48 Hours - Cati Blauvelt Death Of A Soldiers Wife

Episode Date: January 11, 2026

A soldier goes on the run after his wife is murdered. With him, his 17-year-old girlfriend. What does she know? Peter Van Sant reports. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Simpsonville is a tight-neck community. It's got that small town southern charm. This is a place where you bake a cake and take it to your neighbor next door. It was a great place to be a police officer, and murderers and serious assaults for a few and far between. My name is Patty Piver and Katie Blavelt is my daughter. Katie was 5'1. She was a teeny little thing. She was just a free spirit.

She made friends so easy. She loved animals. That was her biggest thing. She loved animals. She touched a lot of people's lives. She did. John Blauvelt was working over there at the Armed Forces Center. He was a recruiter for the military. He was someone that was respected by the community. Somebody's in military, you can rely on them. And I think she wanted that. Somebody's stable and dependable.

John was a catch for Katie. She married him, was happy, wanted to have him. wanted to have kids and get their life started. They were moving into their new house, so everything was really cool. What did John and Katie seem like as a couple to you? At first, they were really great, honestly. They had a little honeymoon after they got married, and once they got back, things were no longer as good as they were.

It seemed like ever since then, just everything went downhill. Their marriage had fallen apart. Hannah Thompson and John were hanging out a lot. He started dating Hannah Thompson, who I believe was 17. And was Hannah in love with him? 100%. She loved John and she wanted to be with him and Katie was a problem for her. And if they got Katie out of the way, she could have John to herself.

On October 24th of 2016, Katie Bliveld went missing. She disappeared. She disappeared. Off the face of the earth. Yes. And now nobody could get in touch with her. Her phone's cut off. We don't know what's going on.

Shortly after midnight, I got a phone call from our chief of police at the time, and he advised me that they'd found a body at an abandoned house. Very dilapidated house. How had she died? She'd been stabbed in the neck. John did it. I know John did it. Oh yeah, I immediately thought John.

We did our first interview with him. first interview with him several days after her body was located. I'm just going to ask you point blank, did you kill her? No. Do you know he killed her? No. Shortly after that interview is when he fled the state. John disappears and he is on the run.

John Blavel goes on the run. Where's Hannah? With him. I contacted the United States Marshals. This is their bread and butter, what they do best. I'm a deputy U.S. Marshall. We go after fugitives, violent offenses. He's been trained on how to defend himself. He's been trained on how to kill. Does that make him a unique fugitive?

It does. So we don't know where he's going to go. We don't know what he could be doing next. When you heard that he was on the run, what'd you think? I was like, oh my God, you're never going to find him. Peter Van Sant reports. Katie Blauvelt, the death of a soldier his wife. In the soft South Carolina night, in the city of Simpsonville, Katie Blauvelt was missing.

It had been two fearful days for her mom, Patty Piver. I just was terrified of something was going to happen to her. Then, past midnight, October 26, 2016, 2016, investigator Cheryl Schofield and Keith Moorcraft were dispatched to the scene. Katie's mangled body had been found in an abandoned farmhouse. 22 years old, a knife blade left in her body. There was a rectangular concrete box, kind of in the center of the basement. We found Katie's body inside of that box. Her body had basically been folded into this box.

It was a picture of what you would see in a horror movie. Katie's mom was overwhelmed. I was totally empty inside. She did not deserve to be murdered. Katie's step-sister, Jennifer Piver. I just prayed and cried and just sick. Just sick. Morecraft and another investigator went to tell John Blavelt

his wife's body had been found. We went to make the death notification. I'm so sorry if we lost that. At first, Blavelt appeared distressed. But as the conversation progressed, his demeanor changed. Didn't ask normal questions such as, where did you find her, how did she die? He wasn't shocked by the news. He didn't seem to be at all.

What did that suggest to you? That he knew how she had died. He knew where her body was. John Blavelt did have one question. But it wasn't about Katie. Am I being charged with the crime? Because he's recorded me. And I'm not comfortable with that. You're not being charged.

Okay, we're going to be right now. Right away, you sensed this could be our guy. I was pretty confident at the time. But they couldn't arrest him on a feeling. First, Moorcraft and Schofield had evidence to gather and a case to build. But just as they got started, John Blavelt took to the road. Traveling with him, Hannah Thompson, his new girlfriend, all of 17. How concerned were you about Hannah's safety?

