Episode 350

30:58He was doing some recruitment thing, and I guess he wasn't meeting his quota, so he had told her to invite some friends over to smoke, and then he would do the recruitment stuff then. and then that's how we met him. So it was a pretty safe study. That's a hangout for, if I say kids your age back then, to hang out, drink alcohol. Yes, sir. As investigators spoke with these teenagers, they began to get a clearer picture of John and Katie's relationship. What they learned didn't quite match the simple and amicable separation story John had been telling. During the time that you were around, when they were together, did you ever see any violence between the two of them?

31:46Any arguing? Katie? Yes. Yes. It was frequent. They were always fighting about something. And then John would always be yelling and screaming at her. And then they would just go in their room and lock the door and just fight. And we wouldn't see any of it visually, but we could always hear it. Investigators eventually discovered that before her death, Katie had filed a police report with a different department than the one handling her murder case. In that report, she stated that John had threatened to kill her and her entire family. Katie filed a criminal domestic violence report with Fountain Inn Police in January.

32:28And in the report, she detailed a fight that she had had with her husband a month earlier where he threatened her several times at home with a revolver. threatening to kill her if she would not open or unlock her phone. The report went on to say that John Blaufeld grabbed his shotgun, both sets of keys, and left the house saying he was going to kill everybody she knows. Following this incident, Katie made up her mind to leave John. She went to the police and reported what had happened. Within days, officers were at the door to arrest him. She just left one day. It was like a Tuesday, and then she came back Friday with all the the entire fountain in the police department.

33:08And it was a pretty big scene. It was a four-hour thing. When police arrived at John's door, he was drinking and getting high with high school students. And then the night that it happened, when the cops showed up, he was, I'm not sure what he was on, but he was running around the house waving guns, saying that he wasn't going to let the cops in and that he would rather use the gun before he let them in. So. Is this the night he got arrested? Yes. Okay. Strangely, when officers arrested John, it wasn't for threatening Katie with a gun, even though she'd filed a report saying he had. Instead, he was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor for drinking and using drugs with teenagers.

33:55After the arrest, the Army was notified, and John's recruiting duties were suspended pending an investigation. Because of the civil investigation, all of my recruiting duties have been suspended. So I've literally been sitting here since about March. It's more the happy dude during the day, just office type stuff. Playing on the phone. John knew that the Army's investigation was mostly a formality. He knew what the outcome would be. He'd be found guilty and discharged, ending a 10-year military career with a dishonorable record. After a decade of service, he'd essentially destroyed everything he'd built.

34:33But instead of any self-reflection, instead of admitting that giving alcohol and drugs to teenagers might have been a bad idea, John looked for someone to blame. All of his anger landed squarely on his soon-to-be ex-wife, Katie Blavel. And everything kind of went bad for a little while. He looks like it's your fault that he's losing his job. He just blames it all on her, you know. and I don't know if this matters or not, but I know he has like$150 ,000 life insurance policy on it too. As Don waited for the Army to discharge him, his behavior didn't change. He continued drinking with the high school students and according to several of them, he often talked about Katie's life insurance policy and his desire to see her dead.

35:25I was over there one day with a bunch of like friends and John plotted out ways to kill her, but it was jokingly. Incredibly, John also offered a 16-year-old girl$50 ,000 to help him build a false alibi. He planned to have this teenager drive his car and take his phone to Charleston so it would appear he'd left town, when in reality he'd still be in Simpsonville killing Katie.

36:24He was not going on a credit card. That's what he wanted him to do. And he was drunk. And he was like, I'm going to kill Katie. He was going to get Allie to take his credit card and his phone to Charleston. And Allie asked why. And he said, so it'll look like I was in Charleston. And Allie asked him what he was going to do when she was in Charleston. He said he was going to kill Katie. And he would give her$50 ,000. Which is the exact amount of life insurance policy. Naturally, after hearing these things about John, investigators confronted him with the accusations. John denied it all. Have you ever, and probably jokingly I would assume, made a statement to any of your friends about wanting to kill Katie?

