Dr. Insanity - How Police Captured A Killer Soldier 7 Years Later

Episode Date: January 17, 2026

#sponsored Go to https://Zocdoc.com/DRINSANITY to book an appointment with a provider who will listen, understand and support you ------------- This is 28-year-old John Blauvelt, learning that his missing wife was discovered in an abandoned house, brutally murdered—surrounded by satanic markings. However, John had a disturbing secret he couldn’t tell the interviewer that day. Using his military experience, he carried out a near-perfect murder, that kept detectives one step behind for years. And by the time investigators began to narrow in on him, John was already long gone, living in a new state, in a new house, running away with his 17 year old girlfriend, and seemingly getting away for good. ------------- This video was made for educational purposes only. The video is presented to provide genuine footage of police incidents to promote transparency in government while providing educational, informative and newsworthy content allowing viewers to examine and assess public safety material. This is a fact-checked documentary using authoritative sources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Out of the southeast main street, there was a body level found in a house, okay? We're able to say that it is kept, okay? I'm so sorry for your loss, sir. This is 28-year-old John Blauvelt, learning that his missing wife was discovered in an abandoned house, brutally murdered, surrounded by satanic markings. However, John had a disturbing secret he couldn't tell the interviewer that day. Well, I might burn down.

Using his military experience, he carried out a near perfect murder that kept detectives one step behind for years. By the time investigators began to narrow in on him, John was already long gone, living in a new state, in a new house, running away with his 17-year-old girlfriend, and seemingly getting away for good. This defies any kind of logic that I have experienced in my 62 years on this earth. We know more than you pay with it. What if I told you that your cell phone did ping somewhere other than where you say you were? It's 2.15 p.m. on October 24, 2016. 22-year-old Katie Blavelt is captured on CCTV inside her workplace. Her shift is soon coming to an end, and she's planning to meet her mother at 3 p.m. that's

day. She leaves, calls her mother, and takes a selfie. Unaware, it's the last photo she ever takes. Not long after, her phone pings a location for the last time, and Katie disappears without a trace. Five hours passed by. It's now 7 p.m., and Katie never arrived for dinner with her mother. Worried, the mother and other family members try calling her multiple times, but her phone has no signal. At 7.48 p.m., Katie's mother reports her missing. Officers, friends, and family mobilized to look for her, and the search officially begins.

But this left detectives with a critical five-hour gap in the timeline, one they would spend months trying to piece together. 10 hours would go past without any clues about Katie's whereabouts. Then, at 12.33 a.m., the police receive an unexpected. call. One of Katie's friends is on the line, claiming he's just found her body dead inside an abandoned house deep in a nearby forest. InSinciville 911, what's location of your emergency? Um, I'm in that, uh, Discover Church across in the woods.

You're in, you're at Discover Church across from where? Um, in the woods across in it. You're in, I mean, I was worried about my friend. Uh, came to me and stuff. She went missing, she's been missing for a while now, and she came in this house that we used to hang out and she's been a lot of. Quickly, medics and police rushed to the address of an abandoned house deep in the woods. Upon arriving at the scene, officers notice multiple graffiti markings, including apparent satanic symbols. Soon after, they identify the caller as Wayne Roper, a friend of four.

Katie who leads them into the basement of the abandoned house. There, officers find a large concrete box sealed with plywood. When they remove the cover, they're met with a horrifying sight. Katie's body lies inside, with a knife pierced through her neck and 16 stab wounds across her body. The lack of struggle in the state of her clothing, with her shirt pulled up and her lower clothes missing, suggested a sexually motivated killing. All of these details point detectives straight to wane as their first potential suspect. But what they don't realize is that this is exactly what the killer wants them to think. Every detail of the scene has been arranged to send them chasing the wrong lead.

Without realizing it, detectives have walked straight into the killer's setup. As the night went on, forensics revealed chilling details. Katie's body had been dragged to the basement and her phone was found submerged in water to destroy it. Wayne is detained and brought in for questioning. At the moment, detectives believe they have their killer and they're ready to push for a confession. Wayne, I'm sorry to keep you waiting, brook.

Hey, buddy. What's your name, pal? Franklin, Wayne River. I'm sorry, Franklin Wayne River. At this point, Wayne, think about him. At this point, Wayne believes he's been brought in to be questioned as a witness after the heartbreaking discovery,

unaware that detectives are already convinced about his involvement in the murder and any statement he makes might be used against him. I think you know why you're here, right? Okay. Tell me, how did you meet Kate? Just from the time you met her, kind of what your relationship was.

was and leave me up until, you know, 1130 or so last night, okay? I first met her with your friends the first, and then we dated for, like, a month or so, and then that's whenever I lived to Liberty with my dad, and we stayed in contact for a little bit, and then once I left my dad's and went in Oklahoma, was a false contact. Detectives begin the interview by learning that Wayne and Katie were once together, but quickly, Wayne reveals something that would immediately put suspicion onto his name. Maybe a year later that Kate got married to John, Walled out, and then one night she came and got with us with John. was the first time I seen her since I moved

and since then John offered me to move in with them, the roommate being $200 a woman and I took it up it was a good deal So you live with her and her husband? Yeah, it was...

