A Lebanon, Indiana, man accused of killing his wife and dumping her body off the side of a bridge, is one of three candidates who advanced in a primary race for a seat on a local board, according to a story from the Indianapolis Star.
Andrew Wilhoite, who was arrested in March on charges he hit his wife, Nikki Wilhoite, with a concrete flowerpot, killing her, got 60 votes for the seat on the Clinton Township Board. The votes pushed him into a runoff with two other candidates.
Wilhoite, 40, has been in jail since March when, according to the Star, police said Wilhoite told investigators he threw the flowerpot at his wife, hitting and killing her.
After he hit his wife, Wilhoite said, he tossed her body into a creek from a bridge.
Nikki Wilhoite had filed for a separation from Wilhoite on March 17. She was reported missing on March 25, according to The Associated Press. The couple had been married for more than 12 years.
Nikki Wilhoite was taking chemotherapy treatments for cancer at the time she was killed, according to WXIN.
In a probable cause affidavit, investigators said Wilhoite had told police he last saw his wife sleeping on the couch after the couple had argued. When police spoke further with him, he asked for an attorney then later said he’d take them to his wife’s body, the Star reported.
According to Indiana election officials, Wilhoite can still be on a ballot for office even if he is charged with a felony and is in jail.
“Under our legal system, every person is innocent until proven guilty,” Brad King, co-director of the Indiana Election Division, told the Star. “If a candidate is ultimately convicted, then depending upon the timing of that conviction, the person can be replaced on the ballot by the political party that has a vacancy.”
According to Boone County election results Wilhoite’s 60 votes is just over 21% of those who voted in Tuesday’s election. Andrew Wilhoite’s jury trial is scheduled for Aug. 29, online court records show.
Clinton Township has a population of 906.
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