Where is Patrick Gilham now? Whereabouts explored ahead of 48 Hours on ID

Patrick Gilham
Patrick Gilham was linked to the 1987 murder of Roxanne Wood (Image via Michigan Department of Corrections)

Patrick Gilham of South Bend, Indiana, was brought to justice 35 years after he brutally r*ped and murdered 30-year-old Roxanne Wood. Roxanne was killed in her Niles, Michigan, home shortly after she returned home from a dinner and bowling night on February 20, 1987. Wood's husband, Terry, found her dead in their home when he returned just 45 minutes later.

Over three decades later, in 2022, then-67-year-old Patrick Gilham was arrested for the murder. They caught him after DNA evidence collected from the crime scene was used to link him to the cold case.

He initially claimed to have no memory of the murder and told investigators the heinous crime was the work of a "monster." Later, he pleaded no contest to a second-degree murder charge and was handed a minimum sentence of 23 years in prison.

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According to the Michigan Department of Corrections, Patrick Gilham is now serving his sentence at the Carson Correctional Facility.

This Monday, 48 Hours on ID will further delve into Roxanne Wood's 1987 killing with special mentions of those who helped in solving the case 35 years later. The episode, titled The Unsolvable Murder of Roxanne Wood, airs on the channel on May 15, at 8 pm ET.

The synopsis says:

"In 1987, Terry Wood comes home to find his wife, Roxanne Wood, dead; investigators preserve DNA, but technological limitations of the time turn the case cold, until now."

Patrick Gilham pleaded no contest to second-degree murder in Roxanne Wood's 1987 cold case

In March 2022, authorities in Michigan officially closed the cold case murder of Roxanne Wood, who was viciously beaten with a metal frying pan and then r*ped before her throat was slit in her own home 35 years ago. The accused, Patrick Gilham, 67, pleaded no contest to one count of second-degree murder in the killing after DNA evidence linked him to the crime.

Law &Crime reported that as per a news statement released by the Michigan State Police, Gilham accepted a plea deal with the Prosecutor's Office. The plea deal involves a minimum term of 23 years in prison, and will likely keep him behind bars until he is 90 years old. Gilham, who lived about 10 miles south of the Niles, Michigan, residence where Wood was slain, was arrested earlier in February.

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Nearly four decades ago in February 1987, Roxanne Wood and her husband, Terry, went out for dinner and a bowling alley in Downtown Niles. Both had driven in separate cars directly from work.

Sometime around midnight, Wood, 30, returned home at least 45 minutes before her husband made his way back home where he found the grisly crime scene.

Authorities claim Roxane Wood was already dead and the killer still repeatedly hit her over the head with a frying pan and slit her neck open. Police, at the time, failed to find any signs of a forced entry into the Woods' residence, which made them suspect Terry. He was the primary suspect for 35 years until Patrick Gilham was linked to the murder using DNA evidence.

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Genealogists created a genetic profile based on the DNA using genome sequencing, which was then uploaded to open genetic databases like GEDmatch and Family Tree DNA. Based on similar matches and common ancestors discovered, analysts created a family tree for the previously unknown DNA profile, which finally led police to Gilham.

The suspect was put under constant surveillance and was interviewed by detectives on two separate occasions. This ultimately resulted in an arrest for open murder in February 2022. Gilham ultimately pleaded no contest with a plea deal of 23 to 50 years in prison.

According to the Michigan Department of Corrections, Patrick Gilham is currently serving his sentence at the Carson Correctional Facility.


48 Hours on ID airs with Roxanne Wood's murder by Patrick Gilham this Monday at 8 pm ET.

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Edited by Madhur Dave
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