When was this? Do you remember when this was? When I lived with him? It was before June this year. As Wayne explains that he once dated Katie and later lived with her and her husband, detectives gain another reason to suspect him. Jealousy. And just as everything appears to be moving in the perfect direction for the real killer and his carefully constructed plan,

Wayne makes a claim that complicates the investigation and may just be enough to ruin the killer's plan. Living there, everything, like going okay, you know. Then they started having arguments because of me, because she used to talk about me before. And she told me that he was jealous of me. And their arguments started getting worse. And that was whenever he got drunk one night

and he cussed her out and he had her in a bathroom. They were just pretty much screaming at each other. And then from there, she ended up moving back with her mom, I think. When did you in Katie's? When you were living with John and Katie, we all being intimate with each other? It was one once. And John was there or not there?

Yeah, it was like three something. And how did that call about? I was drunk and he was drunk and he was drunk and it was sure I did it. Like after that, like he just changed. If true, Wayne's claims about John's violent behavior could shift suspicion towards him. But despite Wayne's accusations, something still doesn't add up. His story, with its inconsistencies and gaps, keeps raising suspicions. Because prior to this interrogation, detectives learned that on the day of Katie's death,

Wayne arrived late to work and he admits to walking near the abandoned house around the time Katie disappeared. More importantly, while at work, Wayne was aware that Katie might be inside that very house. Yet despite that suspicion, he never alerted authorities. Instead, he waited until the end of the day, went there himself, and only then called the police. All of this places Wayne squarely in the crosshairs of Investors. and unknowingly pushes them further into the real killer's trap. Because in the next few minutes, the interview will take a terrifying turn, as detectives unknowingly edge closer to forcing an innocent man into confession

to a brutal murder that he never committed. Why didn't you call the place? I didn't think of it, no time. I didn't. Do you know if she was dead? No. Why would you think the best? The last idea is for you to walk into what turns out to be her final resting place

where somebody murdered her and dumped her down there like a piece of trash. You know why you didn't look in the bathroom? We're glad to stand there with the flashlight. Like if you're standing at the door of it, you can see in there. You can't see in the tub. I'm telling you. I was up there in the day. Because you... She wasn't in the tub!

This defies any kind of logic that I have experienced in my 62 years on this earth. You look like you're going to pass out. This is too much. I bet it is. Get it off of you then. I'm sure it is. What you got to do is lay it down.

You lay the burden down. That's the only way you'll be forgiven. You got to say, I messed up. Help me. That's what you're going to say. And I'll do it. But I'm not going to do it on credit. Detectives remain suspicious of Wayne,

But with him sticking to his story and no hard evidence, they couldn't yet arrest him. Instead, they collected his DNA sample to compare what the DNA found underneath Katie's fingernails. But that's when, just a few hours after Wayne's interview, as police searched the area around the abandoned house, they stumble upon Katie's car. Only a few miles from the crime scene left abandoned in a nearby parking lot. It looked as if she had left in a hurry, but the reason her car ended up there would remain one of the biggest mysteries for the following months.

Up to this point, everything was going according to the killer's plan. One designed and carried out by Katie's own husband, John Blauvelt. But Wayne's comments about his jealousy pushed detectives to dig deeper. What they found was a restraining order filed months earlier, after John had allegedly pulled a gun on Katie when she refused to give him her phone. For the first time, despite his efforts, officers were seriously beginning to suspect John. So the next day, on October 26th, detectives approach him at his office on the military base where he works. Their goal is simple.

Hear his side of the story. Verify his alibi for the day Katie died and see how he reacts under pressure. For most perpetrators, this would be the moment everything starts to fall apart. But John isn't like the rest. He would play it perfectly. All right, well, there, out off the southeast main street, there was a body that was found in the house, okay, an abandoned house. Um, and at this point we're, we're able to say that it is captain, okay?

I'm so sorry for your loss, sir. Um, at this time, we are investigating. And we would investigate every death of the same way. We start with homicide and work our way from there, okay? What the restraining order did? What was to deal with that? This is a charge that I got back in February, domestic violence first degree.

Do you know she had any issues with anybody? Anybody that wouldn't hurt or anything like that? No, and I just, I know that she's been dating around and, you know, it's whatever, because I've been too. Notice how John intentionally directs detectives towards the fact that Katie is dating around. Him pointing this out isn't a coincidence. It's a strategy. By controlling the narrative this early, John is quietly planting a story that will protect him later.

Did you work this Monday? Mm-hmm. What time did you get off Monday? Uh, like 2.30 is 2. I don't know. Did you stop anywhere on the way home? Mm-hmm. Let me ask you this. Why were you looking for Katie?

For Shiant. Shiant's for you right now. I'm just trying to help you out. Who do you know who would want to do harm to? Nobody. Do you know there's a guy that used to live with you, Redhead fella? Redhead? Yeah.

Wayne? Yeah. What's his story? Just regular people, good good. What do you do for the Army? Well, right now I just sit in this office, this is my office right now. Because of the civil investigation, all of my recruiting duties have been suspended. Are you familiar with this abandoned house?