37:11No. Ever said, you know, well, if Katie dies, we'll get some money or a lot of money to do anything with? No. Have you ever gone up to any friends and said, hey, would you do me a favor and take my car, take my keys, my debit card, my phone, and go away for the weekend to Charleston, say? And that'll make it look like I'm out of town so I can kill Katie. No. Okay. So if somebody told us that, they're making that up? I believe so, yeah. Okay. After being confronted with the accusations, John pointed the finger at Katie's family, claiming they were spreading lies about him. In his version of events, he was the real victim.

37:53And just as hurt as everyone else who loved Katie. That's the same type of shit that has been coming out of her family's mouth for the last fucking two weeks. And I'm getting kind of sick of it because I don't feel safe in my house anymore. Fucking dirtbag-ass family. Well, you gotta understand right now, they're going through a lot too. I'm trying to understand, but I'm going through the same fucking shit. I lost a friend. Maybe not the best wife, but I lost a fucking friend. There was another crucial element in this investigation, one that would eventually give investigators their best shot at justice for Katie.

38:31It centered around a teenage girl named Hannah Thompson. So this girl Hannah, tell me about her. Her and John like a couple? Hannah and John have been sorted together, I guess, for like seven, eight months. So pretty much since he and Katie split up. While John and Katie were still living together, John began sleeping with 17-year-old Hannah Thompson. And after Katie moved out, Hannah became John's live-in girlfriend. Once investigators learned about Hannah and her connection to John, they were, of course, eager to speak with her. When was the last time you saw Katie? Like a few months ago. What was your feelings towards her?

39:22I mean, I always, like, I've always seen her as, like, a friend because, like, you know, she always told me that she was, like, here for me if I ever need anything. So is it fair to say you were on good terms with her once she was killed? Mm-hmm. Okay. We had a good relationship. Like, we were kind of close. Did John ever make any mention of life insurance policy on her? I don't know. He never talked to me about it. Has he ever joked around about things would be better if she was dead or I should kill her? No. Have you ever joked about that? Yes, sir. Within moments of speaking with Hannah, investigators were fairly certain of one thing.

40:04She was trying to cover for John. In other words, she was lying to protect him, which was an extremely dumb thing to do. We've been working this case steady since she disappeared. So there's a lot of these things that we know the answers to. 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 Brick Road. But no man and no woman is worth going to prison for. Investigators gave Hannah the typical pep talk about honesty, consequences, and the importance of coming clean.

40:49But none of it seemed to sink in. When you told me earlier that you and John aren't an item, that was a lie, right? No, we're not really. There's not a label on it. So who are you dating? I'm not dating anybody. But if you look at your Facebook status, you just posted on Sunday that you're currently in the most amazing relationship ever or something along those lines. So who was that relationship with on Sunday? I mean, it was with John, but we're not in a relationship. I'm not dating. I just have a good relationship with him. While Hannah denied being in a romantic relationship with John, investigators only turned up the pressure.

41:33They were clearly convinced that she knew a lot more than she was saying. Well, after me and John started getting together, Katie started not liking me. And I'm going to say right now that, like, she was not nice sometimes, but she did not deserve that. What she deserves right now is for us to figure out who did this to her. I know. I know. I know. And at this point, nobody needs to cover for anybody. 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.

42:19You 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. Which is evident. I don't want to talk anymore right now. Okay. Me too. You know who else can't talk right now? It's Katie. Man, she's not able to ever talk again. Investigators kept pressing Hannah, but they went too far. The moment they showed her the photos of Katie's body, the interview fell apart. What do you think about somebody that would stab a girl in 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?

43:03Look at her. 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? All you got to do is tell the truth. It would be so stingy. I'm trying. I can't. I can't. I can't. Can I tell you something? To tell the truth, you don't have to try. It just flows. It just comes out. Can I please leave? Can I please leave? Hannah, this is a friend of yours that we're trying to do. I know, and I want to help her. I can't. Listen to me. You'll listen to me for just a second. This is a friend of yours or was a friend of yours, and somebody brutally murdered her.

