Naman Shrestha
When a 24-year-old Army nurse named Holley Wimunc disappeared, the police launched a search to find her. However, when her remains were found a few days later, the entire community was left shell-shocked, while grief took over her family and friends. In the following days, the investigation led the detectives to the perpetrator/s involved in the gruesome murder. The episode titled ‘You Took My Daughter’ of ABC’s ’20/20′ explores the case and the investigation that ensued in a detailed manner with the help of insightful interviews.
Holley Wimunc’s Remains Were Found in a Wooded Area Days After Her Disappearance
Born on December 12, 1983, in Lafayette, Louisiana, to Jesse James, Holley Lynn James Wimunc attended Hempstead High School, after which she pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing at St. Ambrose University. When she was in the 10th grade, she was not only a cheerleader but also a part of the school’s softball, basketball, and volleyball teams. Her extracurricular activities also included participating in school plays and playing the clarinet in the band. Her father was a part of the armed forces before he became the Dean of Admissions at the University of Dubuque in 1994. Following in her father’s footsteps, in May 2007, Holley was elated when she was stationed as a nurse at Fort Bragg, where she worked in the Mother and Baby Ward of the Womack Army Medical Center.
Growing up in a farming town near Andrew, Iowa, Holley was a single mother determined to provide her two children with a better life. Later, she got into a relationship with Marine Corporal John Wimunc, whom she later married. Everything seemed to be going great in her life until fate intervened. When she didn’t show up for work on July 10, 2008, a few of her coworkers became concerned and visited her apartment, where they found evidence of a fire but no sign of the Army nurse. They called the police and reported the situation. After the authorities went inside her house, they found evidence of arson and launched an extensive search for the missing 24-year-old.
During the inspection of the property, the detectives noticed that knives were missing from the kitchen, a back window was broken, a portion of the bedroom carpet was cut out, and her car was still in the parking lot. After three days of search, on July 13, Holley’s burned remains were discovered in a wooded area near the southern border of Camp Lejeune. The autopsy report concluded that the Army maternity ward nurse died from a gunshot wound to the head, after which her remains were dismembered. According to reports, her remains were burned in the fire and then wrapped in a mattress before being buried in a shallow grave.
The Killer Took Holley Wimunc’s Life Amidst a Heated Divorce Proceeding
During the investigation, the authorities dug deep into Holley Wimunc’s life in order to learn about the circumstances surrounding her untimely and sudden demise. They learned that she was in the middle of a bitter divorce with her estranged husband, John Patrick Wimunc. As per reports, a couple of months prior to the murder, in May 2008, Holley received a temporary restraining order against John, who allegedly held a loaded handgun to her head and his in an intoxicated state. Moreover, John was not the father of Holley’s two children, who were luckily not in Fayetteville and sent to live with her father due to her unstable domestic situation.
After gathering enough evidence against John, who was stationed at Camp Lejeune, the police arrested him on the evening of July 13, 2008, as well as his friend, Kyle Alden, under suspicion of killing Holley. The following day, John was charged with first-degree arson and conspiracy to commit arson in connection with the fire at Holley’s apartment in Fayetteville. Meanwhile, Kyle, who gave the detectives a detailed confession, was also charged with first-degree arson, conspiracy to commit arson, and accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. He admitted to helping John in destroying the evidence, burying Holley’s remains, and corroborating his false alibi.
John is Currently Incarcerated at a North Carolina Prison, While Kyle Has Been Released From Prison
Thanks to Kyle Alden’s confession, the prosecution had enough evidence against John Wimunc to seek the death penalty for him. Two years after the crime, in September 2010, the Camp Lejeune Marine Corporal John Patrick Wimunc pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, arson, and conspiracy to commit arson. However, he reportedly didn’t apologize for his crimes or open up about his motive for carrying out the crime. John was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
About a week later, Kyle Alden also pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder, second-degree arson, and conspiracy to commit arson. He was sentenced to a maximum of 62 months in prison. While Kyle was discharged after serving three years, seemingly on good behavior, 40-year-old John Wimunc is serving his life imprisonment sentence at Scotland Correctional Institution in Laurinburg, North Carolina.
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