If he was willing to kill his own wife, there's no telling what kind of danger Hannah Thompson would have been in by fleeing with him. But John Blavilt hadn't always been considered threatening. Back in 2014, in this quiet city of some 20,000, he was a welcome part of the community, the larger-than-life public face of the U.S. Army. A person of principle, someone willing to sacrifice for his country? That's what I think. These are all admirable traits, right? Exactly. It was then that John met Katie, just yards from his recruiting office, at this sub-shop where she worked.

Katie turned 20. John was 26. They started dating. And they just hid it off. She's lovable, caring, funny. They wouldn't fall in love with her. In the summer of 2015, recruiter John Blavelt convinced Katie to enlist. But after just two months, a health issue prevented her from finishing her training.

They found a problem with her spine. She got a medical discharge out of the Army. While Katie's military hopes were dashed, John told friends he had found his calling. He loved his military career. That's one thing we learned is that his career was everything to him. With his war stories about his deployments in Iraq, his sharp uniform decorated with service ribbons, John impressed local teenagers. Like, to me, like, he had all his ducks in a row.

Almost like a role model, right? Almost like a role model. More than, like, it was definitely like a role model. Ali Somerville, a close friend of Katie, says she often ate lunch with John at his recruiting booth in her school. She adds, he also sometimes showed up at local hangouts. I thought he was cool. He was very interested in your life, what you were up to in things.

Yeah, he made sure I was okay. But as he began dating Kays, Her family was never half sure about John Blauveldt. I don't think I ever had a meaningful conversation with him. Did he seem interested in you in the family? No, not at all. Then, after about a year and seemingly out of the blue, Katie surprised her family with an alarming announcement.

She said, oh, by the way, she said, me and John got married today. And I'm in shock. She said, oh, we got married at the courthouse. They went on the honeymoon, but within two months, that honeymoon was over. Staff Sergeant John Blavilt and his new bride were putting down roots in the community. Katie had taken a job at the local PetSmart. Yeah, she's going to love that. And she did.

And she was passionate about animals. This could be a career for her. As for John, he already owned this four-bedroom home in Fountain, in right next to Simpsonville, where investigator Cheryl Schofield worked. Once they got married, this is the house that they were supposed to move into and have a family. She wanted a family. She wanted to have kids. Katie moved in, and soon the house was crowded with kids, but not the kind Katie imagine. Unfortunately, the only kids that were here were the teenagers that John Blavow invited.

John had invited Katie's niece to stay with them, and later Hannah Thompson and Allie Somerville crashed there too. Ali says it became a party destination for kids from their high school, where John often worked as an Army recruiter. We were just smoking weed all day, every day. And how old were you then? 16. And Ali claimed it wasn't just weed that was the draw.

She said at times there was booze. acid and cocaine. This is with the U.S. Army recruiter, right? He was Army recruiter. Letting his party at his house. Like, this is awesome. Patty says it wasn't long before Katie grew frustrated with all of the partying and told John it had to stop.

Her dream house turned into a party house. Right. And that's the last thing your sister wanted, right? Absolutely. As Katie and Blauvel drifted, Hannah Thompson was there to fuel the fire. Hannah absolutely despised Katie. And what was the nature of Hannah's relationship with John as time went on?

Hannah became John's puppy. Any time that John would tell her to do something, she would do it. It was all too much for Katie. According to police records, after being married less than three months, Katie moved out. Captain Schofield says John and Hannah wasted no time. She moved into John Blavelt's bedroom in the bedroom. his house when Katie moved out. Whoa, that's creepy. Like, you're in your late 20s and she's 17, dude.

Like, you're not supposed to be doing stuff like this. Hannah's father went to the police and told them he hadn't seen his daughter for two weeks. That night, on February 26, 2016, cops showed up at John Blavelt's house. When they arrived, what happens? They tried to make contact with John, and John refused to come outside. Allie Somerville was inside the house with John and some other miners when police arrived. And John was like, locked the door, nobody go outside. What were they saying?

Like John Blaville, like come out of the house with the hands up. But you must have been a little terrified, were you not? Terrified. These are people with weapons. Were weapons out? Oh, yeah, they were weapons on and everything. A veteran of the Iraq War, and they're having to pull their guns to get him out of the house. Yes.

It's kind of extraordinary, isn't it? Yes, very much so. John eventually opened the door and was questioned by police. On February 27, 2016, he was arrested and charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. His soldier's image replaced with a mugshot. He's the exact opposite of what everybody thought he was. Exact opposite. And soon, Blaveld's troubles would get even worse.

