Andrew Wilhoite—a farmer from Boone County, Indiana who was accused of killing his cancer-stricken wife after he admitted to hitting her over the head with a flower pot during a fight—won in a Republican primary from his jail cell.
News outlets reported that Wilhoite received 60 votes, securing a coveted spot on the ballot in November’s general election for the Clinton Township Board. The two other candidates on the ballot received more than 100 votes each.
Wilhoite was charged with murder after the body of his wife, Elizabeth “Nikki” Wilhoite, was found in a creek near the home that they shared. Elizabeth Wilhoite, who was receiving chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer, had filed for divorce after discovering her husband had been having an affair.
You can hear more about the case in the news report below.
Authorities became suspicious after Elizabeth Wilhoite's co-worker reported that she had not reported to her job. Authorities discovered her body only partially submerged in about three feet of water in a creek nearby.
Police arrested her husband on March 26 and he has remained in custody ever since. His trial is scheduled for August.
According to Brad King, co-director of the bipartisan Indiana Election Division, there is "no legal reason" why Wilhoite "can't be a candidate."
Indiana state election requirements state that a candidate would still be eligible for office unless candidates enter a guilty plea for–or are convicted of–a felony.
The deadline for candidates who wish to remove themselves from the ballot is July 15. Candidates can only be removed from the ballot after that date by moving out of the district, if they die, or if they are convicted of a felony.
The news that Wilhoite would be on the ballot despite his upcoming murder trial prompted many to criticize the Republican Party and lament that the country is suffering a crisis of morality.
According to court documents, Elizabeth Wilhoite filed for a legal separation from Wilhoite on March 17, mere days before her murder.
The week before he allegedly killed her, Wilhoite wrote a post on social media praising his wife for having "just finished her last round of chemo today."
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