43:41I know. Okay. Unfortunately, you're right in the middle of all of this. And to sit here and lie to us to begin with is not helping you at all. Before long, Hannah abruptly stood up, walked out of the room, and the investigators had no choice but to let her go. Around the same time, their interview with John ended as well, after he refused a lie detector test and said he'd be contacting a lawyer. I'm just going to ask you a point blank. Did you kill Katie? No. Do you know who killed her? No. Would you be willing to take a polygraph so we can go ahead and do that with you and eliminate you and start looking elsewhere?

44:21I have to talk to my lawyer about that first. Okay. See what he says, because I don't know about that at all. By this point, investigators had gathered a good amount of evidence against John. Several interviews with friends and acquaintances painted the disturbing picture of John repeatedly talking about killing Katie and hiding her body. One witness said that John even offered them money to help him create a false alibi. Investigators also knew John had a documented history of domestic violence towards Katie, and that he was the sole beneficiary of her life insurance policy. Also, cell phone records placed John's phone near the parking lot where Katie's car was abandoned, at the exact time it was left there.

45:05Despite all of this, investigators decided to hold off on arresting John, wanting more time to strengthen their case. They let John walk out of the interview room. This was a decision that would turn out to be a very big mistake. Hannah Thompson's mother reported her missing yesterday to the Fountain Inn Police Department. The report states that the teen was last seen on October 30th. Hannah's mother told police that her daughter is believed to be with John Blofeld, the known homicide suspect. Investigators told Hannah's mom that Hannah's bank account has been left untouched since her last paycheck.

45:45In November of 2016, when investigators went looking for John and Hannah again, both of them were gone. No note, no warning, no trace. They had simply vanished. Their phones were dead, their car missing, and every lead hit a dead end. Overnight, the prime suspect of his teenage girlfriend had disappeared into the wind, leaving behind a grieving family in an open murder case. For the next six long years, the investigation into Katie's death would remain frozen in place, just waiting for the day that John Blauvelt finally resurfaced.

47:05In November of 2016, the investigation into Katie Blauvelt's murder took a shocking turn. Her estranged husband, the prime suspect, Army recruiter John Blauvelt, had disappeared. He'd fled town with his teenage girlfriend, Hannah Thompson, and nobody seemed to know where they might have gone. Well, 28-year-old John Blofeld is charged with murder in the death of his wife, Catherine, who went by Katie. Katie's body was found in an abandoned house in Simpsonville back on October 26th. Investigators say she was killed with a knife two days earlier. Her husband was last seen on November 15th in New Mexico and remains on the run.

47:45Simpsonville police say investigators believe that he's with his 17-year-old girlfriend. After John and Hannah fled, police spent weeks chasing scattered tips across state lines, but nothing brought them any closer to finding the couple or even knowing where they might be hiding. For Katie's mom and the rest of her family, this was a crushing setback. Because losing your child, I mean, losing a member of the family's heart, but losing your child is just unbearable. And then in the beginning, we had hopes that we knew John did it. But we just, in our hearts, knew John did it. But police have to go through their steps before they can, you know, serve once and get him.

48:26And waiting was hard, but we thought, you know, we know they got him, they'll get him. But then when he ran, our hearts sunk. Like, now what? Weeks turned into months, and there were still no credible signs of John or Hannah. Then, just when it seemed like all hope was lost, Hannah Thompson walked into a police station and turned herself in. Obviously, we brought you in here today because we wanted to talk to you about the trip and about everything that's been going on with you. But let me tell you that we are very glad that you're back and that you're safe and that nothing bad happened to you.

49:05After Hannah returned to Simpsonville, investigators wasted no time. To find John, they needed to know what they'd been doing while they were gone.

