Samantha Krebs (Photo courtesy: Outagamie County Jail)
APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Despite maintaining her boyfriend, Joey Carnot, died by suicide, Samantha Krebs was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison with a chance to ask for parole after 36 years for his murder.
Krebs, 40, was convicted by a jury of first-degree intentional homicide for the July 18, 2024, death at an apartment on Park Lane Drive. According to police, Krebs stabbed him, then told other friends who arrived at his apartment to tell the police the victim stabbed himself. She then kissed him goodbye before leaving the scene.
Before the sentence was issued, several people, including his Carnot’s sisters, described the impact of his death.
Krebs described her experiences with those who contemplated or died by suicide, and her regrets for how she handled herself that night after his death. But, as she did at trial, Krebs cited the impact of Carnot using variety of drugs, and said that he died by suicide.
“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. There’s no way. There’s no (expletive) way,” Krebs said. “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.”
Judge Biskupic rejected that notion. Krebs’ history in the drug culture should have been a lesson and a warning that a violent outcome could happen, he said. The judge called many her actions “window dressing” designed to deceive or make her look good.
“Today, you don’t accept any responsibility. ‘It’s a suicide, judge.’ I’m not buying that dress,” the judge said.
According to the complaint, police were called to the residence at about 10 p.m. for a report of a stabbing. Efforts to save the Carnot’s life were unsuccessful.
One witness told police when he arrived at the apartment, they found the victim and Krebs.
The witness said “I had four missed calls when I pulled into the parking lot from Samantha… didn’t think much of it… just walked into the apartment, hit the buzzer, she buzzed me in, walked into the apartment, J.J.C. was laying on the linoleum in the kitchen… she looked me dead in the eye and she said, just tell the police he stabbed himself,” the complaint states.
Another person told police “Samantha kissed J.J.C. before she left and said she was sorry and that she loved him,” the complaint states.
Krebs told the others there that she could not go back to prison, and left. She was not at the scene when police arrived. When police reached her by phone, she said J.J.C. was “going through court and was upset that Samantha had left. Samantha advised that she had left the apartment complex around 1900 hours when J.J.C. began acting crazy,” the complaint states.
Police later had additional contact with Krebs, who offered conflicting versions of what happened.
“Sgt. Hoffman was standing next to Samantha and the defendant stated to Sgt Hoffman that she had just lost her fiancé. She then made the comment that he had stabbed himself. Sgt. Hoffman informed her he was sorry to hear that, and asked if that happened recently. The defendant, Samantha Krebs, stated it happened Thursday night and then she found out in the newspaper he had died. A short while later, while waiting for other units to arrive on scene to assist, Sgt Hoffman was standing with Samantha, and Officer Rudebeck in the parking lot. At one point Samantha made the statement “I just watched my fiancé kill himself, and now I’m being arrested.” It should be noted that initially Samantha had stated that her fiancé had stabbed himself and she found out that he had died from the newspaper. Now she made the statement that she had watched her fiancé kill himself,” the complaint states.
Another witness told police Carnot had told him several times he feared Krebs was going to stab him, according to the complaint.
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