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KILN — A truck driver claims he drove his dead girlfriend from California to Mississippi to say goodbye to his family before trying to take his own life, an investigator testified Wednesday.
Natasha Carpenter, 30, of Lubbock, Texas, died of asphyxiation “in a rough sex act” in Barksdale, Calif., said Hancock County Sheriff’s Detective Ricky Fayard. Her remains were found partially burned on Sept. 17 after Mark Anthony Rice set his 18-wheeler on fire behind his ex-wife’s home on Kiln-Picayune Road, Fayard said.
Rice, 47, is charged with capital murder, arson, aggravated assault by arson causing injury to an officer and destroying physical evidence.
Justice Court Judge Jay Lagasse bound the case over to a grand jury after hearing testimony at Rice’s preliminary hearing. The judge ordered Rice to remain in custody with no bond.
Rice is from Missouri but was using his father’s address in Palm Harbor, Fla. Fayard told the court Rice said he ruined his life with crystal meth and had lived out of his truck for 1 1/2 years.
Rice said he had been up for six days on crystal meth and recalled Carpenter was bound and gagged while they had sex when he last saw her alive, Fayard said.
“He said he woke up around 3 a.m. and realized she was dead,” said Fayard.
Rice planned to bury her in a field, the detective said, “but when he got there, he saw headlights and got nervous.”
Rice delivered a load he was hauling in California and bought more drugs on his way to Mississippi, Fayard said. Rice had a .25-caliber gun and planned to use it on himself, Fayard added.
Hancock County deputies responding to a 911 call were told that Rice was armed and despondent and had locked himself in the cab of his truck. Rice’s ex-wife had seen him with gasoline and distracted him long enough to take away his gun, Fayard said.
Deputies said Rice at first refused to unlock the truck but the door opened as smoke began filling the cab. Deputies pulled him out but were unable to search inside. After the fire was put out, deputies noticed a partially charred foot sticking out from a tarp inside the truck.
One of the deputies was hospitalized two days for smoke inhalation.
Rice appeared to fight back tears as the detective testified. Rice slumped over, shut his eyes tightly and turned his head back and forth.
Fayard said Rice is under a suicide watch because he tried to take his life again at the Pearl River County jail.
The detective was questioned at the hearing by Hancock County prosecuting attorney Olen Anderson and defense attorney Todd Thriffiley.
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