Insets (left to right): Jacob Bailey and Renee Carpenter (Craig County Sheriff's Office). Background: The Craig County Sheriff's Office in Vinita, Okla. (Google Maps).
An Oklahoma couple who beat their roommate to death learned their fate after they admitted to killing him.
Jacob Bailey, 38, and Renee Carpenter, 43, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on Sept. 25 in connection with the death of 34-year-old Robert Sikes. Sikes was the couple's roommate at a home in Vinita, Oklahoma, before his body was found in September 2025. Following an investigation into Sikes' death, Bailey and Carpenter were arrested and charged with first-degree murder after it was determined that the couple had subjected Sikes to violent abuse.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by local NBC affiliate KSN, Bailey and Carpenter changed their stories several times before Carpenter admitted to beating Sikes and telling police that Bailey would beat him as well. Carpenter told police that she "frequently" put Sikes in pink handcuffs because he had behavior disturbances during the night that annoyed the couple. The couple both said that Carpenter threw the handcuffs in the trash, though they each had different stories about when that happened.
Bailey reportedly confessed to beating Sikes until he was unresponsive. An autopsy stated that Sikes suffered 69 fractures to his clavicle, ulna, ribs, mandible and eye socket. He was also found to have internal bleeding and a ruptured bowel.
According to the affidavit, Bailey said Carpenter once stepped on Sikes' throat to prevent him from calling out for help. He also said she "took part in the striking of Sikes that ultimately led to his death."
Bailey and Carpenter, who police said had histories of mental illness, as did Sikes, said they did not contact anyone about Sikes' condition because they were afraid of getting in trouble.
They were both sentenced to 25 years in prison.
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