49:39He drove for two days straight, not sleeping or anything, through Georgia and then Alabama. He basically drove all the way to Texas before he went to sleep. According to Hannah, she and John hit the road and never looked back. They drove through several states, living like fugitives, mostly sleeping in their car, always on the move and always looking over their shoulder. What was the game plan when you guys left? I don't think we really had one. Like, I guess both of us just kind of panicked and he decided that he wanted to leave, like, the state. And he told me that we were going to leave and I was like, okay.

50:28What was the reason for panicking? I think that was, like, around the time that, like, you and the other investigators have been texting me and he wouldn't let me reply or anything. Hannah told investigators that John had simply panicked. He knew it was only a matter of time before he was arrested, so he ran. As for Hannah, she claimed she'd only left with John because he'd convinced her that she had no other options. He just kept telling me that if I talked to anybody, that I would go to jail. If I went back home, I would go to jail. If I left him, I would go to jail. He just kept saying that pretty much every day.

51:10He made me believe that he knew what was best for me. And he was keeping me safe. Hannah explained that after several weeks on the run, the couple made it all the way to Oregon. That's where John's paranoia began to take over. He was unraveling more and more each day and panicking over the smallest things. Then one afternoon at McDonald's, his anxiety finally got the better of him. We had stopped at McDonald's, and he was going to use, like, Wi-Fi, because that's usually when we would go, like, Starbucks and McDonald's to get the Wi-Fi. And he, like, went to go find a table to sit at, and I went to the bathroom.

51:53And then when I came out, he was, like, he had, like, packed everything up, like, really fast. And he was like, we got to go, like, right now. and I was like asking him why and he just wasn't like talking to me. He was just like, we just gotta go. And we got in the car and he like, he just kind of like threw the laptop like on my lap and like basically floored it out of McDonald's and I kept asking him like what's going on, like what's wrong. He was like, I can't talk right now. He's like, I'm trying to focus. Don had seemingly snapped. He began driving like a madman weaving through the winding roads of Eugene, Oregon, pushing deeper into the mountains as his paranoia took over.

52:37We, like, drove up into the mountains, and he, like, freaking out, like, just being really, like, hectic and, like, in his own head and, you know, just panicking. I kept asking him more, and he just kept telling me to be quiet and not talk to him and stuff like that. and then he just got the car stuck in trees, in the mountains. And then I was like, why did you do that? What are you doing? How are we going to get it back out? And he was like, we'll figure it out. He said that we would hike. We had to hike, walk off the mountain basically. John's paranoia had made a very bad situation even worse.

53:23The couple was already on the run for murder and now John had managed to get their car stuck deep in the wilderness. There was no way to get it out without drawing attention, which meant they'd just lost their only means of transportation. Hannah said this was the moment it finally hit her. Something inside her 17-year-old brain finally clicked. She was trapped in the middle of nowhere with a man who was losing his grip. And for the first time, she realized that her life was in real danger. I feel like when he crashed the car, he was trying to kill me or both of us. Because he was just driving into trees full speed, just so fast.

54:06And we were hitting stuff, and I was really, I got scared at that point that I was going to die. That night, John and Hannah spent what would be their final night in the car. John talked about ending it all. A double suicide, he said, might be their only way out. The next morning, as they made their way off the mountain, he confessed something that was just as terrifying. That night, I remember farting to bed. He told me, he was like, I'm thinking about letting the car run all night so that we both die in our sleep. And then the next morning, he had taken a gun with him. Like, when we left, and he, the next morning, he said he really thought about shooting me in my sleep and shooting himself.

55:00After weeks of living on the road and dealing with John's spiraling, unpredictable behavior, Hannah finally broke. She wanted out. She wanted to live, and she wanted to go home. and I was just at that point I was kind of like not really having it and I was crying and I was like I can't do this anymore I was like I need to go home like and he and he just started crying and he was like saying no don't worry I'm gonna fix it I'm gonna fix it he was like I'll find it somewhere he started like yelling at me and calling me names and saying that if I left he was gonna to kill himself. He ran from me, he ran away from me, just screaming.

