Do you know who killed Catherine \Cati\ Ann Blauvelt in 2016? In the fall of 2016, the life of 22-year-old Catherine “Cati” Blauvelt came to a tragic end in Simpsonville, South Carolina. Her family grew worried when she failed to meet up with friends after her shift at a local pet store on October 23. The search for Cati concluded in the most horrifying way imaginable on October 24, when her body was discovered in the basement of an abandoned home.
She had been stabbed to death, and her body was left inside a concrete box.
Suspicion quickly fell upon her estranged husband, John Tufton Blauvelt, a 33-year-old U.S. Army recruiter. Investigators learned that the couple had separated just days before her murder and that Cati had previously reported instances of domestic abuse. When investigators went to notify John of his wife's death, his behavior struck them as odd. He didn't inquire about how she died or where she was found, but instead asked if he was being charged with a crime. Shortly after this interaction, as police were building their case, John vanished. He fled the state with his 17-year-old girlfriend, Hannah Thompson, prompting the U.S. Army to classify him as a deserter.
For nearly six years, John Blauvelt remained a fugitive, living under the alias Ben Klein. The case gained national attention, even being featured on 'In Pursuit with John Walsh.' The cross-country manhunt involved local law enforcement and the U.S. Marshals Service, who tracked the couple through several states. The teenage girlfriend was eventually found abandoned but safe in Oregon in December 2016 and returned to her family. Finally, in July 2022, a cold case team located and arrested John in Medford, Oregon, more than 2,000 miles from the scene of the crime. He was extradited back to South Carolina to face justice.
John Blauvelt's trial brought forth chilling details about the crime. Prosecutors presented evidence that included incriminating text messages and entries from his journal. One journal entry, addressed to his daughter, read, 'Someday I hope you understand why I did it.' His former girlfriend, Hannah Thompson, became a key witness, testifying against him. She later faced her own charges, including accessory after the fact and obstruction of justice, for her role in the events following the murder. In September 2024, a jury found John Tufton Blauvelt guilty of murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
