In the quiet town of Stoddard, New Hampshire, the life of 44-year-old Michael S. Carney, a White/Caucasian male, came to a sudden and violent end on the evening of February 9, 2017. An insurance agent and a former selectman in the nearby town of Sullivan, Carney was a father to two sons from a previous marriage and a young daughter with his estranged wife, Nicole Carney.
The events of that fateful day would unravel a complex story of a fractured marriage, alleged abuse, and a secret that would later cast a shadow over the official account of his death.
The catalyst for the tragedy was a mundane issue with his internet service. Through a call with the service provider, Michael discovered that Nicole, from whom he had been separated since March of the previous year, had secretly purchased a home in Stoddard. Believing she was living with her parents, the revelation that she had her own residence, a house they had once looked at together, sent him into a state of anger. A series of heated calls and texts followed, alarming Nicole, who had a history of what she described as physical and verbal abuse at his hands. Fearing for her safety and that of their five-year-old daughter, she armed herself with a rifle that belonged to her son.
That evening, Michael Carney drove to the Moose Brook Drive home. His arrival prompted a panicked 911 call from Nicole at 7:07 p.m., though he appeared to leave shortly after. He returned, however, gaining entry into the house. Nicole, upstairs with their daughter, heard him on the first floor and pleaded for him to leave. She described him as angry and agitated as he advanced towards the staircase. As he started to ascend, just moments away from her and her child, Nicole fired two shots from the rifle, striking him each time. Michael fell backward down the stairs, and a second 911 call from a hysterical Nicole at 7:49 p.m. reported that she had shot her husband. When police arrived, they found Michael Carney deceased at the bottom of the stairs from two gunshot wounds.
Initially, the investigation into Michael Carney's death was treated as a homicide. However, in July 2017, the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office concluded that Nicole Carney was justified in her use of deadly force. The official report painted a picture of a man with a history of alcohol abuse and domestic violence, and Nicole's actions were deemed a desperate act of self-defense to protect herself and her daughter from an imminent threat. No criminal charges were filed against her.
Despite the official ruling, Michael Carney's family, particularly his sister Caryn Perkins, refused to accept this narrative. They described him as a respected community member and not a violent man, and they began their own quest for answers. Their persistence uncovered a hidden connection between Nicole Carney and Keene Police Chief Brian Costa. It was revealed that Nicole had been in communication with Costa throughout the day of the shooting and had deleted texts and call logs from her phone. Two days after being informed that state police had retrieved some of the deleted messages, Chief Costa took his own life. This revelation, which was not mentioned in the initial Attorney General's report, led to a second investigation by the State Police in 2019. While this subsequent inquiry brought to light the suppressed evidence of the relationship, it did not change the ultimate conclusion that Michael Carney's death was a justifiable homicide. The case officially remains closed, though for his family, questions and a sense of injustice linger.
