Ohio man pleads guilty in fiancée’s cold case death

HAMILTON, Ohio (Scripps News Cincinnati/Court TV) — An Ohio man accused of killing his fiancée in 2011 pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter Friday.

Last year, John Carter was charged in the murder of Katelyn Markham, whose case was one of the biggest cold cases in the Tri-State, according to Scripps News Cincinnati .

John Carter appears in court Friday, June 7, 2024, to enter a plea of guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of his fiancée. (Court TV)

Carter had been free on bond since his April 2023 arraignment.

Markham was a 22-year-old art student residing in Fairfield, Ohio, when she went missing in August 2011. She did not show up for work at David’s Bridal near Tri-County Mall, and Carter later called 911.

In the call, Carter said, “I know you’re not supposed to report a missing person before 24 hours, but my fiancée is missing, and I can’t find her anywhere.”

Markham’s skeletal remains were found in August 2013 in a remote wooded area in Indiana about 30 miles from her home. Her death was ruled a homicide, but the cause of death has never been determined.

According to court documents, Carter killed her between August 13 and August 14, 2011.

Carter was scheduled to go to trial on June 24. After pleading guilty, the judge set sentencing for July 18. Carter is facing up to 36 months in prison.