Yeah. That's a spot. What's the hangout spot? Am I being charged with a crime? Because he's recording me. And I'm not comfortable with that. If I am, I like the contact of order. Because this is uncomfortable.

Okay. You're not being charged. Okay, with a crime right now. As the interview ends, John does something counterintuitive. He defends Wayne, the man he's secretly framing. It's a manipulation tactic. known as reverse empathy. By showing compassion, he makes himself appear harmless and trustworthy. John's first interrogation had gone almost perfectly, leaving detectives with little they could use against him.

Still, they couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. With no evidence to hold him, he was let go, and officers would turn to those closest to John and Katie, their friends and family, unaware that John had already influenced them. influenced them. Detective started with Crystal, Katie's best friend, and at the time, also John's roommate. John knew exactly what to expect here. In his interrogation, he had already planted the idea that Katie was dating around, and Crystal, being one of Katie's close friends, also knew about her dating habits.

His hope was that she would unknowingly reinforce this misdirection, steering suspicion towards anyone but him. All right, October 28th, 2,000, 447 B.M. Simpson, over the department. Well, I'm like Ted, and all I ask is that you don't come down on you're up here. And he's not feeling a suspect. You know, there's other people we're talking to in question. Has anybody in the sentence about, you know, if I go to jail for Katie's murder?

He's just, I mean, he said that, you know, it sucks for him because he feels like he's, he's going to get in trouble for it. But, you know, he's like, I didn't do this, you know? Like, I'm tired of people coming after me. See, me and John actually really do get along. You know what I'm saying? I'm not going to lie about him at all. I'm going to tell you the straight of truth. If he's acting weird, I'm going to tell you, but it wasn't.

I was thinking last night about it. I really was. Just maybe a split second thought that it could have been John. But he's ever since Katie's gone missing, he's made sure that there was more than one person around. At the time that Katie died at 8 o'clock at night, John all three of us were sitting out of here. I mean, from 5 o'clock, when he came back home,

till me and my boyfriend left for work the next morning, he was there. Notice how Crystal mentions that John got home at 5 p.m. and stayed there the entire evening until morning. It's a detail that would later turn out to be part of John's manipulation. So if you had to take a guess who killed her? I don't know because I heard a lot of things and I know she had a thunder

and I know that she was dating a lot of people from, you know, Cheyenne telling me that she took a lot of people down in the house. I didn't even know the house existed. What were John's feelings or thoughts toward Jay to you? I mean, I know that he loved her. I know that he still does. I mean, he's mad. because of what Katie is accusing, you know,

yelled the gun up to my end and stuff like that. And just, by the way, she was talking, I knew she was lying. Because that's what she did. Me and her used to get each other in trouble all the time in high school. That's what she would do, she would lie, you know? Just as John hoped, Crystal's account

added fuel to the idea he had planted. By emphasizing Katie's dating life, she unknowingly fed into John's narrative, suggesting the threat may have come from someone she was seeing, maybe even Wayne. Next came Catherine, John's ex-wife and the mother of his child. He had already made sure she wouldn't say too much. Fear, and their shared child, would be enough to keep her quiet.

This was an investigator. How many of you? Nice to meet you. Would you being married him for seven years, have with the drinking, or is sober, has there any violence between the two of you? I mean, I'm not here to go and arrest him or something that happened, you know, 10 years ago or anything like that. But I just don't want to go into anything that had to do with us because that doesn't have anything to do with what happened between him and he. I mean, it's not that you're incriminating yourself.

He was a good guy. I mean, I'm alive. I'm a bad joke, but. I would assume I wouldn't be if he was that crazy. You never know. I want to chase one time for somebody to snap. No, but he's never snapped with me for some reason. Unless you two have a kid together, so.

Yeah. There's that, but. Yeah, I don't have to do it. Mm. All right, I'll give you a business card with my phone number on that. Okay. All right. Thank you very much.

I don't know. I'll be able to your shit. Catherine's silence kept John safe for now. But the final interview with Katie's needs, Cheyenne would not go, according to John's plan. Unlike Crystal or Catherine, she wouldn't protect him. Instead, she would point suspicion directly at John and reveal a motive that would tie everything together. For the first time, his carefully built plan would start to fall apart. All right. Your name is Cheyenne Paxton. Is that correct?

Yes, sir. Okay. It was Thursday, October 27th at 8.52 a.m. Simpsonville Police Department. This is a reference to the homicide investigation, Caitlin Blabel. Have you ever seen John get violent towards Katie? I've never seen him. But he's hands up. I've seen them. Would Katie have gone over to his house on the room? Within the last three weeks, how long? Like I don't. So he says he hasn't seen her since July? He's not.

No. He's seen her. You know, I know that John was really angry, Kate, for a lot of things. Tell me what he's mind about her for? He feels like that it's her fault, that all, like, you know, their relationship went back. And everything got him about, feel like while he's also because he's losing his job. And that he got in any trouble. And he just, he just blames it all on her, you know. And I don't know if this matters or not, but I know he has to go $150,000 life insurance policy on her, too.

