Prosecutors allege Samantha Krebs murdered boyfriend Joey Carnot, kissed him goodbye, and encouraged others to suggest he stabbed himself.
After stabbing and mortally wounding him, she kissed him farewell before attempting, according to witnesses, to make it appear as if he did it himself.
Samantha Krebs, 40, of Appleton, Wisconsin, was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday for killing her lover, Joey Carnot, in 2024, with eligibility for extended supervision — Wisconsin’s version of parole — after 36 years, according to WBAY, FOX affiliate WLUK, and NBC26.
According to a criminal complaint reported by the outlets, pals informed police they arrived at the couple’s shared apartment and discovered Carnot with stab wounds. Krebs was also there and, according to witnesses quoted in the complaint, promoted a version of events in which Carnot stabbed himself before kissing him goodbye and departing.
According to reports, another witness informed authorities that Krebs said, “I can’t go back to prison.”
Krebs’ criminal history spanned more than a decade, with 20 prior cases and 37 convictions, including drug possession, battery, and weapons-related charges, according to Court TV and Law&Crime. She was on probation at the time of Carnot’s death, they claimed, and her record supported their contention that she presented a continuing public risk.
According to Wisconsin court papers, her offenses from 2011 to 2022 included possession of methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine, injury by negligent weapon usage, and various violence counts. According to the publication, prosecutors cited history as a reason for seeking a life sentence.
According to Law&Crime, FOX affiliate WLUK, and WBAY, one witness informed investigators that Carnot had expressed fear that Krebs would knife him.
Carnot’s relatives expressed their anguish during the sentence hearing.
“The heartache just won’t go away. I have nightmares about him, only to wake up and find he’s no longer among us. “My heart breaks over and over again,” his mother told WBAY.
His sister went on to say that Joey “had the biggest heart and would do anything for anyone,” adding that his laugh “was contagious” and “you couldn’t be around him and not laugh.”
Krebs told the court that she loved Carnot and made “tragic decisions” when “high and in shock,” arguing that she was not to blame for his death but confessing to terrible choices.
“I’ll never understand… how anyone could believe — even for a second — that I would hurt Joey, causing the injury that resulted in his death.” There is no way. “There’s no f—ing way,” Krebs told the court, according to WLUK. “I know I am not responsible for his death, and I stand by the oath I took in this courtroom. when I am culpable for making the incorrect decision when high and in shock, I do not believe I deserve life in prison for it.
According to the site, Judge Vincent Biskupic rejected Krebs’s allegation, calling parts of her account “window dressing” and stating that her past in drug culture should have served as a warning that a violent conclusion was possible. He sentenced her to life in jail with the possibility of extended supervision after 36 years, saying he hoped she spends her time in custody to “do something different.”
Krebs was also forced to pay more than $8,000 in reparations by WBAY.
