Capital murder suspects out of Mississippi arrested in Smyth County

Two suspects in the murder of a Mississippi father of two have been taken into custody in Smyth County, Virginia.

The Sheriff’s Office report said Jeffery and Karen Spence were located in the Sugar Grove community near Mount Rogers.

The couple was charged with capital murder in the 2022 case involving Tupelo businessman Kirby Carpenter. He was found dead from a gunshot wound near his home. The suspects are being held in the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail.