Springtime Boat Stabber Nabbed
Man Who Boarded Boat off East Beach to Stab Ex-Girlfriend's Lover in May Is Caught
A man accused of stabbing the new lover of his ex-girlfriend on a boat docked off East Beach in May has been arrested and extradited to Santa Barbara, where he is now facing charges which include attempted murder.
On May 17 at about 4:30 a.m., Robert Ferrin, 27, allegedly convinced someone to row him out to the boat of Jeffrey Carpenter, the new boyfriend of Brandy Bochy, the day after Bochy ended her relationship with Ferrin and became Carpenter’s girlfriend. Carpenter and Bochy were sleeping in the boat anchored in an area off East Beach, when they heard noises on the deck. Carpenter found Ferrin, who asked to speak with Bochy. Carpenter allegedly agreed, and brought him into the cabin. While speaking with Bochy, according to a police affidavit filed by Det. Michael Claytor, Ferrin realized Bochy was in the nude and “immediately became enraged.” He allegedly pulled a knife from his pants pockets and began to stab Carpenter.
Carpenter was chased out of the cabin and eventually dove into the ocean, trying to get away from Ferrin. Ferrin, a big man at six-feet, 240 pounds, dove in after him, and they both ended up in a dingy attached to the boat, despite Carpenter’s best attempts at keeping Ferrin off. Carpenter, suffering from eight stab wounds and a collapsed lung, pleaded with Ferrin to stop attacking him, allegedly telling him, “I think I’m dying.”
Ferrin told Carpenter he would stop his attack if Carpenter took the dingy to shore, and the victim obliged, despite his injuries. “Fearful that Ferrin would stab him again if he failed to comply, Carpenter drives Ferrin to shore, at which time Ferrin flees the area on foot,” Claytor wrote in his narrative.
Carpenter then made his way to Stearns Wharf, climbed up a ladder, and shortly thereafter received medical treatment.
Ferrin escaped to Ohio, where he was arrested on May 22 at a hospital in a small town outside Toledo. He was taken to New York for a parole violation, and was imprisoned in Wyoming, NY, until the end of November, and he was finally extradited to Santa Barbara, where he is facing charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and kidnapping. He pleaded not guilty to the charges on December 15.
Ferrin’s next court appearance is January 6 for a preliminary hearing setting. His bail is set at $1 million.
