Kansas City, MO – A 31-year-old Missouri man, John Wonder, is facing first-degree murder charges following the brutal killing of his wife, Ashli Ehrhardt, 29, in their shared home. The couple, who were in the process of divorcing, had two children together.
According to the police, Wonder allegedly stabbed and strangled Ehrhardt on September 22. The gruesome details of the crime scene revealed that Wonder had written his name in blood on his wife’s body. Following the murder, Wonder reportedly sent a chilling message to his sister, describing the act as “easy” and “satisfying.”
The couple’s absence from work raised concerns at their shared workplace, leading to a welfare check by the police. The couple’s employer also alerted Ehrhardt’s parents, who arrived at the scene along with the responding officers and Wonder’s mother.
Ehrhardt’s mother informed the police that Wonder had dropped off their two children, aged 2 and 4, at her home earlier that day, deviating from his usual routine of bringing them inside. The couple had been married since October 2019 and had decided to divorce after seeking marriage counseling last year. Ehrhardt was planning to move out of their shared home on October 1.
Upon entering the residence, Ehrhardt’s parents discovered her lifeless body in the downstairs laundry room. The police report indicated that she was partially undressed, with a belt around her neck and multiple puncture wounds on her body. A butcher knife and a meat cleaver were found near her body.
Further investigation revealed disturbing text messages sent by Wonder to his sister and a friend, expressing his lack of remorse and detailing his plans to evade the police. However, he was apprehended by Nebraska state police and is currently held on a $1 million bond.
Ehrhardt’s mother expressed her grief over her daughter’s death in a Facebook post, assuring that the couple’s children are safe and in their care. This tragic incident underscores the alarming rates of domestic violence in the United States, with nearly 20 people per minute being physically abused by an intimate partner, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.