LIBERTY COUNTY, Ga. (Court TV) — A former naval officer was sentenced to life in prison after he was convicted of murdering and dismembering his wife in Georgia.
Nicholas Kassotis, 43, was found guilty on each of the dozen charges he faced, including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and tampering with evidence in the November 2022 death of Mindi Kassotis, 40.
(L) Nicholas Kassotis reacts to the jury’s verdict Aug. 14, 2025. (Court TV), (R) FILE: Mindi Kassotis (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Immediately following the jury’s verdict, Nicholas was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 25 years.
Hunters found Mindi’s dismembered remains on December 2 in Riceboro. Authorities said her remains were found in multiple locations within a three-mile radius, according to a press release.
Nicholas, also known as Nicholas Killian James Stark, was arrested in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on May 12, 2023. His arrest came one day after Mindi’s remains were positively identified through genealogy DNA.
According to a marriage announcement, Nicholas was a JAG in the U.S. Navy, and Mindi was a writer and business owner. The couple was living in Savannah when Mindi was killed.
In their opening statement, prosecutors claimed the couple was on the run to avoid paying a $.1.5 million divorce judgment to the defendant’s first wife, and that Nicholas was having an affair with a woman he later married.
The defense argued the couple was actually running from an individual referred to as “Jim McIntyre,” and said the state’s case is circumstantial.
DAILY TRIAL UPDATES
DAY 8 – 8/14/25
- VIDEO: GA v. Nicholas Kassotis – Day 8 | Dismembered Wife Murder Trial
- A jury convicts Kassotis on all charges, including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and tampering with evidence in the November 2022 death of Mindi.
- A sentencing hearing immediately followed the verdict.
- Megan Mebane, married to Mindi’s brother, spoke on behalf of the family and called Kassotis a sociopath, a psychopath and a murderer.
- Morgan Paddock, Mindi’s friend, said she is still haunted by the loss and Kassotis’ behavior.
- A statement was read on behalf of Samantha Kolesnik, who described the difficulty in testifying against her ex-husband and said she would be forever haunted by what could have happened to her.
- Linda Kassotis, Nicholas’ mother, spoke on his behalf and described him as a kind and gentle person, but said she had not been in touch with him for years.
- Kassotis was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 25 years.
- Jury Foreman Kai Andrew spoke out after convicting Kassotis of murdering his wife. Andrew noted the lack of evidence around “Jim McIntyre’s” existence and said what happened to Mindi was “unspeakable.”
DAY 7 – 8/13/25
- VIDEO: GA v. Nicholas Kassotis – Day 7 | Dismembered Wife Murder Trial
- Nicholas Kassotis took the stand, detailing a life on the run at the direction of “Jim McIntyre” and Mindi’s death.
- WATCH: Dismembered Wife Murder Trial: Defendant Nicholas Kassotis Testifies
- Kassotis did not deviate from what he told police happened to his wife during the Thanksgiving weekend of 2022: Mindi was hospitalized on Saturday and died suddenly during her stay at a non-traditional hospital. He told the jury that he believed she was pregnant at the time and had stayed in touch with her over the next few days, and though he did not go see her he believed all was well.
- He admitted to buying the knife, shovel, and deer processing kit and agreed he had traveled the route as documented by his car’s phone, but turned off his personal cell phone for two hours on the morning of November 29, for his own safety on the advice of Jim McIntyre who he believed at the time was tasked with investigating alleged banking hacks and mail disruptions he and Mindi were experiencing.
- On cross, prosecutor Laurie Baio noted his training and education as a lawyer and his stints with the Navy as a JAG officer and counsel to senior officers at the Pentagon, yet he failed to secure a single document related to his employment or his wife’s hospitalization and death. More importantly, he failed to subpoena Jim McIntyre to be a witness in his murder trial or hire a private investigator to find him, to which he quipped, “No ma’am I thought the state would do that, but you all didn’t really care that much.”
