Mindy Mebane Kassotis.Photo: Georgia Bureau of Investigation/Facebook
An ex-Navy JAG officer is accused of murdering his writer wife, whose dismembered body was found in the woods of a hunting club in Georgia in December, say authorities.
On Friday, Nicholas Kassotis, 40, was arrested in Lancaster, Pa., in connection with the death of Mindi Mebane Kassotis, 40,the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced Friday.
Mindi was a writer and business owner who earned a master’s degree in public and international affairs at Virginia Tech.
Nicholas is charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence and removal of body parts from scene of death or dismemberment, according to the GBI.
Police are investigating a motive for the grisly slaying.
The shocking killing came to light on Dec. 2, 2022, when hunters came upon the remains of an unidentified woman on the grounds of the Portal Hunting Club in Riceboro, Ga., the GBI said in a statement.
Investigators believe the woman was killed approximately one to two weeks before she was found. Parts of her dismembered body were scattered around the hunting club, authorities said.
“Additional remains were discovered within a three-mile radius on the property of the hunting club in Liberty County, as well as McIntosh County,” according to the GBI.
On Dec. 13, 2022, law enforcement asked for the public’s help in identifying the woman with the use of a forensic artist’s rendering of her. Weeks later, they released additional details.
In the meantime, the GBI sought the help of the FBI in using genealogy DNA to crack the case.
“The GBI interviewed family members and obtained DNA swabs for comparison to the profile created through genealogy DNA,” the GBI said in its statement. “Mindi Kassotis was identified on May 11, 2023.”
It is unclear why Nicholas was in Lancaster at the time of his arrest, but authorities said the couple was living in Savannah, Ga., at the time of Mindi’s death.
The couple wed on Oct. 9 at Morven Park in Leesburg, Va., according tothe couple’s November 2016 announcement inThe Keene Sentinel.
“The bride has a Bachelor of Arts from Armstrong State University and a Master of Arts in public and international affairs from Virginia Tech,” the announcement read. “She is a writer and business owner.”
The groom, it continued, “has a Bachelor of Arts from Boston University, a Juris Doctor degree from Northeastern University School of Law and is pursuing a Master of Laws in national security law from Georgetown University Law Center. He is a judge advocate in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps of the U.S. Navy.
“After a honeymoon in Sonoma, Calif., the newlyweds will live in Alexandria, Va. The bride will use the name Mindi Mebane Kassotis.”
‘She Touched Many Lives’
As authorities continue to investigate, friends of Mindi’s from her Louisiana high school are reeling over her death.
“I’m still speechless,” one former high school classmate wrote.
“She touched so many lives,” another one wrote. “I hope she knew how many loved her and how many have missed her for so long. I also pray she didn’t suffer. She was such a special person, a true friend to all.”
Nicholas is being held in Lancaster County Prison as he awaits extradition to Georgia. He is listed in online inmate records under the name Nicholas Killian Stark.
It is unclear whether Nicholas has retained an attorney who can speak on his behalf. He has not yet entered a plea.
source: people.com
