EMINENCE, Ky. — Terry Whitehouse, a man accused of killing his father-in-law and kidnapping his wife and mother-in-law, is currently awaiting trial in the Oldham County Jail. However, he claims that he is not responsible for his actions.
As Whitehouse walked out of the Shelbyville Police Department with handcuffs, he had one thing to say: “My wife told me to do it.”
Police said Whitehouse abducted his wife, Melinda, and his mother-in-law, Debbie Bowman, from Eminence on the morning of October 10. In an exclusive interview with WHAS11, Bowman claimed Whitehouse also killed her husband, Marvin Bowman, with a hammer before taking the two women at knifepoint.
“He kept telling me the whole time, Terry did, my husband was just tied up in the garage…and knowing the whole time he had already killed him, when he came in the house and got me and my daughter,” Bowman said.
Bowman managed to escape and flagged down a school bus to get help, but Whitehouse got away with Melinda. After a day-and-a-half of searching, police received a tip from Shelby County on October 12.
A neighbor spotted the van police were looking for and called the authorities. Officers from several departments went to the location Back Creek Road and attempted to pull the van over. According to Shelby County Sheriff Mark Moore, both Whitehouse and his wife got out of the van, but while Melinda stayed by the vehicle, Whitehouse ran into the woods. Using a helicopter and K-9’s, police were able to arrest Whitehouse "without incident".
Melinda Whitehouse was questioned by Eminence Police for several hours after her husband was taken into custody. She was later taken to the hospital for further evaluation. According to the department, Melinda said she was taken against her will and she is not facing any charges at this time.
Terry Whitehouse has a lengthy criminal history, including assault and domestic violence charges. He was just released from jail the night before the alleged abduction for violating a protection order filed by his wife.
Whitehouse has been charged with kidnapping, murder, and violating an EPO. He is being held on a $2 million bond and will appear in a pre-trial hearing on October 14.
Contact reporter Paulina Bucka at pbucka@whas11.com. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
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