Where is John Blauvelt now? Details explored ahead of 48 Hours on CBS

John Blauvelt, an ex-military recruiter, killed his 22-year-old estranged wife Catherine Blauvelt in 2016. John stabbed his wife to death in the basement of an abandoned house. This 2016 homicide will be the central focus of this weekend's episode of 48 Hours on CBS.

According to Fox Carolina, on September 20, 2024, the jury found John guilty of the murder of Catherine Blauvelt and also for the possession of a weapon during the homicide. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. John Blauvelt is currently incarcerated in a South Carolina prison.

Season 38 episode 21 of 48 Hours is titled Cati Blauvelt: Death of a Soldier's Wife. It will air on CBS on March 8, 2025, at 10 pm ET.

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What did John Blauvelt do and why was he arrested?

According to CBS News, Catherine Blauvelt’s family filed a missing person’s report after she didn’t turn up after work to meet her friends as she said she would on October 25, 2016.

Catherine worked at the Greenville pet store and left at 2:15 pm to meet her friends. The next day her body was discovered in a 20-year-old abandoned house in Simpsonville. She was stabbed in her neck with a knife.

Catherine’s husband John Blauvelt. became a prime suspect in the case. Within a month authorities took out a warrant for John, however, he had already fled the state with his girlfriend Hannah Thompson, 17.

On November 21, 2016, Hannah Thompson’s parents filed a missing person’s report to the Fountain Inn Police Department for their daughter Hannah, three days after authorities obtained a warrant for John.

A month after John and Hannah fled, Hannah contacted her parents, requesting them to let her return to her house in Simpsonville. Authorities learnt that John and Hannah had been living as a homeless couple in Oregon. Several years after Catherine's murder and Hannah’s return home, she slowly started giving authorities information about John.

According to Fox Carolina, six years later in 2022, the U.S. Marshals, through a lead from the U.S. Marshal’s headquarters, located John in Oregon. John was arrested and later sent to South Carolina for his trial.

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John Blauvelt was found guilty of the murder of his wife Catherine Blauvelt

Hannah Thompson was the key piece to John’s case. Hannah testified against John and said that he had told her that he was going to kill Catherine, and after they had left the state together, John told Hannah how he committed the crime.

The trial continued with several witnesses testifying against John. During the trial, investigators took the stand and brought forward a letter found in John’s journal. In the letter, John had confessed to murdering Catherine.

Other evidence includes John and Hannah’s cell phones, which reveal their whereabouts and time, and Joe’s Autos security footage, which shows the exact time and location where Catherine’s car was abandoned. Additionally, John’s DNA was found under Catherine’s nails.

The jury, after evaluating all the evidence and witness testimonies, concluded that John Blauvelt was guilty of the murder of his wife Catherine Blauvelt. John was incarcerated and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. John had filed for a new trial, however, it was denied. John’s defence applied for an appeal on February 20, 2025.

According to Fox News, John is currently being held in a prison in South Carolina.

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To learn more about this case, watch this weekend's episode 48 Hours on CBS.