Judge William Acree, who serves as Circuit
Court Judge for the 27th Judicial District, sentenced former
Weakley County Sheriff’s Deputy Claudell Carpenter to six
years in prison for voluntary manslaughter and 12 years for
especially aggravated burglary in connection with the June
16, 2004 shooting death of Joe Martin of Sharon, during
Thursday morning’s sentencing hearing in Weakley County
Circuit Court. Since Judge Acree ordered that the sentences
would run concurrently, this means that Carpenter will have
a maximum sentence of 12 years, minus the time he has
already spent in jail since his arrest and during his trial.
Judge Acree gave his ruling after hearing
legal arguments concerning the case as presented by Attorney
General Tommy Thomas and Public Defender Joe Atnip, as well
taking into account statements given on the stand by
Carpenter and Karen Martin, wife of the victim, Joe Martin.
During the court proceedings, the facts of
the case were recounted, including the fact that Martin was
shot by Carpenter on June 16, 2004, after the Sheriff’s
deputy found Martin the bedroom with his estranged wife,
Renee Carpenter. It was also stated that Carpenter, who was
originally found guilty of second-degree murder at the
conclusion of a jury trial on Nov. 2, 2005, had his sentence
reduced to voluntary manslaughter at an appeals hearing on
May 25, 2006. The charge of felony murder and aggravated
assault were dismissed and the end result was that Carpenter
was charged with voluntary manslaughter and aggravated
burglary.
The testimony given during the hearing was
very emotionally charged.
Attorney General Thomas called Joe Martin’s
widow, Karen Martin, to the stand to give an impact
statement regarding the affect the death of her husband has
had on her and her children.
During questioning by the prosecution, Martin
stated that she has lived in Weakley County all of her life,
and had married Joe Martin in 1999. She said that they had
three children together – one, who is now 14 years old, and
two 10-year-old twins.
“Describe your relationship to your husband
prior to the killing, please?” asked Thomas.
“We had problems,” Martin said. “He wasn’t
staying at home all of the time. We talked on the phone
everyday. He did stay home, but not every night. Some nights
he didn’t come home.”
However, she noted that she and her husband
ate lunch together everyday at her place of work in Milan.
She explained that he got off work for lunch 10 minutes
earlier than she did and would pick up something to eat and
drop by so they could be together during their lunch break.
“What was the relationship between Mr. Martin
and your sons?” Thomas asked.
“They did everything together,” she replied.
“He interacted with them on anything they were involved in.
He loved his boys. He coached Little League. At the time,
his oldest son was playing Little League. He coached T-Ball
when his twins were playing. And, he coached Pee-Wee
football and basketball.”
“Would you please tell the court how the loss
of your husband has affected you and your sons?” Thomas
asked.
At this time, Mrs. Martin read a prepared
statement before the court. An excerpt of her comments
states:
“My life has changed completely. The man I
loved for 16 year, and the father of my children, is gone
forever.
“I have to be a mother and father to my boys.
And I can’t fill those shoes. But my love for my boys is
unconditional . . . I have to try to find the right thing to
say and to be the one to take their anger out on. I don’t
have a whole lot of help from family members in raising the
boys.
“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do
- to bury my husband, and to know that my children no longer
have their father.”
She also stated that her children have a hard
time in school, having to hear their classmates repeat what
their parents have to say about the death of her husband.
“At the age of 12 and eight, my boys lost
their father forever,” Martin said. “They don’t have a
choice whether or not to see him, go visit, write a letter
or receive his phone calls. All they have are memories and a
pile of dirt that has settled and covered with grass.
“My oldest son won’t play football anymore,
because his daddy loved that sport. When his class was
graduating, he cried when he looked into the crowd and Joe
wasn’t there.
“The twins were always with their daddy,
working on things, pitching, playing in the snow, wrestling
in the front room, camping and many other things.
“As of June 15, 2004, all that was taken from
them. Now they have to depend on their uncle to take them
fishing.
“My oldest son had to grow up quick and
become a young man, because he’s the only person his younger
brothers have to look up to.
“As far as myself, my heart breaks everyday.
When I’m lying in bed, sometimes I cry myself to sleep.
She stated that she doesn’t go to church
anymore, because it reminds her of the day she got married,
or her husband’s funeral.
“I don’t care about holidays anymore.
“When something good or bad happens, I don’t
have anyone to share it with.
“I feel like it’s me against the world.
She stated that time has not healed her pain
and there are no words to describe her true feelings.
She concluded reading her written statement
saying, “With the Lord above watching over us, and
continuing to bless us daily, we will find peace in our
hearts.”
With the end of her testimony and no
follow-up questions of Mrs. Martin from the defense,
Attorney General Thomas said to the judge, “That’s the
state’s proof your honor.”
At this point in the proceedings, Atnip asked
the defendant, Claudell Carpenter, to take the stand.
Carpenter began by saying, “Your honor, I
would like to apologize to Mrs. Karen Martin, her boys, the
Martins, and their family members.”