- WATCH: Nicholas Kassotis Went to the Car Wash After Learning His Wife Was Dead
- He insisted that he did not kill his wife, never laid a hand on her, and could not have dismembered her because he is “afraid” of blood.
- Kassotis’ defense attorney briefly questioned him again on redirect.
- WATCH: Kassotis Says He Trusted ‘Jim,’ Now Feels Betrayed in Wife Mindi’s Death
- The defense rested after Nicholas Kassotis testified.
- In closing, defense attorney Doug Weinstein emphasized Kassotis’ willingness to testify and his statements to detectives suggesting he had nothing to hide.
- Weinstein also noted the lack of a murder weapon in the State’s case and pointed to the lack of forensic evidence connecting his client to the crime scene, noting that the State’s own toolmark examiner said the knife found near Mindi’s torso was not used to dismember her.
- WATCH: Lawyer, Ex-Navy JAG Kassotis Insists He Got No Documents on Wife’s Death
- WATCH: Dismembered Wife Murder Trial: Kassotis’ Defense Delivers Closings
- In its closing, the State conceded that it did not know how she was killed but argued that the defendant was the last to see her and the only one to have access to her that weekend.
- Prosecutor Laurie Baio highlighted the brutal injuries Mindi sustained, the blows to her head, abdomen, and the defensive wounds to her arms: “No doctor inflicted those wounds,” she said, referring to the defendant’s contention that his wife was being treated by medical professionals when she died.
- Baio suggested that the defendant was mad when he learned that Mindi wasn’t pregnant and stabbed her in the abdomen: “Mindi knew that if he found out she wasn’t pregnant she would lose him.” Baio argued that after the defendant learned there was no baby, he wanted options, and went looking for another mate by wooing Samantha Kolesnik, who became his third wife.
- WATCH: State’s Closing: ‘Every Single One of Us Is Here Because of Mindi’
DAY 6 – 8/12/25
- VIDEO: GA v. Nicholas Kassotis – Day 6 | Dismembered Wife Murder Trial
- Heather Thomas, the defendant’s first wife, testified that she had been married to Nicholas Kassotis for six years.
- Although they both wanted a family, she had a condition that made it difficult for her to conceive, and they split up without ever having children.
- She said Kassotis never paid her the money she was owed, including a $1.5 million judgment to settle their divorce.
- She agreed that Kassotis believed she was unfaithful, but she denied any infidelity.
- When they met again after she remarried, she was pregnant with her new husband’s child and described the meeting as “very awkward.”
- Angela Wynn, who served as Mindi’s matron of honor, said Kassotis called her crying to tell her that Mindi had passed away and later told her she died from a “massive stroke.”
- Wynn said she believed Mindi was pregnant at the time and when she asked about the baby, the defendant told her, “We lost the baby.”
- Wynn said she repeatedly asked about funeral arrangements for Mindi. Still, Kassotis never held a funeral or memorial service for her, nor did he tell her that Mindi had been cremated.
- Cameron Nelson, who worked with the defendant in the Navy, said they became good friends and socialized as couples.
- Nelson said that after Kassotis left active duty, he struggled financially and asked her to borrow money from her. She loaned him $2K, and eventually that assistance ballooned to nearly $200K when she let him use her credit card. Nelson said she had to cut him off in 2021. Kassotis said he would pay her back, but never did.
- Kassotis told her that Mindi had passed from a stroke and that she suffered from blood pressure irregularities.
- Chris Czaplak worked with the defendant, serving as JAG officers in the Navy, and both worked in Italy for a few years where Kassotis worked as a prosecutor.
- Czaplak recounted that in July of 2022, Kassotis told him that Mindi was pregnant and that because there were some strange happenings with their bank accounts, he and Mindi would be changing their names.
- The next time they spoke, in March 2023, Czaplak asked about Mindi, and Kassotis said Mindi had passed away before giving birth.
