Do you know who murdered Kathryn? In the early summer of 1985, a young mother's life was brutally cut short in her Tulsa, Oklahoma apartment, leaving behind a mystery that would remain unsolved for decades. On June 1, 1985, 33-year-old Kathryn 'Kathy' Wilhoit was discovered murdered in her home at the Osage Hills Apartment Complex. The scene bespoke a violent struggle; she had been assaulted, strangled with a thick ligature, and her throat had been cut.
At the time of the discovery of her body, her two young daughters, one just a year old and the other under a year, were found unharmed upstairs in their cribs. There were no signs of forced entry into the apartment, suggesting she may have known her attacker.
The investigation into Kathryn’s death quickly focused on her estranged husband, Gregory Wilhoit. The couple, who had met in a substance treatment center and had a history of substance abuse issues, had separated a few months prior to the murder. In 1986, Gregory was charged with his wife's murder, and the following year, he was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. A key piece of evidence used by the prosecution was a bite mark found on Kathryn's body, which they claimed matched Gregory's dental impressions.
For years, the case was considered closed, with Gregory Wilhoit sitting on death row. However, the conviction began to unravel as numerous renowned forensic odontologists re-examined the bite mark evidence and concluded that it did not match Gregory. Based on this new expert testimony, his conviction was overturned on appeal. In 1993, Gregory Wilhoit was exonerated and acquitted of the murder of his wife. He passed away in 2014, never knowing who was truly responsible for Kathryn’s death.
Following Gregory Wilhoit's exoneration, the investigation into Kathryn's murder stalled, and it has since become a cold case. Fingerprints and hairs that did not belong to Kathryn or her husband were found at the crime scene, but they have never been matched to any suspect. Compounding the difficulty of ever solving the case, it is believed that much of the physical evidence, including the rape kit, was destroyed after Gregory's initial conviction. To this day, no other arrests have been made, and no other suspects have been publicly identified, leaving the brutal murder of Kathryn Wilhoit an enduring and tragic mystery.