I appreciate coming in. I know it's not easy. You're not special ones to make close to you, but it's important. You know, a lot of this information gave us good information that we need. Cheyenne's interview gave detectives their first real motive pointing to John. But motive wasn't enough. They needed evidence. They have a few leads, but they have no defined person of interest just yet.

As the investigation dragged on, the detective's frustration began to grow. John had covered himself so carefully that they couldn't even get a judge to approve a DNA warrant. Without it, they had nothing that could tie him directly to Katie's final moments. It's now been four days since Katie was killed, and detectives didn't have any solid evidence. They knew John was smart, but so were they. Out of options and patients, they began planning something different. They began forming a new, risky, and very unconventional plan. In just two days, they would set a trap for John, a trap at Katie's own funeral.

In the days leading up to the funeral, Detective stayed ready. While they waited, Katie's family mourned and tried to make sense of what happened. 22-year-old Katie had spent the past year working at PetSmart, surrounded by animals she was saving and taking care of. She was easygoing and warm, quick to make friends, and close with her family. But her peaceful life from just days earlier would make what was about to come only more unsettling. As the day of the funeral came, detectives entered the funeral home early, working quietly before guests began to arrive. They positioned hidden cameras around the room and secretly wired the space for sound. Everything inside the funeral home looked normal, but in reality, detectives controlled every detail.

They'd placed cups of water and other drinks where guests could easily reach them. The plan was simple. Get John to drink from one of the cops. Catch it on video, collect his DNA from the cup, and compare it to the DNA found on Katie's body. On October 30th, the day of the funeral, Detective S. set their plan into motion. But what their cameras are about to capture goes far beyond anything they expect. As John leaves the funeral home, detectives know their plan has worked. They quickly returned to retrieve the cup he had drank from and the hidden camera they placed earlier. When they

review the footage, three critical things stand out, all of which will become pivotal to the entire investigation. The first is exactly what they were hoping for. John drinks from one of the cops and leaves it behind, giving detectives the evidence they need to collect his DNA without a warrant and compare it to the samples found on Katie. The second detail is something they never expected. The footage captures John walking up to the casket, taking pictures of Katie's body, while making unsettling comments. And the third, perhaps most unsettling of all, is that John isn't alone. Standing beside him is an unidentified young woman who quietly tells him to stop taking pictures then giggles moments later. Her behavior

immediately drew attention and detectives decided to collect her cup as well for DNA testing and when they began digging into her identity they discovered the woman was 17-year-old Hannah Thompson a friend and more recently John's new roommate. They also learned that she had once been close friends with Katie. Given her connection to John and Katie and her strange behavior at the funeral, detectives know Hannah isn't just another witness. She might be the key to solving the entire case. And they were dead on. At this point, detectives have interviewed Wayne, John, and people from both John and Katie's circle. They also collected crucial evidence in Leeds and now believe that Hannah, the 17-year-old who lived

with John, could be the key to uncovering the truth about Katie's murder. The next day on October 31st, a week after Katie's death, detectives approach Hannah and bring her in for interrogation. If anyone knows what really happened, it's her. When was the last time you saw Katie? Like a few months ago. What was your feelings towards her? I mean, I always Like, I've always seen her as like a friend Because like I lived with her for a little bit

Right So it's fair to say you were You're on good terms with her Once she was killed? Mm-hmm Okay Did you end up going to her visitation Saturday?

No, I didn't Okay So you didn't get to say goodbye to her? Um John I think went there Sunday, right? Mm-hmm Okay You didn't get to go with him?

I went with him, yeah I didn't go Saturday either because her family doesn't really like me because of Anishayan. Yeah. Yeah, we were kind of like off and on friends. I think she might have said something about me that her family didn't really like me. Did that, so did you go in the room and pay your respects or how did that go? It was hard, it was really hard.

How long did you stay in the room with her casket? 10 minutes, 10 to 15 minutes. What you all talk about while you're in there? We didn't talk at all. Nothing? We just each had like moments, I guess. John never take his cell phone out and take a picture ever? No, he didn't.

Sure? Are you telling him? Some people do that. Yeah, no, he never did you. Watch Hannah's behavior closely. As the questions get more direct, her eyes start darting between the detectives. She fidgets with her hands, picks at her nails. Her whole demeanor shifts.

It's clear she's getting nervous, and the detectives can see it too. So while you're in that room, you two never talked at all? Mm-mm. I kind of rubbed his back a little bit. You know, I told him that it was okay, but other than that, we didn't really talk. Was he crying? Mm-hmm. Were you crying?

It was just hard, like, seeing somebody like that. I bet. Monday night at some point before you went out, you guys carried out a bag of trash to your car, or his car, right? Alright? I don't know. So you don't recall carrying out a trash bag or him cleaning anything out? Having to put stuff in the trash?

Yes, sir. Okay. On Monday, the day Katie was killed, one of their roommates reported seeing John and Hannah carrying out several bags of trash. At the time, detectives didn't think much of it. It felt like a small, irrelevant detail with nothing to back it up. But now, with all this new information coming together, that's the time. statement suddenly stood out. It was another piece of the puzzle, something they could finally

use to put more pressure on Hannah. Um, just so you understand we've been working this case steady since she disappeared. Right. So there's a lot of these things that we know the answers to. Mm-hmm. I can tell you already you're lying to me. Okay. You do not want to get wrapped up and catch the murder charge. I'm going to tell you something. At the funeral home, we were there. Mm-hmm.

