Trial pushed back for teenager accused of second-degree murder

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A new trial date has been set for the Port Ludlow teenager accused of stabbing his father to death.

Jason L. Carpenter, 18, has been charged with second-degree murder in Jefferson County Superior Court. During a court appearance Friday, defense attorney Lillian Powers asked the court to reset the dates for Carpenter’s upcoming court hearings.

Carpenter, who remains in custody without bail in the Jefferson County Jail, waived his right to a speedy trial. His trial had earlier been set to begin Monday, Jan. 9.

Prosecutor James Kennedy said the state did not object to pushing back future court appearances.

Judge Keith Harper agreed with the request, and set a new trial date of Feb. 27 through March 2.

Carpenter entered a pleading of “not guilty” during his arraignment Dec. 2.

The teen was arrested after police were called to his family’s home in the the 100 block of Dunsmuir Road just after 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 28 after a woman called 911 and said her son had stabbed her husband.

The woman said her husband had been stabbed in the back and was on the front porch, and her son, who was possibly high or having a psychotic episode, had stabbed her husband several times.

Deputies found Robert E. Carpenter, 56, on the porch of the three-level home, according to court documents. Medics soon arrived and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Jason Carpenter was found on the golf course near the home soon after police arrived at the murder scene. 

According to the statement of probable cause for his arrest, Port Townsend Police Officer Chase Stanton found Carpenter lying face down on his stomach, with his arms straight out like an airplane.

Stanton, who had been searching the neighborhood with other officers and deputies, asked Carpenter, “Are you the guy with the knife from earlier?”

“Yeah,” Carpenter replied, according to the probable cause report.

The teen’s pants appeared to be covered in blood. A large, black, fixed-blade knife was found in the left inside pocket of Carpenter’s jacket, according to court documents.

Carpenter lived downstairs in the home. His mother told law enforcement she had been in the laundry room doing laundry when she heard her son screaming and banging around downstairs.

When her husband came in from the garage, she told him about their son’s behavior and he went downstairs.

Authorities believe Robert Carpenter was attacked on a set of stairs at the home.

The initial investigation indicated that Carpenter came around the side of the house after he was stabbed and started pounding on the front door, asking if help was on the way. 

His wife told authorities she went outside and found him covered in blood.

Jason Carpenter has had ongoing mental health issues and rage incidents, his mother told authorities, and also said he had been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder and impulsive behavior.

His mother also told authorities that her son had attacked her husband in a bathroom in the home last July and had been placed on diversion, according to court documents.

According to a probable cause report, the teen’s mother found the sheath for a knife on the kitchen counter when she came downstairs and moved the sheath upstairs. The sheath appeared to match the size of the knife used in the attack, according to the report.

The report also notes that while the home has a camera system from a previous owner, the system was not working. The “Ring”-style doorbell camera at the front door was also broken. 

Court documents also indicate the teenager’s mother said she was not aware if there was any friction between her son and his father, but noted he kept a journal.