A Wisconsin woman has been sentenced to life in prison for killing her boyfriend and attempting to convince witnesses and police that he had stabbed himself. Samantha Jean Krebs, 40, was convicted in September of first-degree intentional homicide for the 2024 death of her boyfriend, 35-year-old Joseph “Joey” Carnot, at their shared apartment in Appleton.
On Wednesday, Outagamie County Circuit Court Judge Vincent Biskupic handed down the sentence, allowing the possibility of parole only after 36 years. Prosecutors argued that Krebs acted during an argument and then tried to shift blame as she fled the scene and later spoke to officers.
The incident occurred on June 18, 2024, when two friends arrived at the apartment for what was supposed to be a casual get-together. Instead, they found Carnot gravely injured. According to testimony, Krebs immediately urged the visitors to “tell police he stabbed himself,” insisting she could not return to prison. One witness told investigators she believed “100 percent” that Krebs was responsible, noting the defendant’s lengthy history of violent and drug-related offenses.
Court records show that Krebs’ criminal history spans more than a decade, including cases involving battery, drug possession, and negligent handling of weapons. Witnesses also recounted that before leaving the apartment, Krebs searched for her belongings, briefly approached Carnot, and then drove away in a car without license plates.
Police located her later at a friend’s residence, where she repeated her claim that she had simply witnessed her fiancé injure himself. Throughout the trial, Krebs maintained this version of events, testifying in her own defense and denying any intent to harm Carnot. She admitted she was using methamphetamine at the time, saying she panicked because she feared police would find drugs on her.
Prosecutors countered that Krebs, under the influence of drugs, ended an argument by stabbing Carnot once in the chest and then attempted to construct an alternative narrative. They argued she spent the following days trying to distance herself from the killing while attempting to explain away her actions. After five days of testimony and more than five hours of jury deliberation, jurors agreed with the state’s case.
During trial exchanges, prosecutors challenged Krebs about leaving her injured partner in the apartment. When she insisted she did not realize the severity of his condition, prosecutors pointed to her own earlier statements describing him as unconscious and badly hurt.
At sentencing, Krebs addressed the court through tears, still maintaining her innocence and insisting she would never intentionally harm Carnot. She acknowledged poor decision-making related to her drug use but argued that she did not deserve life in prison.
Judge Biskupic rejected those claims, stating that Krebs continued to deny responsibility and that her version of events remained implausible. “I’m not buying that,” the judge said, referencing her continued insistence that Carnot injured himself.
With the sentence now imposed, Krebs will not be eligible for release until she is in her seventies.