55:49And then he came back. He was just panicking again. He was saying that he did all that stuff for me. He did all that stuff. Like, kill Kenny. He was like, I did that for you. And all that kind of stuff, trying to make me feel like it was my fault.

56:33Hannah told investigators that John had manipulated her into staying with him. convinced her she didn't have a choice. But then, one day, John was simply gone. Then, like one morning, like, he had gotten up. He was like, I'll be right back. Like, I'm going to get into the bathroom. I was like, okay. I was kind of like half asleep. He just got up and left.

57:29Anna said she made her way to a nearby library, logged into a public computer, and sent a few messages through her social media. A friend responded, offering to come get her and take her home to Simpsonville. She accepted and said that from that moment on, John Blauvelt was gone from her life. By the time I had gotten back on the computer, everybody had responded to me. And that's when Angie came to pick me up. They had arranged it for her to come pick me up. Did you ever see John again? During this interview, it became clear that Hannah had switched sides. She now recognized that John was dangerous and manipulative, and investigators appeared to believe her story.

58:16At least, that's the impression they gave her. Do you understand now what he was trying to do? I feel like he was just trying to, like, manipulate me and just make it so that, like, he would be alone so that I wouldn't tell anybody anything. It seemed to me like he was looking out for his best interests the whole time, and it really had nothing to do with you. It just was really upsetting because, like, I've never, like, trusted somebody that much before. With Hannah now seemingly on their side, investigators shifted focus. They pressed for details about Katie's murder. They wanted to know what Hannah knew, how involved she'd been and anything John might have told her.

59:04The last time you went to work with him, was that that Monday? Mm-hmm. That was the last time you went to work with him? Mm-hmm. Okay. So he was driving, you were in the passenger seat? Mm-hmm. Was there the two of you? Yeah. And you went up to work with him at nine? Mm-hmm. Did you sit in the car? Did you go walk around? What did you do? I sat in the car. and I remember him telling me he needed me to drop him off on Woodruff Road and so I turned and we were in the parking lot and he got out of the car he started walking and I didn't think to ask him what he was doing because at this point we'd been dating for a while and it was just not something that I usually do like ask him what he's doing or like why he's doing something.

59:55Hannah told investigators she had nothing to do with planning Katie's murder and claimed she didn't even know what John was up to. According to her, on the day of the murder, she simply gave John a ride to a remote parking lot and dropped him off without asking any questions. Investigators later concluded that John had likely lured Katie to the abandoned house where she was killed. Phone records showed that despite their separation and despite the restraining order, the two were still in contact. It seemed that Katie, ever hopeful, wanted to believe their marriage could still be saved. John used that hope to his advantage and ultimately to lure her to her death.

1:00:40What was his relationship with Katie like? Did he still communicate with or to your knowledge. Every time they talked, she would call from a private number. And they would only use, like, texting apps to talk to each other because they had, like, a restraining order, I guess. And so they were, like, kind of sneaking around talking to each other. Hannah also claimed that John later described the murder to her. He told her that when he stabbed Katie, the knife broke off in her neck. And as she bled to death, Katie begged him to let her go. At some point, they were like on the trail leading up to the abandoned house.

1:01:21He told me that's where they went. That he took her there. He says that they were talking for a little bit. He doesn't say like exactly the conversation. He just said that they were talking. And then he just did it. And he said that he stabbed her in her neck. and that there was a lot of blood. And she told him that if he lets her go, she won't say anything to anybody. Investigators believe that after Katie bled to death, John dragged her body into the basement of the abandoned house and covered her with planks of wood. Then he went home, met back up with Hannah, and once again asked for her help.

