Former South Carolina Army Recruiter Convicted of Murdering Ex-Wife

SIMPSONVILLE, SC (FOX Carolina) – A former Army recruiter accused of killing his ex-wife and fleeing has been found guilty of murder.

John Blauvelt stabbed Cati Blauvelt to death in October 2016 before fleeing the state with his teenage girlfriend. Cati was found dead in the basement of an abandoned home in Simpsonville.

Blauvelt remained on the run for six years before the U.S. Marshal’s Service captured him in Oregon in July 2022. Shortly after, he was brought back to South Carolina.

Family members said the couple had separated months before the incident after John threatened to kill her.

“We will never forget her,” said Patricia Piver, Cati’s mother. “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.”

CSRA Crimes at a Glance:

During pretrial motions Monday, the prosecution asked the judge to allow the inclusion of a prior domestic violence charge involving Cati.

The state called numerous witnesses during the trial, including Simpsonville police officer Cheryl Schofield, who said investigators found a letter in Blauvelt’s diary in which he essentially confessed to the murder.

Blauvelt’s defense cross-examined Tim Nafziger, a DNA expert with the Greenville County Department of Public Safety, about partial DNA profiles collected from bloodstains near Cati’s body. Nafziger said only a third of the DNA markers were available for testing, and that one in 86 men could have those markers. DNA found under Cati’s fingernails also did not provide a definite match to Blauvelt.

The jury determined that there was evidence beyond a reasonable threshold to convict John Blauvelt of murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

The judge sentenced John Blauvelt to life in prison without the possibility of parole.