A Ketchikan man was sentenced to ten years in prison, with three suspended, for stabbing his landlord last October. Justin Carpenter, age 46, was sentenced by Ketchikan Superior Court Judge Katherine Lybrand yesterday.
Carpenter was found guilty of assault in the first degree after a weeklong trial in April. The jury found him not guilty of an attempted murder charge.
The sentence is the legal minimum for Carpenter’s charges. During the hearing, Judge Lybrand said that while it is a serious offense, she believes Carpenter is capable of rehabilitation.
“I do think that Mr. Carpenter doesn’t need to otherwise be confined to prevent further harm to the public beyond the active minimum,” Lybrand said. “That’s somewhat based in terms of the history of violence or lack thereof.”
A psychologist who evaluated Carpenter in the Ketchikan Correctional Center said that while in jail he’s shown promise for rehabilitation and low risk for violence in the future.
In October, Carpenter stabbed his landlord three times in the chest and once in the neck after he grabbed Carpenter by the wrist during a dispute over laundry. Carpenter’s attorney said it was a case of self defense, which the judge denied.
The state asked for 20 years with eight suspended, which is the maximum legal sentence. State prosecutor Jackson Willard argued that the seriousness of the multiple stab wounds and Carpenter’s involvement with alcohol warranted a sentence that focuses on isolation and deterrence.
Ariel Toft, the public defender representing Carpenter, argued that his lack of violent history made this case an isolated incident.
“This is a serious offense, but it’s also a highly situational offense,” Toft said. “I don’t think that there’s any need to confine Mr. Carpenter beyond the time that he’s already served, other than the fact that the law in this circumstance requires it.”
Carpenter will face five years of supervised probation on release.
