Jeffrey Spence is accused in the murder of Kirby Carpenter, 36, a Tippah County dealer in precious metals and owner of Mississippi Gold, Silver and Coin Exchange. Carpenter was found shot behind his garage on December 2, 2022. Investigators believe he was killed two days earlier, shortly after returning home from a grocery store. At the time, Carpenter was living with Caitlin Spence and their infant daughter. Prosecutors allege that the Spence family conspired together to rob Carpenter and it was Jeffrey who pulled the trigger that killed Carpenter. The Spence family left Mississippi but authorities tracked them down nearly one year later: Jeffrey and Karen Spence were arrested in Smyth County, Virginia and Caitlin Spence was arrested in Brookville, Pennsylvania. All three were later extradited to Mississippi and indicted by a Tippah County grand jury in April 2024 on charges of capital murder, conspiracy, and grand larceny. Karen entered an Alford plea on September 19, 2025, to accessory after the fact to grand larceny. Under this type of plea, she did not admit guilt but acknowledged that prosecutors had sufficient evidence to secure a conviction. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison, which was suspended in full, and placed her on five years of unsupervised probation. In a plea deal that requires Caitlin Spence to provide truthful testimony in the trial of her father, Caitlin Spence pleaded guilty to one count of Accessory to Murder After the Fact. Caitlin's sentencing is deferred until she testifies at her father's trial.