1:02:05So I went back home and John was outside. I didn't even go inside the house. But he was outside, and he was like, I need you to follow me. And he's about to call her somewhere. And I was like, okay. And he had this, like, bag. John loaded what investigators believed was a trash bag full of his bloody clothes in Hannah's car. Then he told her to follow him as he drove Katie's vehicle to an empty parking lot. And I followed him, and we just drove, like, for a long time, because he didn't get on the highway at all. John parked Katie's car, removed the license plates, and climbed into Hannah's vehicle.

1:02:53The two then headed back home, but not before stopping at a couple of dumpsters where John disposed of the plates, the bag of bloody clothes, and anything else that might tie him to the crime. When he threw the clothes away, or the bags away, did you know at that point in time what was in the bags? Nothing. Okay. Then what happens? We go home. Hannah claimed that as she drove John around that day, she had no idea. She was essentially acting as his accomplice. She said she didn't even know Katie was dead until days later, after the body was found and after the story hit the media. When I woke up in the morning, my mom had, like, sent me, like, a new story that, like, a body was found in the manhouse.

1:03:41And I was just, like, I immediately got, like, cold chills. And I was, like, oh, my gosh, like, what is going on? Like, I used to go there all the time. It was just really scary. And I immediately, like, woke John up and I showed him. Hannah said that once she learned about Katie's murder, the truth slowly began to sink in. At first, John denied having anything to do with it, but deep down, she knew he was lying. Eventually, he admitted to what he'd done, though he rarely talked about the details. And whenever Hannah tried to ask him, he'd turn it back on her, making her feel guilty for even bringing it up.

1:04:24It was just so crazy because, like, I didn't know, like, what to think. And he had told me, like, the police are going to want to talk to you. She was like, you need to lie to them or else you're going to go to jail. Like, you're going to get to see your mom. Like, the way that I felt, it felt like I did it. You know, like, when did he tell the mom he killed her? She never, like, came out and said, I killed her, but, like, but you knew in your gut that he did it. Yeah. Did you ever ask him, hey, John, did you kill Katie? Mm-hmm. What did he say? He was just, he would just brush it off. Like, he'd be like, you really want to talk about that right now?

1:05:12Like, kind of make me feel dumb for one to know for asking it. Considering Hannah's relationship with John, that she was sleeping with him, running with him, and protecting him, it would be easy to doubt her story. But honestly, I don't. John completely played her for his own benefit. And I do believe that he turned her into an accomplice without her even realizing it. Judging by the way the investigators treated Hannah, I don't think they doubted her story either. I'm not saying that you knew what he was about to do, Hannah, okay? And quite honestly, I don't think that you had a hand in it at all.

1:05:56I'm just scared that they don't want anybody to think that, like, I would do or help somebody do something like that to anybody. Like, I'm just really scared. Here's what I think, okay? One, I know he took advantage of you. He trusted you, and he lured you in, promised you whatever, told you whatever, and then made you do stuff that in the long run was just to save him. Hannah's return to Simpsonville was a good thing for several reasons. For one, she was safe and no longer on the run with the killer. And it also gave investigators another potential witness that could testify against John when his case went to trial.

1:06:46But that would only matter if they could actually find him and catch him. We're still hunting for John. While he's out there, there's no telling what he's going to do. Did he ever talk about going to Mexico or Canada or flying anywhere? And when we first left, he talked about going to Mexico. Unfortunately, when it came to John's whereabouts, Hannah didn't have much to offer. As far as anyone knew, John might not have even been in the country anymore. And the investigation into Katie Blauvelt's murder remained open and unresolved for years. This week marks three years since 22-year-old Katie Blauvelt was brutally murdered in Simpsonville.

1:07:32Police say her estranged husband, John, is a suspect in her murder. But Simpsonville police say he's been on the run since they found her body in a cellar of an abandoned home. Now, he was last seen on the West Coast back in 2016 and not been seen since. By 2021, investigators had renewed their efforts to find John. Part of that effort meant bringing Hannah Thompson, now 22 years old, back into the interview room. John is not a good person, obviously. And we are trying desperately to find him. But we're still looking for him. And he needs to be held responsible for what he's done. During this follow-up interview, Hannah made a disturbing admission.