Police talked to Katie the day Blavilt was arrested. She told them about a more troubling incident she says happened a month earlier. There had been a domestic violence incident where John allegedly pointed a gun at Katie. Pulls out a gun, points it at her head. Yep. Says what? That he was going to kill her and also threaten the family. Threaten the family, what do you mean?

To shoot you? You? You? The fountain and police department investigated the matter and ended up charging him with domestic violence. A restraining order was issued preventing Blahvelte and Katie from seeing each other. He blamed her for ruining his life because there was obviously going to be a consequence from the military. That consequence came just a few days later when the Department of the Army cut John's pay

and suspended him from the recruiting duty that defined him. You can't do this and be a military recruiter. The Army reassigned him to a small back office and began an investigation that might lead to his dismissal. He was like, I can't be out in the field, like on the front lines. I'm not recruiting people for the Army. Now I'm sitting behind a desk, and that's what made him so mad. Katie quickly moved on from her short, disastrous marriage

and told her mother she planned, to divorce John. Your daughter moves out. Does she move back with you? Yeah. But despite the restraining order, Katie and John still had some contact, including visits to the house

she had shared with John. The only reason she would go back over there was because she had her dog over there, Jupiter. For some reason, I just was terrified that something was going to happen to her. As for Blavilt, the military career he cherished was in tatters. And according to,

Ali Somerville, he planned to get revenge. Did he ever say anything about harming Katie? Yes. He did say multiple times that he was going to kill Katie. He said that she ruined his military career. That's all he's ever wanted to do in life. You destroy my career. I'm going to destroy you. Yeah. Do you think he'd really go through with that? No, never. He was very vocal on the fact that he wanted Katie dead. He wanted Katie gone. Police say Katie Blauveld was last seen alive on October 24th, 2016, at her job at PetSmart. But come morning in Simpsonville, no one had heard from her. Calls to her went to voicemail. Her mother reported her missing.

Did she tell the officers she spoke with that she was suspicious of John Blavelt? She did. The desperate service. and the painful waiting began. I didn't think she was alive anymore. It's terrifying. It's the worst feeling. You feel helpless.

But after midnight, two of Katie's friends followed a hunch that sent them deep in the woods to the old abandoned farmhouse. Teenagers would go there and they would party, they would drink, they would smoke marijuana. Katie and John were known to have gone there too. there too. The friends made their way to the basement. They were horrified by what they found. One of them called 911. 911. What's location of your emergency? We found my friend Katie's dead in Okay. Okay. Are you saying she's dead in the house? Yes, ma'am. Is she cold? She's a very pale, and there was no response. Katie Blaveld's body had been stuffed into that cold,

Concrete Box. You believe Katie was killed outside the house and brought in? Yes. And we believe that she was actually killed on the gravel driveway and then drug on her face through that window. And if she's screaming, there's no one to hear. You wouldn't hear it from that house where that house was located. And you live with that every day?

Every day. Doesn't get easier, doesn't? No. It was October 26, 2016. Investigators made that official death notification visit to Blauvelte. They got their first sense of the resentment he held towards Katie. She flipped my life upside out. Morcraft and Schofield wanted more information from Blavelt,

and so just a week later, they spoke with him. Anything you say can be used against you in court. Didn't seem to really care that she was gone, let alone had been murdered. I lost a friend. Maybe not the best wife, but I lost a friend. He told them he visited Katie at the funeral home. You got by yourself? Yeah, well, I took hand to me.

Blauvelt said he hadn't seen Katie in months. Their marriage had been a non-stop argument. What kind of stuff for you all arguing about? Um, everything. Just normal. Just normal stuff. He, uh, he seemed very arrogant, cocky, narcissistic. Then the cop fired.

Point blank, that question. Did you kill him? No. Do you have to kill her? No. Sitting across talking to this man, what are you sensing in John Blavelt? That he very much is the one who more than likely committed this murder. Like he was put off, like we were taking up his time, that he was smarter than we were, and that he was going to get away with this.

Next up, Hannah Thompson. I don't know anything about our murder. You do. I don't. You do. Investigators confront Hannah, sensing she must know something. Tell us exactly what happened to Katie. I really don't know.

And while they suspected Hannah might know something, they did not know exactly what. I can tell you already you're lying to me. Okay. You do not want to get wrapped up and catch a murder charge. You're 17 years old. You have your entire life ahead of you. You may love John and you may think you two are going to get married and walk down Yellow Brook Road.

