A panicked father called 911 claiming he had fought off a murderous home invader who had stabbed his wife to death while their children slept. Jodi Ann Cathcart, 36, was found in a pool of blood in the bedroom of the couple's home in Covington, Washington, on May 1.
Covered in blood, Kyle Wayland Cathcart, 41, recounted in hospital how he heard his wife scream for help while he was in the shower about 6:15 am. He thought she was just having one of her leg cramps, but when he returned he saw a man dressed in a dark hoodie stabbing Jodi as she lay in bed.
Cathcart told police he charged at the attacker, staring into his piercing blue eyes as he fought for his family's lives. They were evenly matched, he said - both about 5 feet 11 inches and 215 pounds - as the home invader stabbed Cathcart repeatedly in the stomach before fleeing. The furious father gave chase and threw the man against a wall and punched him until he dropped the knife - one stolen from his kitchen.
'The suspect was then able to get the upper hand on Kyle. He struck Kyle on the face and began smashing him against the garage entry door, at which point Kyle fell unconscious,' police wrote in their report.
Cathcart came to and found his wife dead but his three adopted and fostered children unharmed, and called for help about 7:25 am. During his interview, Cathcart bizarrely volunteered a story about when he tried to smother Jodi with a saran-wrapped pillow after taking Zzzquil in November 2024. He said the incident, which police confirmed with Jodi's mother and best friend, was why he didn't take any medication.
Cathcart played detectives footage from his doorbell camera showing a man in a dark hoodie - with a white tag showing it was turned inside-out - leaving the house and disappearing down the street. The detectives pointed out to Cathcart that he was the same height and build as the killer, and asked if he hurt his wife - which he denied, pointing out if he had, the footage would have shown him going back into the house. He also denied owning similar clothes, just a black sweater with 'Karate Dad' printed on it in white, but no black pants.
Cathcart also explained that Jodi's bloodied wallet was found in the hallway because the killer dropped it during the struggle, claiming it had $800 inside. The detectives let Cathcart go and returned to the scene to investigate further. That was when his terrifying tale allegedly began to unravel.
No sooner had they arrived at the three-bedroom, two-bathroom 1,230-square-foot house the couple bought for $410,000 in 2019, they realized Cathcart's story didn't add up. Blood was on the ground near the garage door, close to a keypad that opened it from the outside, and wasn't covered by any of the cameras. Anyone who knew the combination could get in and out without being recorded, they realized.
Then they spotted a pile of bloodied black clothes in the neighbor's yard, which the resident denied ever seeing before. One of them was a black hoodie turned inside-out, branded 'Maple Valley Martial Arts Center' and 'Karate Mom' on the back. Jodi's mother said the hoodie was her daughter's - and she wore it frequently.
Police added it all up: No sign of forced entry, no footage of the killer coming inside, the man leaving resembling Cathcart and dressed in what looked like Jodi's bloodied clothing found next door, and the camera blind spot by the garage door. Cathcart - they came to believe - wasn't a heroic dad who tried to save his wife, but a killer who had ample time to sneak back inside and call 911.
A warrant for his arrest was finally issued on Sunday, but by then Cathcart was long gone and a public manhunt began. 'If you see this piece of s**t, his name is Kyle he was last seen wearing a tank top and shorts, was barefoot,' Jodi's cousin Scott Spivey wrote online. 'He is wanted for murdering our awesome cousin Jodi. And by the way, King County Police... thanks for letting him out of your grasp at the hospital. You could have held him for 48 hours WTF?'
Tiffany McKendrick, another of Jodi's cousins, added: 'This motherf**ker murdered my cousin (his wife) on Friday. He was released from custody due to a lack of evidence, but now is wanted for her murder.' Renton Police tracked down Kyle Cathcart in an industrial area late on Monday night and he was handed over to the King County Sheriff's Office. He was booked into King County Correctional Facility in Seattle at 2:13 am on Tuesday on suspicion of murder.
Police alleged in their probable cause affidavit that Cathcart confessed during interrogation to the premeditated murder of his wife. 'On the morning of the homicide, Kyle put on Jodi's clothes, retrieved a kitchen knife, and proceeded to stab her numerous times. Jodi fought back but succumbed to her injuries,' they wrote. 'Kyle stated that he attempted to kill himself with the knife, but the knife was too dull. Kyle then purposefully removed items from Jodi's wallet and fled out the front door to stage a burglary.'
Cathcart allegedly admitted to taking off the clothing he used in the murder and throwing it over the fence, then going back inside through the garage. He then smeared the inside of the garage door with blood and planted the knife in the hallway, police alleged he told them. Cathcart was charged with murder and held without bail after a hearing on Wednesday. He will face court again on Thursday afternoon for a bond hearing. 'He has been caught and will face justice!' Jodi's cousin Spivey celebrated.