1:08:20She told investigators that she'd remained in regular contact with John for years after returning to Simpsonville in 2016.

1:08:50I had just decided to like do it. I didn't tell him like, I'm not going to talk to you anymore. I don't think. And so I think the conversation was pretty like, I don't know, like substance to it really. Just maybe like a, hey, how are you? Where was he back then? I know that he was living with somebody who, a girl that he said that they were dating. she had her own house i think i think it was an apartment okay but he also did like meet her parents and like they had gone to her parents house stuff like that too so what's the girl's name i don't know where was that i don't really know whenever i would ask him like where he was he would not tell me he'd say like i'm not telling you that or like i can't tell you that Unfortunately, by the time Hannah made this admission, it had been nearly a year since she'd last heard from John.

1:09:55Even so, the information helped investigators narrow their search. In 2022, about six years after Katie's murder, John Blauvelt was finally found. Tonight, an upstate man on the run since 2016, who investigators say killed his estranged wife, is now in custody. The victim's family just confirmed to us John Blavelt was arrested in Jackson County, Oregon. Online records show he's been booked into that local detention center today. After his arrest, John made several jailhouse calls to friends and family. The recordings gave investigators a glimpse into his state of mind, as well as the events that led him to go on the run.

1:10:41Oh, you're not even in prison yet? No, I still got to go to trial and everything. I'm going to be in this jail for two to three years. Oh, no. Yeah. Oh, I thought you were in prison. So, okay. That's why I need a lawyer. I signed up for a public defender, but, you know, they're, like, fresh out of college. They don't give a shit what happens. They just need to do their time. So, I don't even know. I don't know if I could get a real attorney. But we'll see. I'm going to be in this jail for years. They're not going to give me a bond because they know I'll run. Because I just ran for six years. The day I ran, I wasn't staying at my house anymore.

1:11:24And I was on my way home from work or something, from somewhere. Because I just like to stop by and check on my dog. And I saw the police at my house knocking on my door. So I said, okay, I'm leaving. And then I left. And, you know, I was homeless for a while. and I was working for a while and I met a girl and I lived with her for like four years. And then one morning the U.S. Marshals came. I was out front, tending to my vegetable garden, and the U.S. Marshals was pulled up in the driveway. But that night I got the best sleep that I've had in six years. So I guess there's a positive to it. Yeah, I guess I don't know.

1:12:04I've been anxious. I've had that anxiety, depression the whole time. But I'm actually feeling really good now. on that piece. During these calls, John said more than once that he was relieved to be caught. Happy, even. That he no longer had to live his life constantly looking over his shoulder. I was on the run for six years, man. And I was just used to pace. Every night I would pace in the living room until like 3.34 o 'clock in the morning, fully dressed, like ready to run. You know what I mean? It was, like when I seen the marshals pull into the driveway, Like 10 dudes, guns out. And I just, I swear, dude, I smiled.

1:12:45I was like, I can't believe it's over. I got in the truck and the marshal was like, six years is a long run, man. And I was like, oh, I'm glad you finally found me. And I was like, it was a nightmare. What's most disturbing about these calls is what John didn't say. Not once did he mention Katie, her family, or show a single hint of remorse. Like a textbook narcissist, every word was about himself and the supposed peace he'd finally found.

1:13:38In later phone calls, John shared more about the six years he'd spent on the run. He described how he'd managed to weasel his way into another woman's life, lying about his name, his past, and who he really was. Then I met that girl, did real good. I maintained her budget, put her on a diet, turned her life around. We bought a house together in September. I took three years to save up for her. We bought a house, all in her name. And then I got arrested. The U.S. Marshals tracked me down. And I called her, like, a week later from jail. And she was like, fuck you, you ruined my life. And I'm like, oh, okay.

