John Carter was sentenced in the death of Katelyn Markham. (WLWT/YouTube; Facebook)
A man who pleaded guilty in June to involuntary manslaughter just before he was set to be tried in the death of his Ohio bride-to-be has learned his fate.
John Carter, 36, was sentenced on Thursday to 36 months in prison for the death of Katelyn Markham, 21.
In an emotional victim impact statement, Markham’s father, Dave, told the court, “Not a day goes by that I don’t think of Katelyn,” local NBC affiliate WLWT reported.
“Let him feel the pain that many of us have endured for the past 13 years,” he said, the outlet reported.
Butler County Common Pleas Court Judge Daniel Haughey took the defendant to task, saying, “the court believes that Mr. Carter has shown no genuine remorse for this offense,” the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
As Law&Crime reported, the case came to light on Aug. 14, 2011, when Carter called 911, reporting Markham missing. He claimed he had last seen her at her home the evening before midnight. When he went to her house, her keys and purse were still there, but her cellphone was missing, he told investigators, according to court documents.
For months following her disappearance, hundreds of volunteers, some from other states, tried to find her. More than a year passed with no sign of Markham. In April 2013, a man looking for scrap metal to sell in a wooded area in Indiana found a skull in a plastic bag and called 911.
Other skeletal remains were found about 30 miles from Markham’s home. Using dental records, a pathologist identified the remains as Markham and determined her death was a homicide, while the cause of death has not been determined.
On March 22, 2023, police took Carter into custody. He initially agreed to speak with detectives but changed his mind and asked for an attorney.
Details about the long-ago case have surfaced over the years. Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser said an undated typed poem found in Carter’s mother’s home suggests the “conflict and demon within” Carter, local Fox affiliate WXIX reported.
“Deep down I love her,” the poem read, the outlet reported. “You want to kill her. But I love her. She must die. I can’t kill her. Yes you can. No. Yes.”
An affidavit and search warrant also list more than 125 points to establish probable cause that prosecutors said showed Carter was involved in Markham’s murder.
It begins by stating plastic landscaping or construction material was found wrapped around Markham’s remains when they were found and that investigators believed they would find a roll of that plastic at Carter’s mother’s home.
The affidavit states Carter gave different stories about what happened the night of Aug. 13, 2011. Police also noted they observed Carter had red scratches on Aug. 14 when detectives interviewed him — he claimed he cut himself with an electric razor.
The affidavit states that Carter described Markham as “huffy” and “upset” the night of Aug. 13. It also claims Carter admitted to deleting text messages between him and Markham between 7:53 and 11:36 that night.
The affidavit claims Carter showed signs of deception during two polygraph tests when asked about Markham’s disappearance. One was conducted in 2011, and a second in 2014.
The affidavit also quotes a woman who said Markham confided in her that she felt “trapped” in her relationship with Carter and was unhappy with his lifestyle, which allegedly included heavy drug use and viewing of pornography.
Markham, the woman recalled to investigators, was no longer sexually attracted to Carter and felt uncomfortable with some sex acts he wanted her to engage in. This conversation allegedly took place three to six months before Markham disappeared. The woman said Markham told her that Carter was possessive and jealous and became upset when she spoke to other men.
Last month, Carter pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter just before his trial was set to get underway and after having just offered an alibi.
Law&Crime’s Angenette Levy contributed to this report.
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