The murder trial against former JAG naval officer Nicholas Kassotis, accused of killing his wife, is underway in Georgia.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, police found the remains of Mindi Mebane Kassotis, 40 at the Portal Hunting Club in Riceboro on December 2, 2023, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Her body has been dismembered, and police found additional remains within a three-mile radius on the grounds of the club, which lie in both Liberty and McIntosh Counties.
The GBI said it believed the remains were put there on or around November 27, 2023.
During opening statements Tuesday, prosecutor Laurie Baio said Kassotis and Mindi had fled their home in Georgia after a judge ordered him to pay a $.1.5 million divorce judgment to his first wife.
Mindi never returned home.
According to Court TV, the prosecution added that the defendant had been having an affair at the time, with a woman, now his third wife, who didn’t know he was married at the time.
The defense, calling the case circumstantial, said that the couple fled their home due to a supposed FBI agent identified as “Jim McIntyre,” who allegedly controlled their lives and told them to trust no one.
The prosecution previously called the defense’s suggestion a “CIA, conspiracy theory-type argument.” McIntyre has not been located.
Baio added that a knife was found at the crime scene and provided a receipt showing a purchase made by the defendant that matched the same style of knife.
Numerous Clorox wipes were also found at the scene, along with plastic tubs that the defendant allegedly stored the body parts in.
“Those wipes were everywhere. There were lots of them that were recovered because the killer didn’t want to leave behind evidence,” Baio argued.
On Wednesday, prosecutors focused on blood found on a futon, while Kassotis’ lawyers pointed out purported inconsistencies, arguing that it could have been menstrual blood.
Former medical examiner Keith Lehman then took the stand, stating that Mindi had been cut up and thrown into the woods, where animals attacked the remains.
By the time she was found, the remains had been drained of blood, making it difficult to perform toxicology tests. However, an autopsy found nine head lacerations, one of which had been fierce enough to crack her skull.
The autopsy also indicated defense wounds on her hands and arms, along with bruising on her chest and stomach.
Baio then showed security footage of the defendant’s vehicle on the hunting club road on November 29, 2023. The defense argued that the driver was not clearly seen in the footage.
Kassotis is facing malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence and removal of body parts from the scene of death or dismemberment.
The trial continues. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Mindi Mebane Kassotis/Georgia Bureau of Investigation]