Okay. But no man and no woman is worth going to prison for. Do you agree? Yes, sir. If you know something and you're trying to cover up for it, you're going to go down with the person who did this to her. For knowing anything, whether it was beforehand or after the fact, you're going to go down with them. Investigators showed Hannah an autopsy photo of Katie. Look at her, Hannah. She's right here.

I don't want to look at her. That's your friend? I don't want to do this anymore. Don't want to do what? Don't want to help us find out who killed her? Can I please leave? Can I please leave? Hannah, this is a friend of yours that we're trying to do this.

I want to help. I can't listen. With no help from Hannah, police hands were tied. We had to let him go. Potential hard evidence had to be processed, including Blavelt's cell phone. records and his DNA. It's very aggravating because we know we're sitting across from the person who killed his wife.

And shortly after that interview is when he fled the state. He had taken this red GMC, Yukon. And he was gone. He was. John Blavelt, trained in survival and combat, suddenly loose on the open road. I didn't think they were ever going to find him. just disappeared off the face of the map. And so did Hannah Thompson.

Police believed she was with Blauveldt. Prosecutor Kinley Abbey would begin building the case with the chilling evidence she says he left behind. First, what I want to kind of show you is, you know, the knife that was found in Katie's neck. And so what you can see here is this X-ray that the actual knife blade broke off inside of Katie. What you're holding there is what I'm seeing on this section.

Exactly. Matches exactly right there. That's what was found and lodged in her neck. And that's how she died. Simpsonville police knew they needed help to find John Blavelt. I contacted the United States Marshals. The investigation is, let's find them, let's find them, let's find them. Do you have a dark curiosity? Heart starts pounding, horrors, hauntings, and mysteries is a weekly podcast, host by me, Kailen Moore.

Each week, I'll take you on a dark journey through terrifying true urban legends, bizarre true crime cases, chilling tales of backwoods horror and more. So if you're looking to join a passionate community of the Darkly Curious, check out Heart Starts pounding on the free Odyssey app

or wherever you get your podcasts. And remember, stay curious. On November 18th, 2016, John Blavelt, still on the run, was charged with Katie's murder. What kind of fugitive are you dealing with?

Um, a cocky one. John thought we weren't ever going to find him. U.S. Marshal Will Cook, based near Simpsonville, would become the point person in the hunt for Blauveld, who had been skilled at evasion. He had training from the army

that the government provided him to avoid you guys. Avoid us. And he was good at it. Investigators remained uncertain about Hannah Thompson's involvement in the murder, if any. But they knew for sure she was traveling with Blahvelte. They uncovered photos of Blahelt and Thompson shopping and Blahvelt at an ATM. His red Yukon truck passing through Texas and New Mexico heading west. We were able to get hits on where this vehicle was from time to time?

There were a couple of license plate reader hits. But by the time police were able to respond, Blavelt was gone. In the game like this, all the seconds count. Then, after a month, investigators caught a break. Hannah Thompson made contact with her family from Eugene, Oregon. She wanted to come home to Simpsonville. Cheryl Schofield couldn't wait to talk to her. We are very glad that you're back and that you're safe

and that's nothing that happened to you. Hannah's story was that John had left her in Eugene, just up and walked away. Did you ever see John again? And Hannah added, she had no idea where John was headed, but apparently she had enough of life on the run. She thought it was going to be a fairy tale.

You know, they were going to live on the lamb. and make things happen, but after a few weeks of that, reality set in. Any romantic notion Hannah may have had was derailed when John got the Yukon stuck in the mud in the Pacific Northwest. Couldn't get out. Could not get out. You said that we would hike. We had to hike and walk off the mountain basically. Miles and miles. The couple was reduced to panhandling for change. And they use that for food?

Sustainment. Hannah says while on the road, Blaveld confessed, sharing the awful details of the killing. Do you tell you, Mom? I know it's hard. He's telling me that. The last thing she said was that if he let her go that she wouldn't call it police. Where were they him? They have been home.

An adult can psychologically take advantage of a child. Do you believe in a way that's what was going on between John and Hannah? Absolutely. And he was just crying and screaming and like he was like saying that he did all that stuff for me. Like did all that stuff. Like kill Katie. Like he was like, I did that for you. And like all that kind of stuff like trying to make me feel like it was my fault.

