Disclaimer: The article has mentions of killing.
Samantha Krebs, a 40-year-old from Appleton, Wisconsin, fatally stabbed her boyfriend Joey Carnot — then claimed he had killed himself. However, she was convicted for first-degree murder and was given a life sentence on Tuesday with the possibility of parole after 36 years.
According to the criminal complaint, cited by WBAY, FOX affiliate WLUK, and NBC26, friends told police that when they arrived at the couple’s apartment, they found Carnot with stab wounds. Krebs was also present there and the Witnesses said she tried to convince them Carnot had stabbed himself after she kissed him goodbye.
One of the witnesses also told the police that they heard Krebs say, “I can’t go back to prison.” One witness also told the police that Carnot was already scared of Krebs stabbing him.
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Krebs has a criminal history spanning more than a decade. She had “20 prior cases and 37 convictions including for drug possession, battery and weapons-related charges — per Court TV and Law&Crime” as People reported.
When Carnot died, Krebs was on probation. Her long criminal record helped prosecutors to push for a life sentence as she was considered a threat to society. According to Law&Crime, which cited Wisconsin court filings, Krebs convictions between years 2011-2022 included injury caused by casual weapon usage, possession of methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine, and multiple battery counts.
At the sentencing, Carnot’s mother talked about the grief of losing her son. She said, “The heartache just doesn’t go away. I have dreams about him, only to wake up and realize that he’s not here with us anymore. My heart breaks over and over again.” His sister said he “had the biggest heart and would do anything for anyone” and also mentioned that his laughter was so “contagious” that anyone around him could not resist laughing.
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Krebs also presented her version of the story to the court, telling how she loved Carnot and could not imagine hurting him. She said, “I never will understand … the fact that anyone would believe — even for a second — that I would hurt Joey, causing the injury that would lead to his death. There’s no way. There’s no f—ing way.”
She further added, “I know I’m not responsible for his death, and I stand by 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 I deserve life in prison for that.”
However, Judge Vincent Biskupic did not buy her words and also mentioned that given her history with drugs, a violent and tragic outcome like this was not a completely impossible event. He also told her that he hoped that she would “do something different” while being in prison.
While Krebs’ violent history and witness accounts put her behind bars, Carnot’s family will have to continue living with the grief of losing their son to such an unfortunate incident.
