Girlfriend Found Mississippi Businessman Dead — Then Helped Convict Her Own Father of His Murder

The murder of Kirby Carpenter, a 36-year-old Mississippi businessman and father of two, became a deeply disturbing case involving money, betrayal, and members of his own family. Carpenter was found dead outside his home in Tippah County in December 2022, two days after he was believed to have been killed. His girlfriend, Caitlin Spence, was the person who discovered his body and called 911. Nearly a year later, investigators uncovered evidence that led to the arrest of Caitlin and both of her parents, turning the case into a complicated criminal investigation.

Investigators believe Carpenter was shot inside his garage on November 30, 2022, after returning home from a grocery store. He suffered fatal gunshot wounds to his chest and neck. According to investigators, his body was dragged to an outdoor storage area near the garage and concealed beneath a curtain, with a heavy toolbox placed over it. When authorities arrived on December 2, they noticed drag marks leading from a pool of blood in the garage to the place where his body had been hidden. The home’s exterior security cameras had also been disabled, and a satchel Carpenter regularly carried was missing.

Carpenter was known for his business dealing in gold, silver, coins, and other valuables. Although he was found with approximately $2,868 in cash, investigators learned that he frequently carried a bag containing large amounts of money and precious metals. Prosecutors later argued that financial gain was a motive behind the killing. However, the investigation initially struggled to identify the person responsible, and nearly a year passed before a crucial lead emerged.

In November 2023, a former employee of Carpenter’s told investigators that Caitlin had allegedly confided in him about the killing, saying that her father, Jeffrey Spence, had killed Carpenter after things got out of hand. Authorities subsequently arrested Caitlin and her parents, Jeffrey and Karen Spence. Prosecutors accused Jeffrey of carrying out the shooting and alleged that the others helped conceal what happened afterward. Caitlin eventually pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact and agreed to testify against her father, placing her in the difficult position of helping prosecutors build a case against her own parent.

Jeffrey’s first trial ended in a mistrial in September 2025 after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict. During his retrial in March 2026, Caitlin again testified about what she said her father had told her regarding the killing. Prosecutors also presented testimony from another witness who claimed Jeffrey had previously expressed a desire to have Carpenter killed. The defense challenged the credibility of witnesses and disputed the prosecution’s account, but the jury ultimately found Jeffrey guilty of first-degree murder in March 2026. He was sentenced to life in prison.

Caitlin and her mother also faced legal consequences, although both avoided serving additional prison time under their plea agreements. Caitlin received a 20-year sentence that was fully suspended, along with five years of supervised probation. Karen entered an Alford plea to an accessory charge connected to grand larceny, allowing her to maintain that she did not admit guilt while acknowledging the prosecution had sufficient evidence to pursue a conviction. Her 10-year sentence was also fully suspended, with five years of unsupervised probation. The case has since drawn renewed attention through the Dateline episode “The Betrayal of Kirby Carpenter,” which examines the murder and the family relationships at the center of the investigation.

Source: PEOPLE