• A curtain in the carport matches the one covering his body.
• No gun is found on Kirby, though he was known to always carry a .22 Magnum pistol. Ammo was found, but no weapon.
• A shoulder bag Kirby was known to keep in his truck, often containing large amounts of cash, is missing.
• Approximately $2,800 is found in Kirby’s front pants pocket.
• Later That Afternoon: Investigators noted the presence of blood, drag marks, a missing pistol (Kirby was known to carry a .22 Magnum), and missing valuables, including a shoulder bag that normally contained large amounts of cash.
• That Day: Caitlin claimed to have discovered Kirby’s body while walking back from checking a deer stand. Investigators later stated the route was muddy and difficult to traverse, especially with a baby, casting doubt on her claim.
• Investigators determine he was likely murdered on or around November 30, shortly after a trip to the grocery store.

December 3, 2022

• Jeffrey and Karen Spence returned to Carpenter’s residence.

December 4, 2022

• Carpenter’s mother, Mattie Jane Jones, discovered that the locks to the home and codes to safes storing valuables had been changed

December 5, 2022 — Caitlin’s Recorded Interview

• Caitlin gave a recorded statement to Tammy Hall (MBI) and local investigators. She claimed Kirby was asleep when she left for work on November 30, and that all three (herself, Kirby, and the baby) had been ill with the flu. Investigators described her demeanor as “extremely calm.”
• Caitlin claims she had gone to work, dropped the baby with friend Bailey, and had not seen Kirby until discovering his body.
• She tells investigators she thought Kirby might be hunting and walked to the deer stand area with the baby to check — a muddy, steep path investigators say would have been nearly impossible to walk, especially carrying a child.
• Investigators later find a more accessible path and note a side-by-side vehicle was available, though it wasn’t used.

December 20, 2022

• Caitlin Spence and her parents left Mississippi and traveled to Virginia

December 2022 – Post-Crime Scene Searches

• Kirby’s mother and others begin cleaning and inventorying the home in preparation for an estate auction.
• Security System Discovery: A Blink sync box (used for saving camera footage) that was missing on Dec. 2 is found behind boxes in a “safe room” filled with valuables and multiple safes.
• The sync box was unplugged and had no memory card.
• The safe room initially had unsecured valuables; later, safes are found locked with changed combinations.
• Mattie Jane reports she originally had access to the safes but later found the combinations changed.
• The sync box had reportedly been behind the TV but was gone on Dec. 2 and only found later, hidden.
• As the administratrix of the estate, Jones set up child support payments for Carpenter’s baby, which they sent by check to a home in Saltville, Virginia, an address that was given to them by Caitlin Spence. After a couple of months, Caitlin Spence stopped communicating with Carpenter’s. After not being able to check on the baby, Barnes made a call to law enforcement in Virginia to do a welfare check. When law enforcement arrived, the house at the address was found to have burned to the ground. The only thing left standing was the mailbox.

November 1, 2023

• Caitlin Spence is arrested in Brookville, Pennsylvania by U.S. Marshals.
• Jeffrey and Karen Spence are arrested in Smyth County, Virginia.
• All three are charged with capital murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and grand larceny.
• Extradition proceedings begin to return them to Mississippi.

November 9, 2023

• Jeffrey Spence purchased a home in Pinegrove Township, Venango County, Pennsylvania, for $95,000 in cash.

November 30, 2023 – Arrest of Caitlin Spence and her parents

• 1:49 PM – U.S. Marshals arrested Caitlin Spence in Brookville, Pennsylvania.
• Jeffrey and Karen Spence were arrested in Smyth County, Virginia

December 1, 2023

• Caitlin Spence waived her extradition rights, and agreed to be surrendered to the Governor of the State of Mississippi where she is facing capital murder charges. Spence was represented by attorney Scott Allen.

February 8, 2024 — Preliminary Hearing

• 9:00 AM: Preliminary hearing for Caitlin Spence, Jeffrey Dean Spence, and Karen Spence convened in Tippah County Circuit Court.
• Defendants were jointly charged with capital murder in the death of Kirby Carpenter and previously indicted for conspiracy to commit grand larceny and two counts of grand larceny.
• Testimony began with Investigator Chris McCallister describing the discovery of the body, physical evidence at the scene, inconsistencies in Caitlin’s statements, and missing security equipment.