At this point in his statement, Carpenter
broke down emotionally. After regaining his composer, he
continued, “I have caused much pain, and I beg your
forgiveness. I know that it will be a long time before you
even think about forgiving me; but one day, maybe you’ll be
able to.
“Your honor, I am more than willing to make
restitution to Mrs. Karen Martin to make sure she and her
boys are provided for. I am not trying to fight the lawsuit
that is against me. If I am ever released from jail, I’ll
have part of my paycheck taken out every week for most of my
life – maybe for the rest of my life. That’s the way I want
it. If I ever get out, I know I’ll get a job and I’ll work
to make restitution to her. I know I’ll never be able to
make it right though. I know that. I know that money won’t
make it right. But, I will try my hardest.
“When I look out over the courtroom today,
I’m saddened by the many familiar faces I see. Our families
have known each other for many years. I’m ashamed that I
hurt so many that I’ve known for so long. I pray that my
actions have not made our families adversaries.”
Again, Carpenter breaks down and must take a
moment before continuing saying, “Those who know me well
know that I am not evil. They know that couldn’t be farther
from the truth. If one word could be used to describe me
that word would be flawed.
“I haven’t spoken one word to anyone in the
Martin family before now. I am not accustomed to being
disliked by anyone. I wish time and time again, I could take
it all back. My family raised me in the church and taught us
not to fight because it’s not the answer. Joe Martin and I
were not worst enemies.
“At some point in my life, I decided to
pursue a career in law enforcement. Upon completing a
six-year tour in the Army, I always felt that African
American’s reputations were not as good as they should be. I
wanted to set a new standard. Since this incident occurred,
I not only brought dishonor to myself, and my family, but to
African Americans as well. I highly valued having a good
reputation, and bringing positive feelings toward all
African Americans, especially police officers. Everyone I
encountered on the job, I treated them as if they were from
my own family. I never took things personally. I have often
felt that whites didn’t accept me because I was black. Some
blacks felt that because I talked like a white person, and
because I had white friends, and because I was a policeman,
I had sold out. … The only true and lasting friend I’ve had
since grade school was Billy Smith. ‘Thank you for being
such a good friend all of these years.’
“I do believe in law. I do believe in the
rules of society. Trust me when I say this, there is no
chance of me ever committing such a crime ever again, or
being a menace to society.
“Being on the wrong side of the law, I don’t
like it. I hope to pursue a career in broadcast journalism
or business. These are my goals. I know it will be tough
getting a good job with a felony record. But I will do an
honest job to earn a living. Maybe I’ll become a truck
driver for awhile until I can train for something else.”
Carpenter stated that, once released, he
would support his two girls and help support Karen Martin’s
three boys. “I’ll do that for the rest of my life.
“I enjoy helping people and being around
people. It’s a part of me I can’t deny.
“I know I’ll never be allowed to be in law
enforcement again. I hate that more than anyone will ever
know. I know that’s part of my punishment and I accept it. I
let my friends down. I let my buddies at the Sheriff’s
Department down. I let Mark Black down. I let Sheriff Wilson
down. And I want to say General Thomas, I’m sorry. I let you
down, and I’m sorry.
“And I let Greenfield down. I always wanted
to make something of myself, so Greenfield would be proud of
me. I’m proud of my hometown of Greenfield. When I left home
to join the military . . . I felt I was an ambassador from
Greenfield and conducted myself in a manner to let anyone
who encountered me to know that Greenfield was full of good
people.
“If I ever get out of jail, I would never do
anything to embarrass my family, my friends, or my hometown.
“Thank you your honor,” Carpenter said.
With the conclusion of this statement, the
defendant returned to his seat and the court proceedings
continued.
Attorney General Thomas argued, “Your honor,
the defendant’s testimony at trial was not credible. How was
the defendant provoked?
“Mr. Carpenter’s marriage, unfortunately, was
like too many in our community . . . he was unfaithful to
his wife; and his wife was unfaithful to him. But, I submit
that their situation was no worse than hundreds in our
county today. I think there are hundreds who are going
through divorce proceedings in our county at the present
time with as much provocation and as much reason to kill a
lover or unfaithful spouse that the defendant had.”
Thomas stated that the defendant armed
himself late at night and went to his wife’s apartment,
where he used the radio to confirm that the victim was in
his wife’s apartment. “He then broke down the door, went
into the bedroom … pulled his service weapon, and shot the
victim 15 times – several in the back, as the victim turned
to avoid the gunfire.”
Thomas stated that in committing this
horrible crime, he not only cost his children their father,
and Mrs. Martin of her husband, but also sentenced Joe
Martin’s two sons to lives without their father. “They’ll
have to grow up without Joe Martin’s love, without his
support, without his influence. They will never have another
Christmas, another birthday, another holiday, another
graduation. All of this, because the defendant was jealous
and possessive, and took the law into his own hands, when on
June 15, 2004, he became judge, jury and executioner.
General Thomas ended his argument by saying,
“Your honor, justice in this case cries out. Please listen
to it, and give the defendant the maximum sentence under the
law.”
(Read the rest of the story in the
July 5th print edition of the
Dresden Enterprise!)
