In Hamilton, Ohio, John Carter, the fiancé of Katelyn Markham, an art student who disappeared nearly 13 years ago, has been sentenced to three years in prison. Originally facing two murder charges after his arrest in March 2023, Carter pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter last month as part of a plea agreement.
Katelyn Markham went missing in August 2011 from her home in Fairfield, Ohio, just as she was about to complete her graphic arts degree at the Art Institute of Ohio—Cincinnati. She and Carter had plans to relocate to Colorado later that year.
Authorities discovered skeletal remains in 2013 in a wooded area in Cedar Grove, Indiana, identified as Markham’s. Her death was determined to be a homicide, although the cause of death could not be ascertained. Prosecutors in Butler County believe Carter killed Markham through physical violence and force, yet Carter has not revealed the details behind the killing.
During the sentencing, Katelyn Markham’s father, Dave Markham, emotionally expressed his grief, stating, “Not a day goes by that I don’t think of Katelyn,” urging Judge Daniel Haughey to impose the maximum sentence. Carter, on the other hand, chose not to address the court during the hearing. His defense attorneys requested probation or a light prison term, emphasizing the need to apply the law over emotional pleas.
Judge Haughey decided to sentence Carter to the full term permitted under the plea deal, emphasizing Carter’s lack of remorse and failure to assist or acknowledge Markham’s fate following her death.