April 19, 2024

• A Tippah County grand jury indicts all three on charges including capital murder, conspiracy, and larceny.
• It is revealed that Jeffrey Spence has a prior felony conviction in Pennsylvania for a 2005 wildlife theft case involving a record-breaking deer known as “Goliath.”

July 22, 2024

• A Tippah County judge denied bail for all three suspects

August 21, 2024:

• Karen Spence was granted a $150,000 monetary bail with the conditions that she wear a GPS ankle monitor and surrender her passport.
• Caitlin Spence and Jeffrey Spence are denied bail and remain in custody.

Family issued statement:

“Some have asked how we feel about the decision made by the court yesterday regarding bond being granted for Karen Spence.While we wish for the people who are responsible for Kirby’s death to be held FULLY accountable, we do have confidence that the decisions made by the court in this case have been made in accordance with the law, and we do not question the court’s decisions or authority. Despite this update, we still feel that justice is being and will be served.”

April 17, 2025

• Caitlin Spence pleads guilty to Accessory to Murder After the Fact in a plea deal. As part of the agreement, she agrees to testify against her parents in upcoming trials. She is released on $10,000 bond with electronic monitoring and travel restrictions. Sentencing will be deferred until after her testimony is complete.

April, 2025 – May 2025 (ongoing):

• Legal proceedings against Jeffrey and Karen Spence are underway.
• Caitlin’s testimony is expected to be a key element in the prosecution’s case.

📍Location: Miller Farm, Clarion County, Pennsylvania
Subject of Theft: ” Goliath” – a trophy buck kept in a fenced pen
Goliath was a record-setting whitetail buck, owned by Rodney Miller of Clarion County, Pennsylvania.
His estimated value ranged from $800,000 to $8 million, primarily for breeding purposes.
Goliath’s theft caused an uproar in the small but tight-knit whitetail deer breeding community.

October 1999

• Jeffrey Spence visits the Miller farm with his daughter Caitlin Spence.
• Spence views Goliath and allegedly makes a chilling remark:
• “To own a deer like that, it would take my firstborn.”
• Miller becomes suspicious in hindsight, believing Spence was “casing” the property.

October 18, 1999 (Evening)

• Miller observes Goliath behaving unusually, showing breeding interest in an older doe.
• He notes the early-season rut behavior but is unaware of what’s about to happen.

October 19, 1999 (Evening)

• Miller returns home and finds Goliath’s pen empty.
• The chain-link fence is cut, and most does are also missing.

October 20, 1999 (Morning)

• Dew reveals drag marks leading from the pen to the outer fence (also cut).
• Miller deduces Goliath was tranquilized and stolen using a tarp and a truck.
• A dart is discovered nearby — containing human-grade anesthetics, not vet-issue.
• A neighbor reports seeing a maroon pickup truck near the farm early that morning. Miller later confirms that Jeff Spence owned a maroon truck.

1999–2002

• Goliath is missing for 3 years.
• Numerous false sightings occur. Miller is once called to I-80, where a buck was struck — but it isn’t Goliath.

Fall 2002 – Deer Breeders’ Auction

• Miller, at a breeder auction, is approached by Jeff Spence, who oddly asks:
• “Do you know anything about the Goliath case?”
• Miller, emotionally drained, replies,
• “It’s over… My wife told me I have to drop it and move on.”

Late 2002

• A fellow deer breeder sees a suspicious cropped photo of a large buck on Spence’s website.
• The friend visits Spence’s Reynoldsville farm and later returns to Miller with a full-page photo.

Miller: “I didn’t look at the antlers. I looked at the face. I knew that deer. It was Goliath.”

Early 2003

• Miller begins legal efforts to reclaim Goliath.
• Learns that Spence has already sold Goliath to a hunting ranch where he was to be shot.
• The buyer, recognizing Goliath’s genetic value, raises funds to prevent the killing.

2005

• Jeffrey Spence is convicted of felony theft for stealing Goliath.
• Goliath’s legacy becomes the namesake of the RDM Goliath Hunting Lodge in Pennsylvania, where his mount is displayed.