BOZEMAN – A Bozeman man who reportedly raped and then told his then wife he had dug a grave for her body, is facing a number of charges including rape, assault with a weapon and partner or family member assault.
Adam Carp, 29, appeared in Gallatin County Justice Court on Wednesday, May 29, 2019, and is being held on $150,000 bond.
According to charging documents, Carp began dating the victim in April 2016, when she was 16 years old and he was 25. When she was 17 years old, the pair moved in together. In March 2019, the victim filed for an order of protection, stating that Carp “threw me into the door frame in our bedroom, hitting my face against it, and proceeded to pin me to the ground and choke me and force me to have sex with him.”
The woman also reported an incident that occurred in the spring of 2017 where the defendant had fired a gun in their bedroom during a fight that left a hole in the wall. She also wrote that Carp threw things at her, kicked her, shoved her, strangled her and verbally abused her during the relationship.
Carp also reportedly told her that if she left him, he would kill her and he had already dug a hole for her body. She also wrote that Carp threatened to kill her, kill himself and that if she dated someone else, he would kill anyone that she dated.
The victim told a detective that in July 2017, she and Carp were arguing in their bedroom when he pulled a Glock pistol out of the bedroom dresser and fired the gun into the master bedroom wall. Carp reportedly told her, “I’ll kill you if you leave me.” The woman said Carp never pointed the gun directly at her during the argument.
The woman told the detective that she felt “terrified” and that she “thought he was going to kill me. I immediately went right back into the bedroom and got into bed.” The woman later took photographs of the bullet hole which was still visible in August 2018 (more than one year after the incident).
The woman reported that Carp assaulted and raped her on July 28, 2017, after she went out with a friend and returned to their home. During that incident, Carp reportedly grabbed her by the neck and threw her to the ground. During the rape, Carp allegedly placed his left hand over her throat and began strangling her and she began to lose consciousness.
After the assault, the woman called her father who helped her move out of the home and she moved to New York state two days later to live with her aunt.
She reported that Carp “bombarded” her with messages and phone calls and apologized to her, claiming he had stopped drinking alcohol and was going to counseling. He also reportedly promised her that if she returned to Gallatin County he would not bother her.
After three months the woman returned to Montana, began dating Carp and the pair were married in March 2018.
In December 2018, while on a drive to get a Christmas tree, Carp reportedly pointed toward the Bridger mountain range and said, without any provocation, “Look on that hill, that’s where your hole is dug. I know you’re going to leave me and I’m going to kill you.”
Later that month Carp reportedly threw a candle at the woman while she was trying to cook chili, reportedly unhappy about the meal. The candle hit the woman in the face, next to her eye. The woman told detectives the assault was especially disconcerting because she had not committed any offense against Carp.
The woman told the detective that the assault, along with the recent threat that Carp had already dug her grave, spurred her to leave Carp on Dec. 20, 2018. She filed for divorce on March 25, 2019.
When asked why she had not come forward to report the crimes until April 17, 2019, the woman said she knew Carp had been abusive to another woman. The Bozeman Police Department was investigating allegations of abuse by Carp against that woman at the time.
The woman reported that she was afraid Carp might kill his next girlfriend and did not want that to happen.
During further interviews, the woman’s aunt confirmed the New York move and her father confirmed moving the woman’s belongings in July 2017. Both the woman’s aunt and father reported that the victim had told them she had been raped and assaulted.
Carp is charged with aggravated sexual intercourse without consent, assault with a weapon, both felonies. He also faces a charge of misdemeanor partner or family member assault.
Additional reporting by Ken Spencer, David Dyas and Cody Boyer – MTN News
