Jeffrey Spence: Where is the Killer Now?

In December 2022, Caitlin Spence called the police and told them that she had found the remains of her boyfriend, Kirby Carpenter, in Tippah County, Mississippi. The investigation went around in circles for a while, and it was only in late 2023 that a tip came to the police informing them that Kirby had been killed by Caitlin’s father, Jeffrey Spence. The authorities executed a search warrant and arrested him, but in his defense, he claimed that he had been all the way in Virginia on the day of the crime and could not possibly have committed it. NBC’s ‘Dateline’, particularly the episode ‘The Betrayal of Kirby Carpenter’, details how the pieces of evidence fell into place, leading to Jeffrey’s conviction.

Jeffrey Spence Lived With His Daughter After Facing Alleged Embezzlement Charges

Jeffrey Spence and his wife, Karen Spence, had a happy family with their daughters, Carolyn and Caitlin. There are not many reports about their early days, but we know that they were living in Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania, by 1999. Jeffrey was the owner of the White Oak Whitetail Deer Farm at the time. That year, when a 28-point whitetail buck named Goliath disappeared from the Wild Bunch Ranch deer farm in Clarion County, Jeffrey was accused of theft. It was only in 2005 that he was convicted of the charges. Details of his sentencing for the crime have not been made public.

By 2014, Carolyn had moved to Oak Island, North Carolina, with her husband, Giovanni Aguayo. According to reports, Jeffrey was allegedly facing embezzlement charges and experiencing serious financial trouble. He and Karen moved in with Carolyn, and eventually, all four relocated to Virginia. In later testimony, Carolyn said that she was fully supporting her parents and intended to build a cabin for them on her property so they could live there. However, she accused her parents of filling the proposed cabin with junk and allegedly wanting to sell it to make money for themselves. The friction between the parents and their daughter continued. Carolyn also stated that when Jeffrey allegedly wanted to purchase additional life insurance on Giovanni, she refused, prompting her father to allegedly cut off their security cameras.

Jeffrey Spence Was Arrested for Kirby Carpenter’s Killing a Year After the Crime

Carolyn Aguayo eventually reported Jeffrey and Karen Spence to the authorities and said that she had cut off contact with them. In early 2022, the couple traveled to Mississippi to visit their other daughter, Caitlin, who was living with her boyfriend, Kirby Carpenter, and had recently had a baby. Caitlin said that Jeffrey and Karen ended up staying with them for about four months. On November 29, 2022, they left Mississippi and drove back to Virginia. Prosecutors later argued in court that Jeffrey had made his way back to his daughter’s home, shot Kirby, stolen his money and other valuable items, and left again. On December 3, 2022, Jeffrey and Karen returned to Mississippi to be with their daughter after Kirby’s remains were found.

The case stalled, and by late December 2022, Jeffrey, along with his wife and daughter, had left for Virginia once again. The breakthrough came only in November 2023, when a witness reported to the police that Caitlin had confessed to him that her father had committed the crime. Arrest warrants were issued not just for Jeffrey but also for Karen and Caitlin. In November 2023, detectives recovered keys to a safety deposit box and storage unit, two phones, approximately $17,000 in cash, additional coins, counterfeit money, bills, and a muddy shotgun from Jeffrey’s house and car. Carpenter was known to carry large amounts of money, and his mother said he always had a bag containing $200,000 to $300,000 in cash, silver, or gold.

Jeffrey Spence is Serving His Sentence in a Mississippi Prison Today

In April 2024, Jeffrey Spence was charged with two counts of larceny and one count of capital murder. He applied for bail, but the judge rejected his request. His first trial began in September 2025, during which prosecutors argued that the primary motive for the killing was the money Kirby had. Caitlin Spence took the stand and testified that her father had told her he had killed Kirby and asked her to keep quiet about it. Carolyn also testified, saying that she had no contact with her family. She stated that her parents had repeatedly run into trouble with the law and accused them of maneuvering their way around the justice system.

The defense, in turn, argued that Jeffrey had already left Mississippi and that there was no way he could have driven for more than 30 hours to return and commit the crime within a single day. They did not present any other witnesses. The jury remained deadlocked, and the proceedings were declared a mistrial. Jeffrey’s second trial began in March 2026, with both daughters taking the stand again. On March 27, 2026, Jeffrey was found guilty of first-degree murder and handed down a mandatory life sentence. He is now being held at the South Mississippi Correctional Institution (SMCI) in Leakesville, Mississippi. Details regarding his parole eligibility have not been made available.

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