Darlene Krashoc, 20, was brutally murdered in 1987. After over three decades, the cold case team finally found the murderer, Michael Whyte.
Her murder case was portrayed in the Homicide Hunter: Never Give Up on August 17, 2022. Joe Kenda shared how the case had haunted him since he turned his gun and badge. He had even testified in court when after Michael was caught.
Who Was Darlene Krashoc Murderer?
On March 17, 1987, two cops discovered a young woman’s body in the back parking lot of a mall next to a dumpster. It was five in the morning, and they were out on their routine patrol when they found her.
Her neck was wrapped by a wire hanger, and she had several bruises and bite marks all over her body and blood on her nose and mouth. Her left eye also appeared to be broken. She has suffered severe injuries.
The officers knew that the crime was sexually motivated because there were almost no clothes on her body. She wore a watch and a ring and had gray pants around her ankles. Her left foot still had a sock on it.
Later, they found a driver’s license and identified the victim as Darlene Krashoc, an Army Specialist.
Despite several investigations, police could not find the murderer. They had three suspects, but all of them were ruled out after no evidence would link their connection to the case.
The case went cold for many years, but finally, in 2019, they had a lead. With the help of genetic genealogy, they found a man named Michael Whyte, who was linked to the murder.
Michael turned out to be the murderer of Darlene.
He was in Colorado when Darlene was murdered in 1987. He was 24 years old at that time and was stationed at Ft. Carson. Michael was still residing in Colorado when police arrived at his house to make the arrest.
Was Michael Whyte Arrested?
Michael Whyte was arrested after 32 years of committing the murder. His connection to the incident was discovered when the cold case team learned about genetic genealogy and searched the DNA databases for the suspect’s family tree.
After nine months, they had a match. They found it was a distant cousin of Darlene named Michael. To confirm their suspicion, an undercover officer followed him and collected a discarded cup for DNA testing. It was the match, and he was apprehended in 2019 at his home.
He was 58 years old when the police caught him. The trial for Michael began in June 2021. He received a life sentence after being found guilty of first-degree murder. So it won’t be until 2061 that he can apply for parole.
Update On Darlene Krashoc Murder Case
Darlene Krashoc’s murder case was portrayed in the latest episode of Homicide Hunter: Never Give Up. Finally, after over three decades of the murder, Darlene’s family got the justice they had been waiting for.
Their daughter, who had wanted to be in the Army since she was young, was brutally tortured and killed in 1987. Her autopsy report concluded that she had been sexually abused and died due to ligature strangulation with the wire hanger.
Although her murderer has been convicted, no one knows how the two of them crossed paths that night and the motive behind the crime.