- Mindi’s boss, Joseph West, said that Kassotis reached out to him to inform him of Mindi’s passing, but told him that she had developed sepsis and died from an infection.
DAY 5 – 8/11/25
- VIDEO: GA v. Nicholas Kassotis – Day 5 | Dismembered Wife Murder Trial
- Jurors heard a second interview Nicholas Kassotis gave to police in which detectives pushed back against his story about Jim McIntyre and Mindi’s stroke, calling it a “web of lies.”
- Kassotis remained steadfast in his claim that he acted on the advice of his handler, McIntyre, insisting that he did not hurt his wife, Mindi, even though her body parts were strewn over a 3-mile radius over two rural counties in Georgia.
- In a May 26, 2023 interview with police a few weeks after his arrest, Kassotis stuck to his initial statement that Mindi was hospitalized and that he took her belongings in totes to a location to be left for someone to pick up.
- That location also happened to be on the same road that led to the hunting club where some of her body parts were recovered.
- Skeptical detectives prodded Kassotis for the truth and pushed him to tell them why he killed her, even suggesting at one point that he stabbed her in the stomach because she lied to him about being pregnant.
- Kassotis insisted he did not hurt Mindi and volunteered to take a polygraph, though that portion of the interview was excluded from the jury. Over and over again, police accused him of lying, only to be met by denials.
- Toolmarks examiner Lauren Satcher testified that the knife found near the torso was not used to dismember her body.
- Satcher was also asked to examine the tools from a deer processing kit similar to one purchased by the defendant. She could not eliminate the saw in the kit, but could not say that the saw or one like it was used to dismember Mindi’s body.
- Satcher opined that the markings on the bone suggested a power tool and that the saw in the deer processing kit was a hand tool.
- FBI cell phone analyst James Berni concluded that Kassotis’ car was in the vicinity of a Home Depot, followed later in the morning in the area of the hunting club where Mindi’s remains were found.
- Bernie testified that from approximately 10:30 pm-12 pm, Kassotis’ phone showed no activity, the blackout suggested to investigators that Kassotis turned off his phone so he could not be tracked while dumping Mindi’s body parts.
- On cross, defense counsel Doug Weinstein suggested that the cell location analysis offered only a general coverage area, which was not precise enough to pinpoint a location.
DAY 4 – 8/8/25
- VIDEO: GA v. Nicholas Kassotis – Day 4 | Dismembered Wife Murder Trial
- Dr. Edward Mondor, a forensic entomologist, testified that based on the age of the maggots recovered from Mindi’s severed leg, she would have died anytime during the period between November 27 and November 30, 2022.
- Mindi’s friend Morgan Paddock testified that Mindi was feared for her safety and communicated with her through the Signal app. She believed that Mindi would reach out to see her once she felt safe. She would later learn that Mindi lived less than a mile from her home in Savannah.
- Samantha Kolesnik, a horror fiction author, married Kassotis in April of 2023. She was unaware that he had a different name before they married. She testified she and the defendant began exchanging emails and texts in September of 2022, when he was still married to Mindi, but the defendant told her that he was widowed, his wife and unborn child died two years earlier.
- WATCH: Nicholas Kassotis’ Third Wife: He Told Me Mindi Died in the Hospital
- After flirtatious calls and texts, the defendant asked to meet her, and he drove to Pennsylvania, where they met for the first time on December 16, 2022, a few weeks after Mindi’s remains were discovered. He told her then that he was working on a merger in Missouri and his company would eventually relocate him to Delaware.
- They became engaged in February and married in April. When Kolesnik was asked about March 20, 2023, a particularly traumatic day in their relationship, Kolesnik testified that Kassotis was supposed to pick up a cashier’s check to pay for a house they were going to purchase. She said the Ford Explorer he was driving caught fire along with the house check, and she had to persuade him to make an insurance claim.
