Man who murdered his wife is among winners in Indiana primary race

By Edward Era Barbacena

An Indiana white man accused of killing his wife in March and dumping her body in a creek won his township board  primary elections.

Andrew Wilhoite, from Lebanon, a city about 30 miles northwest of Indianapolis, has been charged with murder in the death of his wife, Nikki Wilhoite, 41.

On Tuesday, he secured a spot as one of three Republican candidates in the race for a seat on the Clinton Township Board.

Wilhoite, 40, has been held at the Boone County Jail since March after police said he told investigators he threw a concrete flower pot at his wife and dropped her body over the side of a bridge.

Nikki Wilhoite was reported missing March 25 after her friend noticed she didn’t show up for work. On March 26, police found her body partially submerged in about 3 feet of water.

Investigators said Andrew Wilhoite initially told police he last saw his wife sleeping on the couch after the couple had an argument, according to court records. When police spoke further with him, he asked for an attorney.

Police said Andrew Wilhoite called again and said he’d take them to his wife’s body.

Nikki Wilhoite filed for divorce on March 17 after 12 years of marriage, court records show.

How can a candidate run for office while facing felony charges?

State election officials said it’s legal for people facing felony charges, such as Andrew Wilhoite, to run for local office. A person is only ineligible if they are convicted.

“Under our legal system, every person is innocent until proven guilty,” said Brad King, co-director of the Indiana Election Division.

If Wilhoite is convicted of a felony before the Nov. 8 general election, he would be automatically removed from the ballot.

The Boone County Clerk’s office said election filings occurred at the beginning of January through the first week of February, before Wilhoite was taken into custody on his murder charge.

If a person facing felony charges is elected in a township race and they are convicted after being sworn in, King said the vacancy will be filled by someone affiliated with the political party of the last person to have the seat. 

Township boards consist of three members, state officials said. The local Republican primary race has only drawn the three candidates. No one filed on the Democratic primary ticket.

Boone County election results show Andrew Wilhoite earned 60 votes, just over 21%, to his competitors’ 110 and 106 votes. Clinton Township has a population of 906, according to data from STATS Indiana. 

King further noted that there's no law prohibiting a person who's incarcerated before trial from "exercising the duties of their office," should they get elected.

"How that practically gets executed will depend on the facts," King said. 

Wilhoite's next court hearing is scheduled for May 27. The Indianapolis Star, part of the USA TODAY Network, has reached out to Andrew Wilhoite's attorney for comment.