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Cathy McNaughton was a 66-year-old woman who was found stabbed to death at her residence in Sharpsburg, Georgia, on February 15, 2009. It was her husband, Alec McNaughton, who made a 911 call.
When the authorities reached the crime scene, they found a violent crime scene, with patches of blood everywhere. Cathy's husband, Alec, was found sitting in the home office. Investigators retrieved kitchen knives and DNA samples from the crime scene, which were sent for examination.
The complete investigation behind finding the killer of Cathy McNaughton is documented in an episode of The Real Murders of Atlanta. The episode was aired on August 31, 2024.
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What happened to Cathy McNaughton
According to Oxygen, Cathy grew up in North Carolina and later moved to Atlanta. She worked at Delta Air Lines for 30 years before retiring.
In 2004, she met Alec McNaughton through an online dating site. Cathy was divorced with two adult daughters, while Alec was a well-known lawyer from Oklahoma who had also been previously married.
After dating for about six months, they got married on November 15, 2004, and settled in Georgia.
When authorities scrutinized the crime scene, they didn't find any of the valuables, including jewelry and a car, to be stolen. This eliminated the suspicion of a possible burglary.
Investigation into the murder of Cathy McNaughton
As reported by CBS, investigators found that Cathy had been dead for eight hours before the authorities were called. She had been stabbed 30 times, and the wounds suggested that Cathy tried to defend herself before the murder.
As reported by Oxygen, former Special Agent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Larry Duren, inspected the crime scene and determined that Cathy was sitting at her desk and working when she was attacked from behind.
Soon, Cathy's husband, Alec, was brought in for interrogation. Alec described his wife to be the sweetest person he had ever met and denied any involvement in the murder.
According to Alec, on the day of the murder, he woke up at 6:00 am, had coffee, and went to Sandy Springs to have lunch with his mother. When he returned around 7:30 pm, he found Cathy McNaughton dead at home.
He had a solid alibi from his mother and also shared a voice message he had left for Cathy, letting her know about his lunch plans.
As reported by CBS, Alec's 22-year-old daughter Alexis had previously died in a car accident. Alec revealed that this sent him into a phase of depression. When he was asked if this affected his marriage, he agreed.
With no more initial leads, authorities started interrogating Cathy's family members, close friends, and her ex-husband, Gary Mendenhall. Investigators discovered that Gary was in the town on the day of Cathy's murder. Additionally, he had a fresh cut wound on his thumb.
However, Gary provided his flight records proving he was on the flight at the time of the murder. Eventually, Gary was excluded from the suspicion.
Investigators found shocking facts from Alec McNaughton's past
Testing the blood samples found at the crime scene revealed that they only belonged to the victim, Cathy McNaughton. Soon, the murder became major news and reached the public. This is when authorities received a major tip from one of Cathy's co-workers.
Authorities discovered that Alec and Cathy McNaughton were going through a deep financial strain. It was revealed that Cathy was on the way to divorce Alec. When investigators went on to search into Alex's history, they discovered that he was extremely violent in his previous marriages, and even threatened to kill his daughter.
Soon, Alec's siblings, Julie Holden and Anita Cramer, revealed to the authorities that Alec was extremely violent to them while growing up. Cramer revealed about undergone severe abuse every day, but stayed silent out of fear. She further added that Alec would hit both of them and lock them in the bathroom.
It was reported that Alec had been violent in all of his previous three marriages. As per The Real Murders of Atlanta episode, Alec threatened to kill his third wife with a shotgun. Anita Cramer said that his brother is a psychopath, and was not much shocked about Cathy's death.
As reported by Oxygen, authorities discovered that Alec McNaughton suffered from a deep financial strain. Major John Lewis from the Coweta County Sheriff's Office predicted that getting married to Cathy McNaughton could be Alec's motive for gaining a strong financial hold.
As reported by Oxygen, authorities obtained a search warrant for both Alec's phone records and the McNaughton residence. While searching the house, Investigators found paper writings from Cathy in a closet, where she wrote that Alex was threatening to kill her.
They also found a disposable camera, and after the three-year-old's photos were processed, authorities discovered Cathy's pictures where she was bruised and beaten up. The phone records from Alec's phone also revealed that he made the call to Cathy, not from Sandy Springs but rather near the house.
It was on February 27, 2009, when Alec was arrested and charged with the murder of Cathy McNaughton. It was in August 2010 when he was found guilty and was sentenced to a lifetime behind bars.
Check out our other articles for details of other cases on The Real Murders of Atlanta.
