A man charged with killing his girlfriend back in March made his first court appearance on Friday, November 27, 2015.
The victim, Sheri Carpen, 31, was found dead in a basement suite in the 200 block of Pinetree Bay N.E. on March 28, 2015.
Carpen's boyfriend, Luke Anthony McLeod, 32, claimed she had committed suicide, but further investigation by police and the medical examiner determined she was murdered. The exact cause of death has not been released.
Reports say Carpen’s previous boyfriend, Joe Giacalone, was in the courtroom during the appearance. He shouted “Rot in Hell!” when McLeod appeared on CCTV, then left the room in tears. Giacalone says he and Carpen had dated for 5 years but had broken up a year ago.
“I wish I would have worked things out with her, she didn’t deserve this. She wouldn’t even hurt a fly,” he said. “I want to see this guy spend the rest of his time in jail.”
Another friend of Carpen, Keith McCrae, says she was a woman with a big heart and lots of energy.
“The relationship from what she told me and what I saw, it wasn’t ideal,” he said. “It was torrid, stressed, strained. She wasn’t happy in that aprartment, in that little basement apartment.”
McLeod is facing a charge of second-degree murder.