- READ: Ex-wife testifies: Nicholas Kassotis claimed to be a widower
- After learning of the defendant’s past, she hired an attorney to have her marriage to Kassotis annulled, and the traumatized author said she cooperated fully with investigators.
- Jurors heard the defendant’s two-hour statement to police after he was arrested in May of 2023 for his wife’s murder. In a lengthy, rambling interview, Nicholas Kassotis explained to detectives that his wife, Mindi, was hospitalized and ultimately died from a stroke, but that is contrary to evidence that she was murdered and dismembered.
- WATCH: Jury Hears 2023 Police Interview of Nicholas Kassotis After Arrest
- Kassotis, himself an attorney and using a different name, Nicholas Kilian James Stark, waived his Miranda rights and elected not to have a lawyer present during the lengthy interview at the Lancaster County Prison in Pennsylvania, where he was detained.
- WATCH: Dismembered Wife Murder Trial: Day 4 Recap
DAY 3 – 8/7/25
- VIDEO: GA v. Nicholas Kassotis – Day 3 | Dismembered Wife Murder Trial
- Betsy Mebane, the victim’s mother, wept as she recalled how the defendant broke the news to her that her daughter was dead. Nicholas Kassotis told her that Mindi was not “coming home,” after suffering a stroke during what was supposed to be a brief hospital stay for a blood pressure condition.
- Mebane said a few days after learning of Mindi’s death, her son-in-law packed up their belongings and moved them out of the Savannah house that they shared with Mindi and Nick – and into a condo in Hilton Head. Mebane said a few months later she received an email from what she thought was his security detail informing her that Kassotis had been in an accident, which was followed by another email a few weeks later telling her he was dead.
- Mebane believed it was true until May of 2023, when investigators visited her to collect a DNA sample, which would eventually link her to the headless torso that was her daughter’s.
- Betsy and her husband Frank III both testified that their daughter and Nick were fearful and often talked about the need for security.
- WATCH: Dismembered Wife Murder Trial: Victim Mindi Kassotis’ Mom Takes The Stand
- WATCH: Dismembered Wife Murder Trial: Victim Mindi Kassotis’ Dad Takes The Stand
- They testified that Mindi was so afraid she barely left the house and testified that the couple frequently moved residences fearing that their lives were in danger and at one point contemplated changing their name to Stark.
- They believed that Kassotis, after leaving the Navy, worked for Microsoft. The Mebanes frequently saw him working on a computer but did not ever see any documentation or screen activity to suggest that he was actually employed by Microsoft. Frank said Kassotis was secretive about what he did.
- They believed and trusted him and did not ask questions when he told them that Mindi died at the hospital on December 1. Kassotis told them he had taken her to the hospital to regulate her blood pressure and that she died from a stroke.
- WATCH: Defendant Nicholas Kassotis To Victim’s Mother: ‘Mindi Is Not Coming Home’
- WATCH: Mindi Kassotis’ Dad On Being Told She Died: Wish I Could’ve Said Goodbye
- They said he would have a memorial service for Mindi at the beginning of the new year; it never happened.
- An investigator testified about items the defendant purchased in the months and days before Mindi’s remains were discovered on December 2, 2022:
- November 29, Kassotis was seen buying a Milwaukee knife much like the one recovered near the torso.
- On November 28, a receipt bearing his name revealed he purchased a 7-piece knife set from Bass Pro shop.
- On November 4, he bought a shovel and a hammer, prosecutors suggest a shovel was used to bury his wife’s severed head.
- On August 16, Kassotis made a Home Depot purchase that included Chlorox wipes, latex gloves, and folding razors.
- A DNA analyst testified the knife and storage totes found at the crime scene were tested and while the items tested positive for the presence of human blood, there was not enough recoverable DNA on the items to develop profiles.
- The landlord who rented the Savannah home to Kassotis testified that when he and the others moved out of the condo, she noticed the rug in the den was gone, replaced by a cheaper version with a similar pattern.
