The Murder of Army Specialist Darlene Krashoc
Warning, this case discusses sexual assault.
For this case, I watched an episode of On the Case with Paula Zahn. It’s season 24 episode 1, titled ‘A Mother Knows.’
A 20-year-old woman’s murder is finally solved after 32 years.
Background
Darlene Krashoc had dreamed of being in the Army since she was young. She had wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps, and told her parents about wanting to enlist shortly before she graduated high school.
At the time of her death, Darlene was active duty at a maintenance company stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado. She was described as well-liked and kind-hearted.
Darlene Krashoc
The Discovery
On March 17, 1987, two officers were out doing their daily patrol around 5am, when one of them saw what looked like a mannequin. When they took a closer look, they discovered it was actually the body of a young woman.
The woman was lying on her back, near a dumpster in the back parking lot of a shopping mall. A wire hanger was wrapped around her neck. It was obvious that her injuries were brutal. She also had blood on her nose and mouth, multiple bruises and bite marks on her body, and her left eye appeared to have been broken.
The woman was almost completely naked. She had gray pants around her ankles, a sock was still on her left foot, and she was wearing a watch, and a ring. A shoe was also found near the woman’s head.
It was obvious that this crime had been sexually motivated.
The Crime Scene
There was lack of blood at the crime scene, so the police knew that the young woman had been killed somewhere else. They believed that the killer had wanted to dispose of her, but that the dumpster had been locked.
The police processed the area. Clothing, the wire hanger, and cigarette buds were all collected. In 1987, DNA testing was still in its infancy, but the police knew that the cigarettes were fresh, and most likely important.
The previous evening, there had been severe weather warnings. It had started to snow around midnight. The police found tire impressions from a vehicle. It’s believed that the killer had arrived several hours after it had started to snow.
Under the shoe near the victim, the police found a Colorado drivers license that belonged to Darlene Krashoc, an Army Specialist. Darlene’s parents were devastated when they learned of her death, and flew down to Colorado to assist in the investigation.
The Final Hours
Darlene’s autopsy report revealed that her cause of death had been ligature strangulation from the wire hanger, and she had been sexually assaulted. The medical examiner had also found straw and dirt on Darlene’s body, which was not consistent with where she was found. There were also strange circular indentations on her back, as if she had been pushed up against something.
The Colorado Springs police worked alongside the Army Criminal Division for this case. The police units canvassed the area where Darlene had been found. There were no witnesses that saw or heard anything strange. They did learn from a bar owner that Darlene’s body had not been outside in the parking lot when they left at 2:25am.
The police wanted to know where Darlene had been on the last day of her life. They learned that her unit had been released early due to the severe weather warning. Darlene then drank with two male soldiers from her unit, and they all went to a nightclub called Shuffles.
Possible Suspects
The nightclub was only 5 miles from where Darlene’s body was found.
The police spoke to the two men that Darlene had been with that night. One of them was her squad leader, Erik Lord. He told the police that he, Darlene, and another soldier ‘Robinson’ had hung out most of the day. Erik said he wanted to leave shortly before the bar closed, but Darlene wanted to stay. Erik ended up leaving the bar when Darlene was offered a ride from another male that he didn't know.
Erik and ‘Robinson’ both agreed to be searched for injuries, and give various DNA and hair samples. Robinson did have scratches on his back, but the police learned that he had been dropped off at another bar, and had met a woman. The woman then confirmed his story.
Robinson and Erik were also given polygraph tests, which they both passed. They were ruled out. The two men learned of Darlene’s death the morning that her body was discovered. Darlene hadn't made it to formation, and the news had been on at the base.
The Ex-Husband
After Darlene’s friends were ruled out, they looked deeper into her background. They learned she had been going through a divorce from her estranged husband ‘Glenn.’
Glenn also had a possible financial motive for wanting Darlene gone. He would inherit her life insurance policy from the Army’s surviving spouse benefits.
Glenn was questioned. He said he and Darlene were on good terms, and both had been moving on. He said he was happy with his new girlfriend, and had been with her, and some friends on the night of Darlene’s death. He was also examined for injuries. He didn’t have any, and his alibi checked out.
Suspicious Behavior
After all three men were ruled out, the police received a call from an attorney. The attorney had been representing a fellow soldier, who had been charged with sexual harassment at Ft. Carson.
The attorney became suspicious when this soldier had injuries to his hands, and spoke about Darlene’s murder. He also told police that this man was the most nervous he had ever seen anyone.
The soldier was questioned, but he denied killing Darlene. He said that he had seen Darlene’s case on the news.
The man’s truck was searched. In the truck, the police found coat hangers, gravel, and straw. They also found a circular tin of shoe polish, that was consistent in shape and size as the indents found on Darlene’s back.
The man denied killing Darlene. He agreed to a polygraph test, and passed. He also provided DNA, and hair samples. There was simply no evidence actually linking him to the crime.
A Cold Case
Darlene’s case went cold for many years. In 2005, DNA advancements led to the case being reopened.
Jennifer Coslin, a supervisory biologist with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory, tested the clothing, hanger, and cigarettes. The items had unknown male DNA on it, which was then put into CODIS. There were no matches.
The DNA was retested against the other men from years earlier who had once been suspects. None of them were a match.
In 2019, the cold case team learned about genetic genealogy. It let the police search DNA databases for the suspect’s family tree. A private lab was contacted, and 9 months later, they had a match.
The DNA led the police to a distance cousin of a man named Michael Whyte, who was 58 years old in 2019. In 1987, he had been stationed at Ft. Carson, and was in Colorado during the time of Darlene’s murder.
The police were shocked that Michael didn’t have a criminal history, due to the fact that this case was so brutal and horrific.
Photos of Darlene, as well as the genealogy of tracking down Michael
Justice for Darlene
Michael had still been living in Colorado. An undercover office followed Michael, and collected a discarded cup, and sent it in for testing. Michael’s DNA was consistent with the unknown male DNA found at the crime scene.
Michael Whyte was arrested at his home. The police said he looked like he had known for years that he would be caught.
In June 2021, Michael went on trial.
The prosecution focused on Darlene’s life. They also described the brutal attack, as well as the DNA evidence, which Michael had no explanation for why his DNA was at the scene.
Michael Whyte was convicted of first degree homicide, and sentenced to life in prison. He won’t be eligible for parole until 2061.
No one knows how Darlene and Michael had crossed paths that night.
Michael Whyte
FINAL THOUGHTS
I could barely get through this episode without becoming emotional. Darlene’s parents broke my heart, but they spoke so highly of her, and about how proud they were of her for following her dreams. Her father, Paul, said that Michael didn't just kill Darlene, but killed any chance they had of having grandchildren. It's just so sad, but the police never gave up, and now Darlene and her family have gotten the justice they deserve.
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