Hannah told conflicting stories about. about her involvement, eventually saying she dropped Blaveld off by PetSmart the day Katie disappeared and then left. Hannah says she did not know he planned to kill Katie. But later that day, he asked her to help hide Katie's car. She also admitted she had lied in her first interview just days after Katie's murder. He told me that if I lied, no police, that he would keep me safe. investigators did not charge Hannah right away because they needed her. We had a long-term goal of A, finding John, B, prosecuting him, and she was the key to a lot of that. We're still hunting for John.

They hoped she might lead them to Blauveldt. Has John contacted you by Facebook at all since she's separated? Or she's contacted you by any means at all? Please don't keep a secret from on. Okay. But if Hannah knew where John was, she wasn't ready to tell them. I still didn't care about him. Even though he did something really bad,

like I should hate the part of me does, but part of me just keeps thinking about how he used to be. Blaveld was still out there. Months turned into years. Lives changed. He's beating us, and we don't like to lose. It's driving you crazy. It's driving us crazy.

Was it frustrating that you retired with this case still out there? It was very frustrating, and it was the only case that I still had that was open. Those who knew Blahvelt thought Justice for Katie might never come. John is the type of person that if somebody was going to get away with it, it would be done. I never really thought that they would get him. The cops in Simpsonville interviewed Hannah repeatedly. over the years. Then in 2022, six years after Katie's murder, Hannah finally revealed a secret. She had been in regular contact with Blavelt for years.

We have been talking the whole time. Like at first we were talking every single day, multiple times, like for hours a day. Did anybody know you were still talking to him? Hannah told investigators how they communicated. At the very beginning, we were communicating on Facebook and Messenger, and then after that, we were talking on Snapchat. She said their conversations ended in 2019. Authorities believe Hannah had matured, with time and distance away from John. She told them she realized what she had done was wrong and gradually offered more leads. John might still be in Oregon, and she added, John told her,

He had been living with another woman for years. Because honestly, she's in danger too. Based on some of the information that Hannah gave us, zoned us in on John's new girlfriend and Medford, Oregon. Medford, a small city in the northwest. Investigators jumped on the lead and discovered a phone number that John had used to text a mystery woman.

And this sounds tantalizing, isn't it? Very tantalizing. Marshall Chris Tamayo is Will Cook's colleague in the Northwest. His team got an address that corresponded with the mystery woman's house. He took us to the scene. They started to stake out the house. They started to stake out the house, and they followed a subject out, a male, that appeared to match our description. But six years after John allegedly murdered Katie, how could investigators be certain they had their

man. John has some unique tattoos. Can you show me? So this is a still shot from one of John's initial interviews with Simpsonville police. The tattoo of a pirate. It was a quiet morning in Medford. As I'm starting to pull through this neighborhood, my heart is racing. The marshals made their move. That's the house right there. Did you see any activity? We did see him come out. It was just coming out, shirtless.

But was it for sure, John Blavelt? A pirate told the tale. I could see his pirate tattoo. Right? It's about to happen. It is. On July 20th, 2022, some six years after Katie's death, Chris Tamayo joined marshals and other law enforcement

for the takedown of the man they believed killed her. John's about three quarters away down the driveway. And the guys start going right at him, giving him commands. Police, show us your hands, get down on the ground. And what does he do? His eyes got wide, pure shock, and he drops down to the ground fast. John Glavelte under arrest.

He's getting handcuffed. Handcuffs. But the suspect told the marshals they had the wrong man. He said, I'm Ben Klein. He said, no, you're not. He's stuck with Ben Klein. Ben Klein? We have a device that allows us to mobily print someone in the field.

Fingerprint. Fingerprints. It took less than five minutes for Ben to become John. Your fingerprints show that you are John Bluvel, you are wanted at a side. South Carolina. He knew it was over. He knew it was over. When the marshals went inside the house, they realized the raid could have taken a fatal turn.

There was a firearm, a handgun, sitting right on the nightstand. And what did that tell you? That was an indication to us that he probably would have given a fight. All of it was apparently news to the woman Blauvelt was living with when she returned to the house later that day. Pure shock. She was visibly shaking, crying, scared. Tamayo recorded audio with her at the scene.

