Darlene Krashoc, who was only 20 years old when she was killed, in 1987. Michael Whyte was identified as the person responsible for the murder after an investigation that spanned more than three decades.
On August 17, 2022, the murder case involving her was depicted on the television show Homicide Hunter: Never Give Up. Joe Kenda revealed that the investigation had continued to trouble him even after he turned in his weapons and badge. After Michael had been apprehended, he had even testified against him in court.
Who Was Darlene Krashoc Murderer?
The body of a young woman was discovered by two police officers on March 17, 1987, in the back parking lot of a shopping mall, next to a dumpster. When they came across her, it was five in the morning, and they were on a normal patrol of the area at the time.
She was covered in bruising and bite marks all over her body, and she had blood on her nose and mouth in addition to the wire hanger that was wrapped around her neck. Her left eye also seemed to be shattered. She is in a critical condition as a result of her injuries.
Because the suspect was wearing so little clothing, the police officers had no doubt that she was acting out of sexual desire when she committed the crime. She accessorized her look with a watch and a ring, and wore gray leggings that reached down to her ankles. Her left foot was clad only in a sock at this point.
They later uncovered a driver’s license, which allowed them to determine that the victim was an Army Specialist named Darlene Krashoc.
In spite of multiple investigations, the authorities were unable to identify the person responsible for the murder. They had three people in mind as possible culprits, but none of them were ever investigated because no evidence could establish a connection between them and the crime.
The investigation went in a dead end for a number of years, but in 2019, they developed a new lead. They were able to establish a connection between the murder and a man called Michael Whyte with the assistance of genetic genealogy.
Michael was revealed to be the person responsible for Darlene’s death.
In 1987, when Darlene was murdered, he was in Colorado at the time. In that point in his life, he was 24 years old and serving at Fort Carson in Colorado. When the police arrived at Michael’s residence to conduct the arrest, Michael was still residing in Colorado at the time.
Was Michael Whyte Arrested?
After 32 years had passed since the murder, Michael Whyte was finally apprehended for the crime. The cold case team learned about genetic genealogy and investigated DNA databases for the suspect’s family tree, which led to the discovery of his relation to the crime.
After a period of nine months, they found a suitable match. They discovered that Michael was a Darlene’s distant cousin. Michael’s name is Darlene. An undercover investigator followed him and seized a cup that had been discarded for DNA testing so that they could verify their suspicions. It was a perfect match, and he was taken into custody in the year 2019 at his residence.
When the authorities finally apprehended him, he was 58 years old. The court proceeding against Michael got underway in June of 2021. After being convicted guilty of murder in the first degree, he was given a sentence of life in prison without parole. Therefore, he will not be eligible to seek for parole until the year 2061.
Update On Darlene Krashoc Murder Case
The most recent episode of Homicide Hunter: Never Give Up featured a segment on the investigation into the death of Darlene Krashoc. The family of Darlene, who had been waiting for more than three decades, was granted the justice that they had been seeking at long last.
In 1987, their daughter, who had been obsessed with the idea of serving in the military ever since she was a child, was cruelly tortured and killed. According to the findings of her autopsy, she had been subjected to sexual abuse before her death, which was caused by ligature strangulation with the wire hanger.
Even though her killer has been found guilty, no one knows how the two of them came to be in the same place at the same time that night or what motivated him to kill her.