Okay? There was a camera in the room. There was a recorder in the room. We heard everything you got to sit. So do you want to go back and rehash that? I don't. It was not easy to see her like that. Is that why there was some giggling and stuff?

There's not any giggling. We've been doing this longer than you've been alive. You're not slicker than us. You know, you're not going to help. We've talked to people. This is a murder. You understand that? Yes, sir.

What do you think about somebody that would stab a girl on the neck to the point where the knife went all the way through to the other side? And then stick her body like a piece of trash in the basement of an abandoned house to sit there for a day and a half before somebody finds her. Look at her, she's right here. I 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 do what? Don't want to help us find out who you killed her? All you got to do is tell the truth. It would be so easy. I can't look at her.

Can I tell you something? To tell you something, you don't have to try. It just flows. It just comes out. We're also aware of what people have told us about you and Katie. They're telling us that you didn't like her one bit. Well, after me and John started, like, getting together. Getting together.

Katie started not liking me. If you know something and you're trying to cover up for it, you're going to go down with the rest of them. You're going to go down with the person who did this to her. I don't know anything about her murder. You do. I don't. You do.

I really don't. We really do. You do. We know more than you think we do. I don't want to talk anything right now. But lucky. Even after being confronted with the footage, and being caught in multiple lies, Hannah refused to give up on any additional details she may withhold.

But while none of this gave detectives the definitive proof they needed, John didn't know that. And that uncertainty was exactly what they were counting on, so detectives decide to bring him in again. This time more prepared and ready to push harder than before. They planned to corner him with everything they had. But they'd have to be careful. If they pushed too far without enough to arrest him, it could tip him off, causing him to disappear. We hadn't really had a chance to sit down. I talked to that date that when we notified you about her death.

And things are kind of emotional and everything. Right. So the viewing was Saturday, right? Right. Two to four on Saturday. When did you get on? I went to Sunday, 2.30 on Sunday. Okay.

So they just had a private thing for you? Did you get by yourself? Yeah. Well, I took a hand with me. Did you? Yeah. Was that hard? Yeah, because I mean, first of all, there's nobody there but me and her.

So she's kind of standing there staring at like Katie's nasty, like dirty, disgusting body. I've seen people dead. I've fucking dealt with this shit before. And now there's nobody else there. You know what I mean? That night somebody says you and Handel were putting some trash from a bag, like a trash bag in the back of the press. Do you know, remember doing that? Oh, yeah.

Marley had like the most explosive shit on the floor. and then stunk up the whole house. I throw out like four towels. This moment reveals Hannah's lie. She claimed she couldn't remember taking any trash out, yet John's statement confirms otherwise. It's a small clue, but one that'll soon become part of a much bigger picture. So you guys got home around three roughly.

Yeah, Brandon and Crystal. Crystal were there. What happened after that after you went around? We went and met my friend Scott to get some of the most of them. some money that he owes me. What's he doing? He owed me 500 for when he crashed my car. Where John made with Scott was?

That does actually. He was on 30. But he was in the Army with you? Yeah. We got to play together. Did you get any word before that? No. This is where John makes his first mistake.

Mentioning a name, detectives have never heard before. Charles Scott, his friend from the military, someone who'd later proved to know far more about the night Katie died than any one. Katie died than anyone realized. I don't know how much you know about cell phones and stuff like that. But as you go around, your cell phones constantly... Pigsaw tower. Searching for signals and stuff like that.

So with that said, is there anything, going back to the last Monday, is there anything that you told me that your cell phone records would say otherwise? I don't believe so. What if I told you that your cell phone did ping somewhere other than where you say you were? then I'd also say that her cell phone painted in West Virginia. Yeah, that ended up being an AT&T mishap. They plugged in the wrong phone number. Yeah, I don't know.

Okay. What if I told you that Charles Scott's phone number painted in the same area that yours did and not around Zaxby's? When? Monday night. Scott Friedman moving on him. We can call him.

You can ask him. Okay. So the night, this Monday night that we were talking about around 6, 15, sometime around that time frame. Can you think of any reason your phone would show that you were in that area of Augusta Road and Whitehorse Road? No. Is there any reason you and Charles were talking a lot that evening? Yeah, because that's the night that he was here. That's the night he was available.

I'm not looking to offend you, but it's questions that we need to get answered cleared up. Okay. Did Katie have any kind of life insurance policy? Through the military, yeah. She's automatically being enrolled. Okay. Same to my daughter. Would you be willing to take a pondergraf so we can go ahead and do that with you and eliminate you and start looking else?

I have to talk about that first. Okay. See what he says. Because I don't know about that at all. As the interview ends, detectives have their first real connection between John and Charles. Both of their phones show activity near the area where Katie's body was found. It isn't enough to make an arrest, but it's enough to keep digging. And with a new name now tied to the night of the murder, John can sense it.