So he's being arrested on charges out of South Carolina. For murder. Are you serious? Yeah. Blauvelt's girlfriend told the marshals she had no idea who he really was. We'd been together. He would do random odd jobs. He was basically here watching my cats and my dog.

all the time. She loved him. She loved him. The news hit Simpsonville like thunder. I was over the moon, just freaking. It's just, that was such a great day. And I was completely elated. John Blavelt would go cross-country again, this time handcuffed, brought back to a South Carolina jail to await trial. Just three months later, Hannah Thompson would be charged with five felonies, including obstruction of justice and accessory after the fact. She would plead not guilty and be released on bail. Prosecutor Kinley Abbey, who began putting the case against Blahvelt together a few months after Katie was killed, would team with John Meadors, preparing the case for trial, starting with that blade investigators found in Katie's neck.

It doesn't get any worse than that, and that's what she died from. And you can actually see through the collar of the shirt where that knife blade entered. And you can see it right there. Yeah, right into her neck. They focused on that abandoned farmhouse where kids once partied, where they found Katie. They would throw their bottles, their empty beer cans, and that's exactly where he discarded Katie's body. So do you think John was making a statement by placing her body? Absolutely.

In this bin that normally you put trash? Yeah, absolutely. Prosecutors say Blahvelte blamed Katie for the abrupt end of his military career. It's all Katie's salt. He's not responsible for what he did. He's blaming his wife. Yes. And there were John Blahvelte's own words.

While on the run, he kept a journal that the marshals found. Like a diary, correct? Correct. And it held a damning entry. So at the end, it says boldly, I did it. And for you, that's what? That's evidence and proof that he murdered Katie. In September 2024,

eight years after Katie's death, John Blavilt went on trial for murder. Patty Piver described the child she adored. Allie Somerville stared at the man she once called a role model. He looked like. a stone-called killer to me. The prosecution's key witness was Hannah Thompson. She would admit to helping Blaveldt the day Katie died. You loved John Blahelette. Yes. You helped him inside

Katie's car after he killed him. Yes. You didn't know he killed her that time? No. But she did help him. Yes. And prosecutors played this grainy video. Hannah says it shows John Blahveldt getting out of Katie's car and into his. Hannah was at the wheel of his Prius. Yes. In the skull? And Prius, yes. Once on the run, she says he told her

the details of the murder. He had told me that he killed her. He told me that he stabbed her in the neck. He said that he threw her phone into water. that was on the ground in the abandoned house. And he said that he had to cover up her blood with dirt. But Blahvel's defense team, Paul Neely and Anna Walker, made Hannah admit that her story changed over the years.

You've lied to your friends and your family? Yes. And he kept lying. Yes. Then the defense zeroed in on the lack of DNA evidence at the scene. Was there any DNA that tied John Blahfeld to this murder? No. There was no DNA match to John Blavelt.

And what about John Blavelt's journal in which he wrote, I did it? His lawyers told 48 hours much of it was a fantasy. A lot of this journal is filled with these fictional stories of observations. It's filled with poems, drawings. all kinds of things. As for Hannah Thompson, you heard she has five pending charges

for the information she ultimately provided to law enforcement. The prosecution pointed to the importance of her testimony. She is facing 55 years in jail upon conviction for those crimes. And she got up here with no deal. State didn't offer her a single thing, no agreement to dismiss her charges, no cooperation agreement, no nudge, nudge, wink, wink. None of it. She got up here and testified, and she told you because she thought it was the right thing to do. She did a great job going up there and telling the truth and giving the key details

of what John had told her, what he had done to Katie. The trial lasted four days. The jury was out for some five hours. As to the charge of murder, leave the jury unanimously find the defendant John C. Blahvelte guilty. John Blauvelte has been found guilty for the murder of his estranged wife, Katie Boulder Blanveld. Taylor Farmer covered the case for WSPA. It was very emotional in the courtroom. Kind of quiet, but you could tell Katie's family was very emotional. As soon as the jurors got out, I just started crying.

John Blahveld was sentenced to life in prison without parole. She's a monster. She was helpless. And what did the family think about Hannah Thompson, who allegedly covered for Blauveldt for so long? I would think she was a stupid 17-year-old. Until at trial when I heard how long she had been in touch with him, you are not willing at that time to turn him in.

I have hard feelings about that. It's unfathomable. What would you say to your sister today if you could? That I'm sorry, that I love her, and that I think she was brave. Hannah Thompson's trial date is still pending. John Blauvelt is appealing his conviction. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, the National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached at 1-800-799-7233,

or text start to 88788. Join me Tuesday for Postmortem from 48 hours, where we'll dive even deeper into today's episode and answer your questions about the case.