Prosecutors say soldier killed wife to be with teenage girlfriend, then deserted Army

John Tufton Blauvelt had been on the run for six years before his arrest in 2022

A 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, charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, concluded Friday, Sept. 20.

Blauvelt is accused of fatally stabbing his ex-wife, Catherine “Cati” Blauvelt, 22, in October 2016, before fleeing 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 had been on the run for six years, the statement said.

Cati was last seen leaving the Greenville pet store where she worked around 2:15 p.m. on Oct. 23, 2016, U.S. Marshals said.

Her family reported her missing because she was unable to meet up with her friends after work.

Cati’s body was found in the basement of an abandoned home in Simpsonville the next day, 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 girlfriend, Hannah Thompson of Fountain Inn, then 17, U.S. Marshals said in the statement.

Blauvelt, who was working as a U.S. Army recruiter in Greenville County at the time of the killing, was classified as a deserter shortly afterward, according to U.S. Marshals.

On November 18, 2016, Simpsonville police obtained arrest warrants for Blauvelt on charges of 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 U.S. Marshals.

Thompson was found safe in Oregon on Dec. 12, 2016, after being abandoned by Blauvelt, U.S. Marshals said in the statement.

She went to a family friend’s house in Eugene and called her parents, telling them she wanted to go home. She and Blauvelt were homeless when they were in Oregon.

As PEOPLE previously reported, Thompson was arrested and charged with helping Blauvelt the day Cati was killed and lying to police about his whereabouts, according to the Simpsonville Police Department.

Related: Woman Allegedly Helped Boyfriend Cover Up His Wife’s 2016 Murder When She Was a Teen, Now Arrested

Thompson was charged with two counts of misrepresenting (or concealing) a crime, two counts of obstructing justice and one count of accessory after the fact, according to the Simpsonville Police Department.

She has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.

His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

As jurors weigh the verdict, Cati’s family said they are relieved that Blauvelt has been brought to justice.

“We will never forget her,” Cati’s mother Patricia Piver told Fox Carolina. “Even after all of this, she will never be forgotten. We will always fight for her and we will always fight for what is right and to keep her memory alive.”

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