Left: Samantha Krebs (Outagamie County Jail). Right: Joseph “Joey” John Carnot (Obituary).
A Wisconsin woman with a history of criminal activity is set to spend many years in prison after being convicted for the fatal stabbing of her boyfriend. She attempted unsuccessfully to persuade authorities that the victim had “stabbed himself.”
In September, a jury in Outagamie County found 40-year-old Samantha Jean Krebs guilty of first-degree intentional homicide in the death of 35-year-old Joseph “Joey” Carnot. The incident occurred after an argument at their shared apartment in Appleton, a city situated about 30 miles southwest of Green Bay.
On Wednesday, Outagamie County Circuit Court Judge Vincent Biskupic sentenced Krebs to life in prison. However, she will be eligible for parole after serving 36 years.
The tragic event took place on June 18, 2024.
Two witnesses, a couple who happened to arrive at the scene, were met with the shocking sight of the aftermath, shattering their planned evening of leisure.
“Holy f–,” exclaimed one of the witnesses as he entered and saw Carnot bleeding, according to a criminal complaint reviewed by Law&Crime. Their intent to “shoot the s–, and play some games” with friends quickly turned into a night they would not forget.
Right after saying hello and finding the bloody situation, Krebs “looked me dead in the eye and she said just tell the cops [Carnot] stabbed himself,” the witness told law enforcement.
The since-condemned woman went on about her experience with the legal system and said she was not prepared for a repeat.
“I can”t go back to prison; I can’t go back to prison,” the other witness recalled Krebs saying. The woman went on to say “she 110% believes Samantha stabbed [Carnot]” and added that her boyfriend told her Krebs “has an extensive record for this kind of behavior.”
That estimation of the killer’s history is supported by court records showing prior convictions spanning from 2011 to 2022 – including offenses for battery, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin possession, and injury by negligent use of a weapon or explosive.
As the defendant was made to leave the apartment, however, the dismaying and shocking scene grew even stranger.
“[The man] said he then decided to call an ambulance and told Samantha that she needed to go,” the complaint reads. “[The man] stated that Samantha told him to help her look for her wallet and her keys and he did help her with that. [The woman] then said that Samantha kissed [Carnot] before she left and said she was sorry and that she loved him.”
After leaving the apartment she lived in with one of the witnesses, Krebs drove off “in a vehicle that didn’t have any plates,” according to the complaint. Then, police caught up with her at another friend’s apartment, where Krebs stuck to her fault-free narrative, saying: “I just watched my fiance kill himself and now I’m being arrested.”
During the trial, the defendant maintained her story.
But, after five days of testimony and just over five hours of deliberation, jurors sided with the state’s version of events.
Prosecutors argued Krebs was high on methamphetamine on the day in question and put a cap on an old argument by plunging a kitchen knife into her boyfriend’s heart, and then spent days trying to cover it up, according to a courtroom report by the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
Krebs herself took the stand in her own defense – leading to a dramatic showdown with one of the prosecutors on the case.
“Your fiance, the person you’re supposed to marry – who is, who says you are the love of his life – is bleeding out and dying on the kitchen floor and you leave,” the prosecutor said, according to courtroom video captured by CourtTV.
“I didn’t know he was dying,” the defendant interjected.
To which the prosecutor replied: “Oh, Samantha. You talked about him being unconscious and having blood gushing from his chest.”
Krebs, for her part, admitted she was high on drugs – and said she was more concerned about being caught with a stash of methamphetamine than with what had happened to Carnot, despite the blood.
During her sentencing hearing on Monday, Krebs remained adamant that she was not to blame for Carnot’s violent death that day.
“What I never will understand is the fact that anyone would believe, even for a second, that I would hurt Joey, causing the injury that would lead to his death,” the defendant said, through tears, addressing the court. “There’s no way. There’s no f–ing way. I know I’m not responsible for his death, and I stand by my oath that I took in this courtroom. While I am responsible for the wrong decision making while high and in shock, I don’t feel that I deserve life in prison for that.”
The judge rejected the defendant’s take outright.
“Today, you don’t accept any responsibility,” Biskupic said, according to a courtroom report by Green Bay-based Fox affiliate WLUK. “‘It’s a suicide, judge.’ I’m not buying that dress.”
