Man Accused of Killing Wife Wins His Primary in Indiana

Andrew Wilhoite won his primary this week for one of three open seats on the Clinton Township Board in Indiana. But as the Indianapolis Star reports, Wilhoite did so while jailed on charges that he murdered his wife in March. Prosecutors say the 40-year-old confessed to killing Nikki Wilhoite, 41, by throwing a large flower pot at her head during an argument. Nikki Wilhoite, who'd just completed her last chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer, had filed for divorce the previous week, reports the Lebanon Reporter. Police also say she learned her husband was cheating on her.

Andrew Wilhoite told investigators that after his wife fell to the ground unconscious, he placed her into his truck and dumped her over a bridge into a nearby creek, according to the Indiana State Police. "Andrew was asked if Elizabeth was still breathing, and Andrew stated he didn't know because he didn't check," according to an affidavit quoted in the Reporter. She was reported missing when she didn't show up for work on March 25, and her body was found the following day.

In Tuesday's primary, Andrew Wilhoite received 60 votes on the GOP ballot, behind two other candidates. Only three people ran, meaning all of them won. No candidates ran on the Democratic line. Wilhoite's murder trial is to begin in August, and he'll be taken off the November ballot if convicted before then. If he's convicted after the November election, he won't be able to serve. It was, however, perfectly legal for him to run in the primary because he's only facing charges at this point. “Under our legal system, every person is innocent until proven guilty,” says Brad King of the Indiana Election Division. (More Indiana stories.)