1:14:23You didn't know about anything, I guess? No, hell no. I didn't tell her shit about this. I had a fake name. I was going by Ben. I liked that name, too. We had a good time. We had a good life, man. We had a house. We had a dog. We had three cats. I didn't work for two years. I worked for the first two years we were together. I was a landscaper. She mulling lawns, building fences and stuff like that. Right. And then that guy retired. He retired, and I was out of a job. And she was like, well, you can just stay at home. Just keep the house clean, take care of the dog. And I was like, all right. Once again, this narcissist seemed either blissfully unaware or simply incapable of understanding that by dating this woman, living with her for years, and hiding his past, he'd made her a victim as well.

1:15:12So he's being arrested on charges out of South Carolina for murder. Are you serious? Yeah. We can't believe it. We've been together for like six years. He would do random odd jobs. He was basically here watching my cats and my dog all the time. When John's girlfriend learned the truth, she was devastated. And who wouldn't be? Imagine living with someone for nearly six years, loving them, trusting them, only to find out they were wanted in another state for murder. That the name and the backstory they'd given you were complete lies. The man she thought she knew had been living a double life. But this woman wasn't the only one to face the fallout.

1:15:59With John behind bars, it was finally time for Hannah Thompson to face justice as well. There is also a second suspect in Katie's death. Hannah Thompson was John Blauvelt's teenage girlfriend who fled the state with him. She is now 25 and charged with obstruction of justice and accessory after the fact. Despite the charges against her, Hannah agreed to testify against John at his trial without any promise of leniency from prosecutors. Unlike John, Hannah's remorse seemed genuine. And as the star witness for the state, she helped ensure that John Blavelt received the prison sentence that he deserved.

1:16:39On Friday, a jury found John Tufton Blavelt guilty of murdering his estranged wife in 2016. Blavelt, the former U.S. Army recruiter out of Greenville, now a convicted killer, killer was sentenced by the judge to life without the possibility of parole. As for Hannah, she pleaded guilty to her charges and received probation for helping John flee after the murder. Her reduced sentence reflected both her cooperation with investigators and the fact she was only 17 when she ran away with him. There's no question that Hannah was also a victim in this case. John clearly manipulated her. But one thing about her lenient punishment still feels hard to accept.

1:17:28After returning to Simpsonville in 2016, Hannah stayed in contact with John for years, and she didn't tell investigators about this until 2021. She said nothing, knowing that Katie's family was still suffering. She said nothing, knowing that a killed her was still out there and could strike again at any time. Maybe a more fitting punishment would have been a prison sentence that matched the years she kept this secret. But that's just my opinion. And what do I know? I'm a podcaster. In the end, what matters most is that Katie's family finally got some measure of justice and hopefully a bit of peace in knowing that John Blauvelt will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

1:18:15What's one thing that we should know about Katie? One of the things I had was something about her laugh and her big eyes and her smile, and she just had a true heart. And her name is Katie, but her name is Catherine, and it meant innocent and pure. And that's what she was, and we lost that. The murder of Katie Blauvelt wasn't a crime of passion or a moment of rage. It was the calculated act of a man who understood appearances, how to weaponize them, and how to hide behind them. As a soldier, a recruiter, and a husband, John Blauvelt knew exactly how to make people believe he was something worth trusting.

1:18:56But beneath that uniform, an easy smile was a manipulator who saw others as tools to use, to control, to discard. He fooled his wife, his girlfriend, his community, and for a time, even the system meant to hold him accountable. In the end, John's greatest deception wasn't how he escaped justice. It was how long he convinced everyone that he was one of the good guys. If nothing else, Katie's murder is a reminder that trust should never be automatic. Because anyone can wear a uniform that hides their deception. And sometimes, that person wearing it is a monster.

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1:21:51But yeah, I'm running out of things to say here. so um yeah just buy it or something I don't know or don't I guess it's a free market speaking up probably shouldn't have alienated all of you woke people sorry about that oh well guess I made my bed

1:22:15for those of you still left I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your week and uh I don't know stay safe

1:22:53Thank you.

1:23:21Thank you.