Prosecutors Say Soldier Killed His Wife to Be with His Teenage Girlfriend, Then Deserted the Army
John Tufton Blauvelt had been a fugitive for six years before his 2022 arrest
Simpsonville Police Department; Cati Blauvelt/Facebook
John Tufton Blauvelt; Catherine "Cati" BlauveltA former U.S. Army recruiter accused of killing his wife to be with his teenage girlfriend will soon learn his fate.
Closing arguments in the trial of former fugitive John Tufton Blauvelt of South Carolina, who is charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, ended on Friday, Sept. 20.
Blauvelt is accused of fatally stabbing his estranged wife, Catherine “Cati” Blauvelt, 22, in October 2016, before running off with his then-17-year-old girlfriend, Hannah Thompson of Fountain Inn, according to a statement from the U.S. Marshals Service.
In July 2022, U.S. Marshals arrested Blauvelt in Oregon after he’d been on the run for six years, according to the statement.
Cati was last seen leaving the Greenville pet store where she worked at approximately 2:15 p.m. on Oct. 23, 2016, the US Marshals said.
Her family reported her missing after she failed to meet her friends after work.
Cati’s body was found in the basement of an abandoned house in Simpsonville the following day, on Oct. 24, 2016, riddled with stab wounds, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
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The day before Cati’s body was found, John fled the state with his then-17-year-old girlfriend, Hannah Thompson of Fountain Inn, U.S. Marshals said in the statement.
Blauvelt, who worked as a U.S. Army recruiter in Greenville County at the time of the killing, was classified as a deserter shortly after, according to the U.S. Marshals.
On Nov. 18, 2016, Simpsonville Police obtained warrants for Blauvelt’s arrest for murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
Thompson's parents reported the teen missing to the Fountain Inn Police Department on Nov. 21, 2016, according to the U.S. Marshals.
Thompson was found safe in Oregon on Dec. 12, 2016, having been abandoned by Blauvelt, the U.S. Marshals said in the statement.
She went to a family friend’s home in Eugene and called her parents, saying she wanted to come home. She and Blauvelt had been homeless while in Oregon.
As PEOPLE previously reported, Thompson was arrested and accused of helping Blauvelt the day Cati was killed and lying to police about where he was, according to the Simpsonville Police Department.
Thompson was charged with two counts of misprision (or concealment) of a felony, two counts of obstruction of justice and one count of accessory after the fact, according to the Simpsonville Police Department.
She pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.
Her attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
As jurors weigh a verdict, Cati's family says they are relieved that Blauvelt was brought to trial.
“Well, we’ll never forget about her,” Cati’s mother, Patricia Piver, said, Fox Carolina reports. “Even after all this is over, she’ll never be forgotten. We’ll always fight for her and we’ll always fight for what’s right and to keep her memory alive.”
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