A man currently charged with the murder of his wife is one of three Republican candidates for a seat on the Clinton Township Board in Indiana.
Andrew Wilhoite, whowas arrested and charged with killing his wifeElizabeth “Nikki” Wilhoite in March, advanced in the local election after securing his candidacy in Indiana’s primaries on Tuesday while incarcerated at Boone County Jail.
He’s currently awaiting his next court hearing, scheduled for May 27.
According to theIndy Star, it’s legal in Indiana for people charged with a felony to run for local office but they are ineligible if convicted.
Andrew, 40,received 60 votes(just over 21 percent), while his competitors received 110 and 106 votes. State officials toldIndy Starthat the township board consists of three members; the Republican primary only drew the three candidates, and nobody filed on the Democratic primary ticket.
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The wife and mother, who had just completed chemotherapy treatment for cancer, filed for separation from Andrew in March,WTHRreported.
According tothe outlet, court documents showed that Andrew initially lied to detectives before admitting to dumping Nikki’s body over a bridge after striking her in the head with a flower pot. He said in his earlier account that they were fighting about his extra-marital affair.
Boone County Sheriff’s Office has been working with ISP on the case to avoid any conflict of interest, as Andrew’s mother serves as a county councilwoman, Sheriff Mike Nielsen said in a previous release.
PEOPLE has reached out to attorneys for Wilhoite, but did not immediately hear back.
source: people.com
