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Last updated on Wednesday, July 26, 2017
(PAOLI) - Convicted murder John Carpenter was sentenced on Monday to 195 years in prison after killing two people in June 2014 and seriously injuring a third.
38-year-old John Carpenter of Marengo was found guilty by an Orange County Circuit Court jury in June.
Special Judge Michael Cloud sentenced Carpenter to 50 years on a charge of murder, 65 years on a charge of voluntary manslaughter, 50 years on robbery resulting in serious bodily injury and 30 years for being a habitual offender. The sentences will run consecutively.
Carpenter was found guilty of killing 56-year-old Nicky Fields of Paoli and 25-year-old Corey Michael Harris. The two were were shot to death at Fields' home.
He was also found guilty of shooting then 29-year-old Daniel Smitson in the mouth at Field's home on Sandy Hook Road in Paoli.
At 1:05 p.m. on June 23, a passer-by alerted police to a man lying near the roadway in front of a home in the 2200 block of Sandy Hook Road.
According to court documents, the day before he died, Fields expressed concern that Carpenter was out to hurt him. Those documents also indicate that what happened inside the mobile home was a robbery gone wrong.
Fields' body was found inside the home. Harris was found outside, as was Smitson. Both Fields and Harris suffered gunshot wounds to the head and died at the scene. Smitson was shot underneath his neck, the bullet went above his mouth and it came out his eye.
Smitson was able to tell police that three men in a red and gray Dodge truck came to the home and began shooting with a small-caliber handgun.
Police discovered a truck matching Smitson's description was registered to Carpenter.
Also charged with the crimes were James Davidson of Marengo and Elbert Brooks, of New Albany.
Brooks admitted going to Field's home with Carpenter and Davidson to get meth and he stayed in the vehicle when Carpenter went into the home. Davidson stayed outside the residence. Brooks told police he heard yelling and two gunshots from inside the home, and Carpenter and Davidson left the home, carrying a blanket with items inside it.
Brooks told police he saw a man walking toward the roadway, heard a gunshot and saw the man fall.
All three men were arrested within days of the shooting.
Brooks pleaded guilty to the crime and was sentenced to 100 years in prison. Brooks was sentenced to 55 years in prison on one count of murder, 30 years for attempted murder and 15 years for robbery resulting in serious bodily injury. A second murder count was dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
Davidson pleaded guilty in a negotiated plea deal on July 17. He's sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 14 at 10:30 a.m.
Davidson pleaded guilty to a count of robbery with serious bodily injury, a Class A felony. The agreement says two counts of murder will be dismissed and that the prosecution will not pursue a habitual offender charge.
If the judge accepts the agreement Davidson will serve 40 years in prison with no time suspended.
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