DAY 2 – 8/6/25
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- VIDEO: GA v. Nicholas Kassotis – Day 2 | Dismembered Wife Murder Trial
- The medical examiner who examined the body parts of Mindi Mebane Kassotis testified in excruciating detail the savage attack she suffered before being cut up and dumped in the woods where animals chewed away at what was left of her.
- Dr. Keith Lamar Lehman testified that Mindi’s body parts were so drained of blood, that they could not recoup enough of it for toxicology tests. Her legs were cut from her torso across the femur bones, which would have severed the largest arteries and veins emptying the body of most of its blood content.
- WATCH: Dismembered Wife Murder Trial: Day 2 Recap
- Lehman also testified that Mindi suffered nine lacerations to her head including one wound that struck deep enough to cause a skull fracture. She also suffered cuts and bruising to her chest and abdomen. Bruises on her arms and the back of hands suggested she tried to defend herself against the onslaught of blows.
- Lehman said a piece of her liver was sent for toxicology testing when normally blood from the heart would be used. Toxicology tests revealed a non-lethal concentration of Benadryl but the forensic toxicologist could not say what affect that concentration would have had on Mindi.
- Lehman’s autopsy noted no trace of a fetus, even though her parents thought she was 8-months pregnant at the time and that she was due to give birth in January of the following year.
- On cross the medical examiner agreed that Mindi’s head wounds would have produced copious amounts of blood – but a GBI agent previously testified that only a small amount of blood was found at the house. The defense suggested that blood found on the couple’s futon could have been menstrual blood and not blood from a head wound.
- Lehman ruled Mindi’s death a homicide caused by traumatic injury.
- GBI agent Lindsay Smith testified that identifying the remains of the victim was so challenging that it required the help of a forensic artist who created two drawings based on photographs of the severed head – which were released to the media in an appeal for help in identifying the victim.
- When the sketches produced no results, investigators turned to a private genetic genealogy firm that linked the DNA from the body parts to Mindi’s mother, before Mindi Mebane Kassotis was identified as the murder victim.
- Prosecutors displayed photos of what appeared to be the defendant’s car driving on the same road leading to the hunting club on November 29, a few days before Mindi’s remains were found. On cross-examination, the defense noted that the driver of the vehicle was not visible in any of the photos captured by surveillance cameras.
DAY 1 – 8/5/25
- VIDEO: GA v. Nicholas Kassotis – Day 1 | Dismembered Wife Murder Trial
- In their opening statement, the defense says the prosecution’s case against Nicholas is circumstantial and lacks direct evidence tying him to the crime. The defense urged the jury to focus on the lack of concrete evidence while emphasizing that his actions, including lies and deception, were driven by fear for their lives rather than guilt or intent to harm. The defense claims the couple was on the run after an FBI agent named ‘Jim McIntyre’ told them they were in danger and to trust no one.
- WATCH: State: Mindi Kassotis’ Killer ‘Was A Prosecutor,’ Knew How to ‘Clean Up’
- Prosecutors described how Nicholas, a decorated JAG officer with the Navy who held two law degrees, allegedly killed and dismembered Mindi, saying his experience as a prosecutor meant he knew how to clean a crime scene.
- The prosecution focused on evidence they believe ties Nicholas to the crime, including his purchase of a Milwaukee knife at a Home Depot the day Mindi’s body was dumped.
- Plastic tubs used to transport the body parts were also purchased at Home Depot and recovered from the scene. DNA analysis linked the remains to the victim, according to prosecutors.
- Prosecutors described how Nicholas was involved with another woman who didn’t know he was married. He ended up marrying the woman just months after Mindi’s murder.
- David Owen Lovett was at the Portal Hunting Club the weekend after Thanksgiving.
- Killed a deer in the vicinity, then walked to investigate what he initially thought was a hog; discovered it was actually a human torso in a ditch (picture of the torso was shown to the jury.)
