Insets, from left: Jacob Bailey and Renee Carpenter (Craig County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The Craig County Sheriff’s Office in Vinita, Oklahoma (Google Maps).
An Oklahoma couple who admitted beating their roommate to death have each been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Jacob Bailey, 38, and Renee Carpenter, 43, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on Sept. 25 in the death of 34-year-old Robert Sikes. Sikes lived with the couple at a home in Vinita, Oklahoma, where his body was discovered in September 2025. Bailey and Carpenter were initially arrested and charged with first-degree murder after investigators determined that Sikes had endured violent abuse.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by NBC affiliate KSN, Bailey and Carpenter gave investigators conflicting accounts before Carpenter acknowledged beating Sikes. She also told police that Bailey had beaten him. Carpenter said she “frequently” placed Sikes in pink handcuffs because nighttime behavior disturbances annoyed the couple. Both told police that Carpenter eventually threw the restraints away, although they gave different accounts of when that occurred.
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Bailey reportedly confessed to beating Sikes until he became unresponsive. An autopsy found that Sikes had suffered 69 fractures involving his clavicle, ulna, ribs, mandible and eye socket. The examination also revealed internal bleeding and a ruptured bowel.
The affidavit states that Bailey told investigators Carpenter once stepped on Sikes’ throat to stop him from calling for help. Bailey also said Carpenter “took part in the striking of Sikes that ultimately led to his death.”
Police said Bailey, Carpenter and Sikes all had histories of mental illness. The couple told investigators they did not seek help for Sikes because they feared getting into trouble.
Bailey and Carpenter were each sentenced to 25 years in prison.
