In the fall of 2000, the community of Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, was shaken by the discovery of a young woman's body. On October 7, the remains of 27-year-old Heather Wright were found in a stream that fed into the Kentucky River. An investigation into her death determined that she had been violently strangled. Wright was identified as a female who had been working as a sex worker.
The investigation into the murder of Heather Wright led authorities to a suspect, Rodney Troy Bixler.
Less than a month after Wright's body was discovered, on November 1, 2000, Bixler was arrested and charged with her murder, along with other offenses. At the time of his arrest, Bixler had a prior criminal record. In 1999, he had been acquitted of rape and sodomy charges involving a 17-year-old girl. That same year, he was convicted for the misuse of an ATM card and served approximately six months in jail.
In 2008, Rodney Troy Bixler entered an Alford plea to two counts of murder, which included the death of Heather Wright and another victim. This plea allowed him to maintain his innocence while acknowledging that the prosecution had enough evidence to likely secure a conviction. Bixler was sentenced to two consecutive 20-year sentences. He is currently incarcerated at the Northpoint Training Center. He became eligible for parole in January 2024, but if it is not granted, his projected release date is September 21, 2039.