Detectives are closing in. At this point, the main circle of suspects included Wayne, John, Hannah, and now more recently, Charles Scott, John's friend from the army. But his detective slowly pressed forward, John was growing uneasy. For the first time, he was starting to realize his master plan might not hold. That's when, on November 4th, 11 days after Katie was killed, detectives received a call that would send the case in a whole new direction. Crystal, who was John's roommate and had been interviewed earlier, came forward with information that changed everything.

Hi, Crystal. Hello. How are you? Oh, good. What's been going on since, oh, I don't know, you got a phone call on Wednesday? At 3.30, he called and he said, on. He said, are y'all at home? And we said, no. And he said, okay, all right, bye. And then just hung up. Well, me and Brennan got home about 615, 6.30, and we seen that in our room,

we have, like I said, the Halloween lights just going across the ceiling. The attic is right where that light is at. And we had the lights, I had the lights going across the attic. Well, when we come back, they were just torn down. We haven't even touched them. They were just ripped out from the attic. And once we figured out he was gone, we went searching through the house, making sure all the windows were locked and covered. Because I've never been in a house alone like that, except for my apartment. But he just, he just, he was gone, you know, and we couldn't call him because the cops have his phone.

I said, Brian, I said, we need to go back outside and call the Stantonville Detective Warlock. And I told him what was happening. And he was like, you know, I was like, you know, if you want to come to search the house right now, I give you full permission. And he said, well, I can't do that without a warrant. And he was like, and I was like, well, I mean, there's no way that somebody can come out here and like search the house or anything like that and he said no he said your best bit is to go stay the night somewhere else he was like because you're possibly living with a murder

john was gone his disappearance also meant he abandoned his military service officially classifying him as a deser however as investigators would soon learn he wasn't alone he had fled with none other than the 17-year-old girl, Hannah Thompson. And his officers across the state searched every highway, every motel, every possible route out of South Carolina, with no sign of either of them, it became clear. This wasn't just an investigation anymore. This was a manhunt. In the days that followed, leads were few. The pair had vanished completely off the grid. A 28-year-old former army sergeant and a 17-year-old teenager, gone without a trace. Then, on November 19th, 26 days after Katie's death, a small breakthrough happened.

John's Red Yukon was captured on CCTV near Las Cruces, New Mexico, about 1,600 miles from Simpsonville, South Carolina, where he disappeared. And just two days later, on November 21st, that same Yukon was found, abandoned in the mountains of Yuma-Tilla County in Oregon, over 1,400 miles away from Las Cruces. Inside the vehicle, investigators found John's laptop, clothes, and camping gear scattered around, suggesting that after the crash, John and Hannah grabbed what they could and ran into the woods. The discovery confirmed what detectives had already feared. John and Hannah were constantly on the move, crossing state lines and staying just far enough ahead of law enforcement to vanish again.

Later that same day, authorities issued arrest. warrants for both John and Hannah, officially turning the case into a nationwide manhunt. By this point, John and Hannah had already been on the run for over two weeks before any warrants were ever issued, putting them far ahead of law enforcement and nearly impossible to track. But once the warrants went active, detectives finally gained full access to their phones, chat logs, and internet history. And that's when their worst suspicions were confirmed.

I just woke up and I already feel sad again. I feel like you're still talking to Katie. I promise you I'm not talking to Katie. I will leave you if you talk to her. I swear. I know. I'm not and I won't. She's gone.

I'm done with her. I promise. I'm going through with that thing, though, soon. I'm going to be staying with you. Good. The messages between the two suggest that John had been planning the murder for months prior to it actually happening. And upon searching his internet history, they found searches like how to make a two-way radio, or how to sharpen a knife, leaving little to no doubt about his involvement.

But with John and Hannah still missing, detectives had little choice but to wait, hoping for the next break that could pull them back on the trail. And that's when, on November 25th, 21 days after John and Hannah's disappearance, and over a month after Katie's death, detectives got a call from a South Carolina. a prison. But the caller wasn't just anyone. The call came from the cellmate of Charles Scott, John's army friend who was already in custody for an unrelated charge. Charles's phone had pinged near the abandoned house on the day Katie died, and his cellmate was about to provide a lead that could give detectives the breakthrough they desperately needed. With details, only the killer

could have known. about yeah that's what I'm talking about he told me they killed a girl helped kill a girl with one of his blame named John so like that you know I can put her in a drug house or an abandoned house in a basement in a box that takes two people's over he's was one that co-worthed her to the spot where John caught behind her and got her and grabbed him and they met at a different location when John got her they put knife to a I don't know how many times John said he didn't say he said he knows he's stabbed twice and John made him the sever twice. He actually said he didn't be scared him when he scared to stabter at first, but then after he stabbed it made him feel a little better.

Williams' statements are shocking. His account of what happened closely mirrors the possible events of the night Katie died and what he says next only grows more disturbing. He said, well this was the second time, the first time he told him about, you know, how he coerced or he comes his spot, now that we're going to talk about the song about John, trying to help John come off of marijuana, and John's on drugs real bad. As they say, John Grappardt, they put in John's Tahoe, Red Tahoe, took it to the scene. So where does they say where they're actually killed around? In the back of the Tahoe, on the tariff. I tell a little, be honest with me.

