William Clyde Gibson: The Murders in Southern Indiana
William Clyde Gibson III is an American serial killer convicted of murdering three women in southern Indiana: Karen Hodella, Stephanie Kirk, and Christine Whitis. His known crimes spanned nearly ten years, beginning with Hodella's murder in October 2002 and ending with two killings in New Albany in the spring of 2012. Gibson was not connected to the 2002 homicide until his arrest in 2012 led investigators through a series of confessions that exposed the full extent of his known crimes.
The Murder of Karen Hodella
Karen Hodella met Gibson at a bar in Jeffersonville, Indiana, on October 10, 2002. According to court records, the two spent the evening together and visited several bars. Later that night they were sitting in a vehicle in the parking lot of an apartment complex in New Albany. An argument developed after Hodella accused Gibson of taking some of her prescription medication.
The confrontation became violent. Gibson struck Hodella, and during the resulting struggle he produced a pocket knife and stabbed her repeatedly in the throat, killing her. He then drove away with her body and eventually disposed of it. Hodella's remains were not recovered until January 7, 2003, near the Ohio River in the Clarksville area. The homicide remained an unsolved case for more than nine years.
That changed after Gibson was arrested in April 2012. While being questioned about another murder, Gibson unexpectedly admitted that he had killed Hodella. Investigators were able to corroborate important parts of his account, including information about Hodella that had not simply been supplied to him by police. Gibson ultimately pleaded guilty to Hodella's murder on March 20, 2014. On April 17, 2014, he was sentenced to 65 years in prison.
The Murder of Stephanie Kirk
Gibson met 35-year-old Stephanie Kirk on March 24, 2012. The following day, March 25, Kirk met with Gibson again in New Albany. During the encounter, Gibson sexually assaulted and strangled her to death. He concealed Kirk's body and eventually buried her in a shallow grave in the backyard of his New Albany residence.
Kirk was reported missing, but investigators initially did not know that she had been murdered. Her disappearance became connected to Gibson only after his April arrest in the Christine Whitis case. While in custody, Gibson began giving police information about Kirk. He eventually admitted killing her and directed investigators to the location where he had buried her.
On April 27, 2012, investigators excavated Gibson's backyard and recovered Kirk's remains. An examination determined that she had been strangled. The discovery was particularly significant because police had already connected Gibson to two other killings by that point. Prosecutors formally charged him with Kirk's murder on May 23, 2012 and sought the death penalty.
Gibson later pleaded guilty to murdering Kirk before his scheduled 2014 trial. After a separate sentencing proceeding, a judge imposed the death penalty on August 15, 2014.
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