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Killer's New Life Unravels After Years on the Run
9 Oct
Summary
- Victim found in basement weeks after disappearance in 2016.
- Estranged husband and his teen girlfriend fled after murder.
- Killer apprehended nearly five years later in Oregon.
In October 2016, Cati Blauvelt, 22, was discovered deceased in the basement of an abandoned house in Simpsonville, South Carolina, years after her disappearance. Investigators identified her estranged husband, John Blauvelt, and his then 17-year-old girlfriend, Hannah Thompson, as suspects. The couple fled after Blauvelt's murder investigation began, leading to a nationwide manhunt.
Thompson eventually reappeared in Oregon nearly five weeks after the pair went missing, providing critical testimony to authorities. She revealed that John Blauvelt confessed to murdering Cati and that she was a witness to their subsequent flight. John Blauvelt continued to evade capture, lying about his identity to a new girlfriend in Oregon for nearly six years.
In 2022, U.S. Marshals located John Blauvelt in Oregon, leading to his arrest. He was subsequently charged with murder and found guilty by a jury. Thompson pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and misprision of a felony, receiving three years of probation. John Blauvelt was sentenced to life in prison without parole and is currently appealing his conviction.
