Man sentenced to life in prison for 1987 slaying of 20-year-old soldier in Colorado Springs
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- A judge sentenced Michael David White to life in prison without the possibility of parole early Friday morning, less than 24 hours after a jury found him guilty of murdering Darlene Krashoc nearly 35 years ago.
Police found Krashoc's body dumped behind a restaurant off South Academy in the early morning hours of March 17, 1987. She had been strangled with a rope and wire hanger, she had also been sexually assaulted.
Though police collected extensive evidence from the scene, the case ultimately went cold. It would take 32 years for a major break in the case.
In 2019, police entered DNA from the crime scene into a database. They didn't get a direct match, but several people showed up as partial matches. Through genealogy research, police were able to identify Michael David Whyte as the most likely suspect.
Colorado Springs Police followed Whyte as he left his home in Thornton, Colorado in May of 2019. They collected DNA samples from a fast-food cup and his car door handle. Those samples ultimately matched the extensive DNA found at Krashoc's crime scene.
Police found that Whyte lived in Colorado Springs at the time of the murder, around three miles away from where Krashoc's body was found. He was also in the Army at the time of the murder.
Police arrested Whyte in June of 2019 and charged him with two counts of first degree murder. His case finally went to trial two years later, in June of 2021. After hearing less than two weeks of testimony, it took a jury just around five hours to convict Whyte on all charges.
Right before his sentencing, Whyte declared one final time that he did not kill Krashoc. Regardless, a judge sentenced him to life without the possibility of parole.
"Hearing it officially pronounced this morning kind of gives us the closure that we've been waiting for for 34 years," said Paul Krashoc, Darlene's father.
As Whyte left the courtroom after his sentencing, his friends and family promised him that they would appeal. Whyte has maintained his innocence since he was first arrested.
