Sleeping With Death: What happened to Keith Yunk?

Sleeping With Death on Oxygen is scheduled to revisit the December 1991 stabbing death of Keith Yunk, a Largo, Florida, father-of-two, who was stabbed to death during a home invasion by a masked intruder. The episode will air on the channel this Sunday, December 18, 2022, at 7:00 pm ET.

The synopsis for season 1 episode 8 reads:

"A violent break-in at Christmastime turns a festive home into a crime scene; though her throat is slashed while sleeping, Anita Yunk survives but her husband isn't so lucky, and detectives must untangle a cross-country drama to find a killer."

Keith was married to his second wife Anita Yunk and was living with her at the time of the tragic incident. The intruder broke into their house and attacked the couple by first brutally hurting Anita and then stabbing Keith multiple times during the violent encounter. He died before first responders could arrive on the scene.

Although the investigation hit a dead end during its initial stages, months later, authorities discovered that Anita's ex-husband, Luther Basse, with whom she was embroiled in a brutal custody battle for their children, was behind the attack. Basse eventually admitted to the crime and was sentenced to prison.

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Keith Yunk and his wife Anita were married for less than a year

Keith Yunk and his wife Anita lived in Largo, Florida, in a blended family with both their children from previous marriages at the time of the attack on December 15, 1991. At about 3:00 am, an intruder wearing a ski mask broke into their bedroom and attacked the couple in their sleep.

The man first attacked Anita Yunk, striking her in the head with an ax and slitting her throat. Keith, 41, who was awakened by the noise, struggled to free Anita from the intruder and in the process, sustained multiple stab wounds. Anita then somehow managed to hit the attacker with a baseball bat, causing him to flee the scene.

Anita rushed to a neighbor's house for assistance as the attacker fled across the neighboring Pinecrest Country Club golf course. However, by the time first responders arrived, Keith Yunk had succumbed to his injuries.

Anita on the other hand made a remarkable recovery after her brush with death with a knife wound to the ribs and a severely slashed throat but lost her husband of less than a year.

Authorities discovered a bloody ski mask approximately a half-mile from the crime scene during the investigation. However, no further progress was made on the case after this discovery.

Luther Basse, an Oregon fireman and the ex-husband of Anita Yunk, was immediately considered a suspect even though he claimed to be alone on a hunting trip in Oregon at the time of Keith Yunk's murder, which couldn't be corroborated. Authorities, however, could not arrest him at the time because there was no proof connecting him to the attack.

However, approximately three months later, in March 1992, investigators made a significant breakthrough. According to reports, when Luther returned from his alleged hunting expedition, his girlfriend informed the police that he had a cut on his head. Eventually, Luther was called in for further interrogation and, after originally denying any connection, confessed to the attack and murder.

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Oxygen's Sleeping With Death will chronicle Keith Yunk's murder case on December 18, 2022.