WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. (Court TV) — Samantha Krebs took the witness stand in her own defense, tearfully denying that she killed her fiancé Joseph Carnot in their apartment on July 18, 2024.
Samantha Krebs testifies in her own defense on Sept. 9, 2025. (Court TV)
Krebs, 40, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide in Carnot’s death. She testified that both she and Carnot struggled with methamphetamine addiction and that Carnot had severe mental health issues that led to delusional episodes.
When asked directly if she killed Carnot on the night of July 18, 2024, Krebs said no. She also denied stabbing him.
Relationship marked by addiction and mental health struggles
Krebs testified that she met Carnot in June 2023 and they became engaged after seven months of dating. She moved in with him at the beginning of 2024, about six months before his death.
She identified methamphetamine as her drug of choice and said Carnot also struggled with the same addiction.
Krebs described Carnot as having multiple mental health conditions, including ADHD, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety and childhood trauma. She said he also suffered a major brain injury. She testified that when Carnot used drugs, he would become delusional and take out his frustrations on his mother, sometimes saying things during phone calls that made no sense.
Krebs described an incident at a hotel where Carnot was knocking on different hotel doors and jumped over the front desk while acting delusional.
The night of July 18, 2024
Krebs described the events leading up to Carnot’s death. She said Carnot had been awake all night before going to work that day. When he returned home in the late afternoon, they used methamphetamine together with a friend named John.
She testified that Carnot became irritable and wanted more drugs. After their friend left, Carnot became paranoid and secluded himself in the bedroom, sending her strange text messages.
Krebs said she was in the living room when Carnot burst into the bathroom, accusing her of using drugs without him. She said he thought she had drugs stashed in the bathroom, which she denied.
She testified that Carnot began talking about an imaginary person he believed was his real father, describing it as delusional behavior she had witnessed before. These episodes, she said, could last from 12 to 72 hours, and she had learned to separate herself from him during these times because she didn’t know how to calm him down.
Discovery of the wound
Krebs said she was putting on sandals to leave the apartment when Carnot threatened to kill himself if she left. She testified that after he threw a knife sheath, she turned around and saw him with blood between his fingers.
She said Carnot ran toward the door, then to the sink and she didn’t know what the damage was. He lay down and grabbed paper towels, she testified.
When her friend, John Pfeffer, arrived at the apartment, Krebs said she thought he could get Carnot to the hospital faster than calling 911. She testified that Pfeffer suggested calling an ambulance and she told him to go ahead.
Aftermath and lies to police
Krebs admitted to lying to police about her whereabouts that night, saying she followed Pfeffer’s lead when he told officers she wasn’t at the apartment.
She testified that she was concerned about the impact on Carnot’s custody battle for his young son, as well as her own probation status. She said she knew losing his son would ruin Carnot.
Krebs said she didn’t learn of Carnot’s death until the next day, when Pfeffer and another person came to tell her at friend Jeffrey Hayes’ house, where she was staying. She became emotional when testifying about learning of his death.
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