RIPLEY, Miss. (Court TV) — Testifying against her father, Caitlin Spence detailed the days leading up to as well as well as the immediate aftermath of the 2022 death of her boyfriend, Kirby Carpenter.
Caitlin’s father, Jeffrey Spence, is charged with capital murder, larceny and conspiracy in Carpenter’s death. Caitlin struck a plea deal in April 2025. Her mother, Karen Spence, accepted a plea deal earlier this week.
Caitlin Spence testifies against her father, Jeffrey Spence, as part of a plea agreement related to the death of her boyfriend, Kirby Carpenter. Caitlin pleaded guilty to a charge of accessory to murder. Jeffrey is accused of murdering Carpenter during a robbery. (Court TV)
Caitlin told the jury a little bit about her background. She grew up in Pennsylvania, moved to Mississippi for college and stayed there. She met Carpenter in 2020 and gave birth to their daughter, Enola, in 2022.
Jeffrey and Karen Spence had relocated to Virginia by the time Enola was born, but Caitlin stated that they visited her in Mississippi in Nov. 2022 and headed back home on Nov. 29. According to Caitlin, she and her father did not communicate from Nov. 29 through Dec. 1.
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Caitlin walked the jury through her day on Nov. 30, which started off as a routine day. She said she left for Memphis around 4:15 a.m., dropped the baby off with a friend, and went to work. She received messages from Kirby, who said he was at a local tire shop. She returned home around 8:00 or 8:30 p.m. and found the house dark, locked, and Carpenter was missing. She went to work the next day, Dec. 1, even though she still hadn’t seen or heard from Carpenter.
The next day, Dec. 2, Caitlin began searching for Carpenter along with his mother, Mattie Jane Jones. Caitlin discovered Carpenter’s body on their property near a deer stand. A curtain was draped over his body and a toolbox was on top of Carpenter’s body as well. There was a pool of blood in the carport, and drag marks were found between the body and the pool of blood. $2,868 in cash was found on his person, and Carpenter was known for carrying massive amounts of cash. Jones told officers that he carried a bag containing $200,000 to $300,000 in cash, silver or gold with him at all times.
Caitlin notified her parents of Carpenter’s death, and Jeffrey arrived the following day, December 3.
Caitlin recalled a conversation she had with her father that same December in which he mentioned returning to Mississippi and placing a package under a shed, implying the package could be linked to Carpenter’s death. Jeffrey claimed the package contained drugs and that he had wanted Carpenter to resell pills. Caitlin said that when she pressed her dad for answers, he told her it was none of her business. When the subject was brought up again later, she said he became even more aggressive and told her to keep her mouth shut or risk losing her daughter.
The prosecution also presented into evidence a series of group text messages between Caitlin and both of her parents sent months before Carpenter’s death. Caitlin had sent a text about opening a business, and her father suggested she start a business called “Assassin Inc.”
“He said you find the talent and I will run the business…I’m too told to spend a lot of time in prison,” Caitlin recalled.
Jeffrey Spence appears in court during his murder trial Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025. (Court TV)
On cross-examination, Caitlin clarified she had acquired legal counsel less than a week after Carpenter’s death because she was advised to do so, and denied participating in any illegal activity, despite acknowledging that Carpenter had dealt drugs.
Caitlin also admitted that family dynamics became strained as she grew more and more suspicious about her father having played a role in Carpenter’s death.
Jeffrey’s defense attorney, David Hill, also grilled Caitlin about allegations that Carpenter had been a drug dealer. She was adamant that Carpenter was an established businessman, but reluctantly admitted he dealt drugs. Caitlin denied that she personally partook in any illegal activity and insisted she had no knowledge of Carpenter having been in the business of selling stolen guns.
Hill asked about the nature of Caitlin and Carpenter’s relationship, specifically emotional and physical abuse. Caitlin confirmed those issues existed but denied any heightened conflict immediately prior to Carpenter’s death. She said she loved Carpenter despite disappointment over violence and maintained she did not move his body after discovering it.
Testimony revealed Carpenter had conflicts with various acquaintances and business partners, including Ray Palmer and David Hancock. Caitlin described heated altercations, one particularly public and documented on Facebook, involving threats and personal animosity between Carpenter and others.
Questions extended to Caitlin’s actions following Carpenter’s death, such as traveling for therapy, visiting family, and attempting to rebuild her life. Hill listed trips to Pennsylvania, Alaska, Ohio, and Myrtle Beach, and putting Carpenter’s personal belongings in a storage unit.
Hill and Caitlin also debated the timing surrounding Caitlin’s accusations against her father. Hill pointed out that her account changed over time, most recently in April 2025, which she attributed to intimidation and hope that her father would eventually tell the truth. Caitlin insisted her motivation was to reveal what actually happened, even if that meant testifying against her father.
The defense made further attempts to undermine the claim that Jeffrey could have been involved on Nov. 30. Text messages, for example, placed him eight hours away in Saltville, Virginia, at 8:04 p.m. that night.
On redirect by prosecutor Ben Creekmore, Caitlin confirmed that on December 2, 2022, after finding Carpenter’s body, she spoke for an hour with investigator Tammy Hall. The following day, she received a call from another official, Chris McAllister, and brought an attorney to subsequent meetings due to ongoing family turmoil and legal concerns; her father was present during these discussions.
Caitlin answered directly when asked about others’ access to the house: no one except authorized family members had a key. She stated that no other potential suspects admitted involvement in Carpenter’s death, naming her own father as the responsible party.
Referring to their “waterfall conversation,” Caitlin said it took her time to process her father’s confession. She affirmed that she still loved her father then and now, but pointed out that all three of them —herself, her mother, and her father —were charged together in the case. She testified that her father’s communications during this period urged her to “stay strong” for her daughter, which she interpreted as a message to remain silent.
Caitlin expressed that she always hoped her father would eventually tell the truth. She was able to reunite with her daughter “during my family’s time with her,” but suggested those reunions were overshadowed by the ongoing case.
Caitlin’s testimony concluded with her reinforcing her commitment to telling the truth about what happened to Carpenter, even if it meant pointing the finger at her own father.
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