- Did not touch the torso before officers arrived.
- The torso was in the same condition when the first officer arrived.
- Anthony Brown, part of US Marshals Task Force; received dispatch to Riceboro; met with George McCowan.
- Observed vehicles and hunters around the ditch where the body was found.
- Identified the crime scene and initiated a crime scene log.
- Worked with Phillip McCollar, who found a knife at the edge of the woodline.
- Adjusted the crime scene tape and waited for GBI (Georgia Bureau of Investigation) to arrive.
- Phillip McCallar returned to the scene and found a leg approximately 2.5 feet away from the roadway, approximately 20 yards away; initially thought it was a deer.
- John Murphy, former law enforcement officer, assisted in the search for a deceased person; portions of the body had already been recovered.
- Recognized a human leg during the search; confirmed photo accuracy.
- Located a Rubbermaid tote in the bushes, assumed to contain blood.
- Followed leads from the site where the torso was discovered, which led to other clothing being found.
- GBI Special Agent Brett Dickerson described the condition of the remains at autopsy, which were later confirmed through DNA analysis.
- WATCH: GBI Special Agent: Processed Mindi Kassotis’ ‘Torso and Left Leg’ at Lab
- Identified a pumping station approximately half a mile from where a torso was found.
- Slide 35 displayed a gray plastic storage container discovered by a cadaver dog. Container found off the roadway, containing about two inches of water and leaves, with reddish-brown stains appearing to be blood.
- Utilized filter paper to collect potential trace evidence. Swabbed reddish-brown stains for testing. Performed blood presumptive tests indicating the presence of human blood.
- Involvement of a Department of Natural Resources team to identify human scents in unusual locations. Torn pieces of clothing were located near the storage container.
- Treated Mindi and Nicholas’s residence as a crime scene due to Mindi’s severe injuries. Employed Blue Star, a chemical reagent, to detect unseen blood stains.
- Blue Star was applied in a darkened environment. Significant reactions noted on a blue futon with visible reddish-brown stains. Additional field tests confirmed the presence of human blood.
- Detailed notes were taken on blood stains and Blue Star applications. Photographs were captured of the stains and various areas of the residence, including the floor.
- Explained procedures for handling evidence after processing. Discussed storage methods, barcoding, and maintaining the chain of custody.
- Packaged the black tote recovered from the scene. Sent the tote to the crime lab for further analysis with proper sealing and identification.
- Identified a 25-gallon Husky storage tote with one handle. Confirmed it was similar in appearance to what was found at the scene, noting a crack and crime lab tagging.
- Confirmed the existence of a second gray tote, found by cadaver dogs. All markings and tags were intact; the tote was in the same condition as submitted.
- Discussed previous field tests and swabs taken from the totes. Emphasized the importance of properly cleansing evidence. Included cleansing wipes taken from a knife handle; committed to preserving evidence for analysis.
- Discussed a fixed-blade knife recovered from the first crime scene. Opened the knife box in court, revealing a six-inch knife that was improperly sheathed. Confirmed chain of custody through handwriting on the packaging.
- Clarified he did not process bugs taken from the victim’s leg. Confirmed the bugs were preserved in alcohol and brought to court in a sealed paint can.
- Clarified that the bag contained only clothing found in a black garbage bag. Included soiled underwear and a camisole that appeared to be cut or torn. Items needed to be dried before proper packaging.
- Provided insights into the smell of decomposition. Noted that the torso’s smell was mild, suggesting a relatively short time since death due to cool temperatures.
- Indicated no active bleeding or blood was detected from Mindi’s wounds upon recovery. Confirmed specific locations in the Savannah residence where limited blood evidence was found.
- Noted the thoroughness of the search in the Savannah residence. Indicated the entirety of the house was obscured for evidence preservation. Reiterated that only a small amount of blood was recovered, and investigative testing was limited.
- WATCH: Dismembered Wife Murder Trial: Day 1 Recap
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