I said, hell, have they took your DNA? He said, no. I said, well, that's a good thing. I said he could DNA at the crime scene. He said, they had said, my DNA is not going to be there. All right, if you don't have anything else, Mark, we'll go ahead and conclude the interview at 11.02 a.m. Mark's statements put serious allegations on Charles. It wouldn't be anything special as false accusations like this happen when inmates try to get a deal with officers or get their sentence lowered.

But in this instance, too many details added up. Details only the killer or someone heavily involved could have known. One of those was his claim that Charles had lured Katie to a location, near the abandoned house. For detectives, this suddenly made sense of why her car had been discovered just a few miles away, abandoned without a struggle. Charles also allegedly told his bunkmate that he and John wrapped Katie in a tarp to move her into the basement.

This matched forensics, which had already indicated she'd been moved after death. Now detectives have a chilling theory of how that happened. It was now a very big chance for the detectives to possibly catch one of Katie's killers. a chance they couldn't afford to waste. So without hesitation, they brought Charles in, hoping for the biggest breakthrough in the case yet. But detectives knew getting Charles to talk wouldn't be easy. They didn't have enough evidence to pin him down,

and they needed something, anything, that could make him slip. So they decided to take an insane risk. They came up with a plan to push him over the edge. They would bluff, pretending that John had already been arrested and was ready to testify against him. If Charles believed it, the pressure might finally make him talk. But if he didn't, detectives would lose their best chance to get the truth. All right, Charles.

Let's take the polygraph. Let's get away from the polygraph, okay, because you've been saying that ever since I read the one to you, okay? Because it's not looking good for you. Okay. I have absolutely nothing to do with that girl's learned. Got, at least take a polygraph at that. God, please.

Let me tell you that John was arrested in New Jersey. Okay? And he sang like a bird to those messiers. I would hear wait until you. Well, you should. I was not there. Investigator man told you that John was arrested earlier. Okay.

And he's talking. What do you think he's saying? I don't know what he's saying. I don't know, but I know I never seen that girl. Damn, I liked. You were both there, John. No, we were not. As soon as the questioning starts, Charles demands a polygraph, and detectives know exactly what that means.

Polygraphs aren't reliable, can be manipulated, and their results can't be used in court. It's an easy way out, simple yes or no questions instead of real confrontation. And before long, his avoidance turns into an act of ignorance. I never seen that girl. You knew that they were married and you knew that John had a problem? No, I did not know. You told me. You told me at the found employee.

department that John has talked about how she was fucking his career up. That was a lie. Everybody's thinking like a bird? I never had no weapon. You will not find no fingerprints on a weapon that I had touched. Number one. Why is that? Because I wasn't there. I didn't touch no weapon. I never had no weapon.

He said, I'll never find fingerprints on a weapon that you touched. Yeah. I guarantee that. Have you ever told anybody that you're involved in this murder? this murder? Do I look stupid? Do I look like I would just go inside of a fucking jail?

Because some guy don't know it, say, hey man, I murdered some girl. No, it looks like. It looks like you were remorseful for your actions. Let me ask you this. Where's the phone that you had that you communicated with Katie on? Who's Kate?

The girl to die? Yeah. I never communicated with her. Where did the phone? What phone? The phone that would use to communicate with the girl the day that she was murdered. Only phone that I had

was the one used, complicated, and the one in this grave you house. Even after the detective's bluff and revealed the testimony his previous cellmate made about Charles' involvement in the crime, he denied everything. Still, detectives couldn't ignore the phone data placing him near the house or the chilling details from his bunkmate. With no confession, all they could do was wait. Charles's DNA was now added to the samples already being tested against the evidence found beneath Katie's fingernails. And when those results came back, they would finally reveal who was truly involved. Over two weeks have now passed since the last lead on the case.

With false leads and missing crucial timelines, it was becoming more and more possible that the real killers of Katie would never be found. Until the detectives got a call from Hannah's parents. With information that could soon result in solving the whole case, Hannah had resurfaced, stating she had been abandoned by John and would soon come back to her hometown, so law enforcement would be there waiting for her. It was now the day when Hannah was supposed to come back to her home. Law enforcement secured all entries to the city, as well as all possible places she could go to.

And finally, at 9 a.m., she would be spotted near her family home. From there, she would be instantly detained and taken to the police department for interrogation. For the detectives, it was now or never. That was their biggest chance of finding out what had really happened and who is truly responsible for Katie's death. What was the game plan when you died left? I don't think we really had one. Like, I guess both of us just kind of parent and he's probably that he wanted to leave, like the fate. and we like drove up into the mountains and he like he just got the car like stuck in

and like in trees like in the mountains so like like what are we going to do he said that we a hike I kind of like stopped and I was crying and I was like I can't do this anymore I was like I need to go home like he started like yelling at me and calling me names he said that if I left a he was going to kill. Then, like, one morning, like, he had gotten up and left. And then I was just, like, I'm not just going to, like, sit here. Like, I got up, and I went to, like, down the street to, like, a hotel, started crying. And then I sent a message to my mom and dad.

