Future Marine killed in single-car wreck; driver charged

The west Marietta community is reeling after a young man had his life cut short just days before becoming a U.S. Marine.

John Carpenter, 19, was killed just after 11 p.m. Friday when an SUV driven by his friend Seth Wheeler, also of Marietta, crashed in the southbound lanes of Georgia 400 near the exit ramp to Interstate 285 West in Sandy Springs, police say.

Wheeler, who lost control of his Ford Explorer and veered off the roadway, was transported to the hospital, treated for minor injuries and released.

Monday afternoon, Sandy Springs police charged him with driving too fast for conditions, failure to maintain lane and second degree vehicular homicide, according to Capt. Forrest Bohannon.

Those who knew Carpenter, an Eagle Scout set to enter Marine Corps training in the coming days, say they are hard-pressed to think of a better young man.

Jason Shepherd, chairman of the Cobb GOP, has attended church with the Carpenter family at StoneBridge on the Square for nearly two decades.

“It’s tough. He was always a very polite young man, said Shepherd, adding his Facebook feed is full of posts from devastated parishioners heartbroken over Carpenter’s passing. “He was such a nice guy with a heart of service.”

While he attended Hillgrove High for a couple years, Carpenter graduated from Cumberland Christian Academy.

Bob Taylor, a Delta pilot who lives in the Carpenter family’s Hampton Glen subdivision, described the 19-year-old as “the unofficial neighborhood mayor.”

Neighbors would routinely spot him walking Sonny, his beloved Australian Shepherd mix, and could always count on being greeted with a warm smile and a wave.

Taylor said Carpenter, who attended the Marion Military Institute in Alabama last year, was proud of his plans to enlist and more than willing to discuss them with whoever would listen.

“He was light, caring, always easy to talk to,” Taylor said, recalling how impressed he was by Carpenter’s intellect and ability to hold a conversation, even as a child. “It was easy to make friends with John and he would make friends with everybody else… He was always very interested in other people and he took the time to stop, talk and listen.”

Now, Monroe Carpenter, John Carpenter’s father, must face those same neighbors when he walks Sonny.

“I’ve experienced that over the last couple days as I walk the dog and try to avoid people because I don’t want to break down in public,” he said. “But they come up to me and say he was just the sweetest kid.”

Robert Broz, who grew up with John Carpenter, said their community is in shock.

“Everyone who knew John would say he was kind of a goober,” said Broz, 20, who lived down the street from Carpenter the last 15 years. “He was very funny and he had a positive influence on people … Everyone who knew him is still very shaken up. He was just really loved.”

Monroe Carpenter said despite everything, he and his wife don’t hold Wheeler personally responsible for the death of their youngest child, something they’ve told both Wheeler and his family.

“We know this was an accident,” he said.

And while their house has been full of people since the weekend, both parents are bracing for the impending emptiness they are bound to feel next week.

John Carpenter is survived by his parents, Monroe and Julie, and two older siblings, his sister Amy Carpenter of Chicago, and his brother Keylon Carpenter of Atlanta.

Visitation is planned Friday from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. at Carmichael Funeral Home, 1130 Whitlock Ave. in Marietta. Carpenter’s service is set for 11 a.m. Saturday at West Cobb Church, located at 1245 Villa Rica Rd.