Anna continued describing their time on the run, doing her best to avoid talking about the day of the murder. It went on for nearly two hours, and by then the pressure had clearly worn her down. That's when the detective would start asking her the difficult questions, causing Hannah to break, revealing everything she knows. Let's go back to that Monday, okay, because we now have conversations between you and him on Wednesday about he's going to meet up with her, he can't drink some beers with her with the band of the house. He said he tries to meet up with her.

work but then lo and behold she found at that about abandoned house that he was supposed to go meet up with her at meanwhile he randomly asked you to drop her off on Woodrow Road or drop him off on Woodruff Road and doesn't tell you why or anything okay so can you please tell me what the game plan was what did he tell you he was gonna go he was just he was just gonna go to her at work. You drove him over there. They just told me, like,

every day that it was my fault. And, like, he did it for me. It's like... What did he say he did for you? He said that when we were in his organ at the casino, he like yelled it really loud.

That they killed her for me. Hannah, was there a plan before them? to get rid of Katie? Not from you, but did John never talk to you about getting rid of Katie? Honestly. No. What did he tell you about killing Katie?

He just said that life is really like 40. It's telling me that the life broke. Before that, if he let her go, that she wouldn't call it police. Where were they? Um, didn't think of home. Um, And you don't know exactly where he could, you know what he said.

And the reason why I ask you this is because we're still hunting for John. Right. Okay. And as much as you think John cared about you from an outsider's perspective, not knowing you, not being your mom, he doesn't. Unfortunately, Hannah's statements proved far less helpful in finding John than the detectives initially hoped for. Although she stated that John confessed to killing Katie and provided some new insights, she didn't know much about Charles' involvement. And while she could be arrested, detectives decided she might prove more useful, free. After all, they now had her back in the city and under close watch, which seemed like a small success.

What they didn't realize, however, was that this was all part of John's plan, planting Hannah back in the city to infiltrate the case and feed him exactly what detectives knew. keeping him one step ahead for years to come. Almost three months had passed since Katie's body was found in the basement of the abandoned house, and the killer was still out there. But on that particular day, the long-awaited DNA results finally came back, and the results of DNA found under Katie's fingernails pointed to no one else, but John himself.

With the DNA matching to John, Wayne, was cleared, but detectives still believed Hannah or Charles might have helped or at least knew far more than they admitted Detectives already knew that John was only using cash and most likely a fake ID So all they could do at the moment was wait for John to make a critical mistake that would allow them to catch him But John was careful very careful It had been over seven months since Katie's murder and six months since John went on the run. When on May 21st, 2017, investigators received tips

and possible sightings of John in Washington, over 2,700 miles from South Carolina where Katie was found dead and over 300 miles away from where his red Yukon was found abandoned. Acting on these leads, they canvassed local businesses and retrieved CCTV footage from a parking lot in Washington where John was captured on camera. Unfortunately, despite getting close, John managed to slip away, vanishing off under the radar once again. For the next year, the investigation hit a standstill. It wasn't until September 6th, 2018, almost two years since Katie's death when Hannah finally revealed that John had given her his journal and tools to hide.

a crucial piece of evidence that would shift the case in a new direction. The journal became a pivotal piece of evidence, revealing John's state of mind and his premeditated intentions. It confirms that John's actions were driven by a deep desire to be with Hannah and his willingness to kill Katie to make that happen. During her interview, Hannah admitted she had been John's girlfriend and that she had been in constant contact with him before Katie's death. She also confessed that she had hidden John's journal, which contained disdain his girlfriend

disturbing entries about his obsessive thoughts and plans to escape with Hannah. This was the last significant breakthrough in the case for years. With no new leads, the investigation stalled. Detectives spent the next few years chasing down small tips and piecing together fragments of information, but nothing substantial came of it. The case gradually faded from public attention. Then, in 2022, six years after Katie's death, everything is about to change. After over six years of dead ends, U.S. Marshals and local law enforcement tracked John down in Oregon.

He had erased his past, now living under the alias, Ben Klein. Under his new identity, he had started a fresh life, marrying a new woman and leaving his past behind. The arrest felt surreal. John, who had spent so long evading capture, was now cornered. After years of hiding in plain sight, the truth had finally caught up with him, and the case was nearing its resolution. However, the mystery of how Katie was lured to the abandoned house remains unsolved to this day. Her phone was recovered damaged, limiting investigators' ability to access message content

and app-based communications, and while rumors suggested Charles Scott might have had contact with her, this was never confirmed. With no physical or forensic evidence tying him to the crime, he was ultimately ruled out as a suspect and never sentenced. In 2022, during an interview after John's arrest, Hannah revealed for the first time that she and John had been in regular contact throughout the years he was on the run, continuing to text and communicate, even after she had returned to South Carolina. This new revelation shed light on her role in helping John evade capture. Finally, on September 20th, 2004, John Blavelt was convicted of Katie's murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Hannah Thompson was charged with obstruction of justice

and accessory after the fact receiving a sentence of 10 years.