Kathleen ‘Kat’ West was building a career as an online adult model when she was brutally killed by her husband Jeffrey

Jeffrey and Kathleen West’s 14-year marriage seemed perfect. The couple, who met in 2004 and got married in Las Vegas the same year, had matching “4life” tattoos on their wrists and would often sign off messages with codes like “12345” meaning “I love you for life” or “123” for “I love you”.

After serving 21 years in the US army, Jeffrey worked as a security guard at a college, while Kathleen, also known as Kat, was a stay-at-home mom to their 12-year-old daughter and built a career as an online adult model. In January 2018, the 42-year-old was recovering from breast implant surgery to boost her pay-per-view channel.

She would post seductive photos on social media, directing fans to her adult site for $15.99 a month, with Jeffrey often taking the photos. On January 12, the couple went on a date night, visiting a seafood restaurant and sports bar, and stopped to buy Jameson Irish Whiskey and Lucid Absinthe on the way home.

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CCTV footage showed them happy at 9 pm. After more drinks at their Calera, Alabama home, Jeffrey took photos of Kat in a pink sports bra, multicolored underwear, and pink stilettos.

However, around 5 am the next day, a neighbor leaving for work discovered Kat’s body in the street. Kat West’s life met a tragic end, laying face-down in a gutter with only her pink sports bra on and her head severely injured, reports the Mirror.

 

Kat had been married to Jeff for 14 years

A stream of blood marked the road while her mobile phone and an absinthe bottle lay scattered nearby. Onlookers thought the scene appeared eerily contrived.

As law enforcement made their way to the scene, Jeff West emerged, apparently shocked at discovering his spouse’s lifeless body. His account suggested they had partaken in drinks until 10:30pm before he retired early due to work commitments for the following morning, leaving Kat to continue her evening.

According to Jeff West, his sleep was interrupted at 5:15am by their dogs alerting him to the police presence. He surmised that his wife might have had an accidental fall or been struck by a vehicle, recounting how she liked to jump on trampolines or dance when inebriated.

Tests indicated that Kats alcohol levels were three the limit permitted for driving, likely even higher at her time of death. However, inconsistencies around her death raised eyebrows among the investigators.

Bloodstains were discovered on items inside the home, including a white tank top and a towel, not to mention the bloodied absinthe bottle. Aware of Kat’s endeavors as an adult model, authorities questioned Jeff about potential conflicts it may have caused.

He dismissed such notions, minimizing the nature of her work: “I’m not jealous of it,” he said. “They’re just pictures. She got money for it.”

Kat had been married to Jeff for 14 years

Despite this claim, Officers exposed hostile exchanges between the couple in the days leading up to the tragedy.

West initially denied any tension, claiming, “Last night was actually a really good night. Everything was going good.”

However, he later conceded that there was some stress in the relationship due to her drinking habits and because Kat had a higher libido than him, desiring intimacy four to five times a week. “I’m not as sexual as she is,” he explained to the authorities. “It is what it is. I’m happy with myself. She wasn’t happy with it.”

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The case took a turn when tests on an absinthe bottle turned up West’s fingerprints. The prints, notably from his left thumb and ring finger, were positioned as if the bottle had been held upside down by its neck, suggesting it could have been used as a weapon.

But it was the health app data from Kat and West’s phones that delivered the most damning evidence. Kat’s phone recorded her last movements at 10:54 pm, while West, who claimed to have been asleep by 10:30 pm, had activity registered at 11 pm.

Following these discoveries, West was arrested and charged with murder, spending three years in custody. He was even given a plea deal which would have set him free for time served if he admitted guilt, but he declined the offer.

Kat had been married to Jeff for 14 years

At his 2020 trial, prosecutors argued that West had struck his wife with the absinthe bottle before staging the crime scene.

The courtroom was gripped as details emerged of how West, trained in crime scene investigation, allegedly used his expertise to stage an accident. A medical specialist testified that Kat’s head wound was too extreme to result from a fall, given her petite stature at 5ft 2in.

“It was a considerable amount of force to cause an injury like that,” the expert stated, emphasizing the likelihood of significant bleeding following such trauma.

During discourse on the couple’s tensions, prosecutors illustrated a volatile relationship, asserting they had argued about Kat’s mature online content after drinking. The prosecutor painted a scenario: “He is fed up with this stuff,” then suggested an altercation ensued where West tossed Kat’s phone onto the street.

It was implied that as she went to retrieve her phone, he pursued her with an absinthe bottle in hand. “This marriage was not in a good place,” the prosecution claimed.

Kat had been married to Jeff for 14 years

Mounting a defense, West insisted he was asleep while Kat presumably continued to drink and subsequently sustained a fatal head injury outdoors. “She fell and hit her head,” the defense contended. “There’s no murder here.”

They stressed the absence of tension over her online activities, noting West even photographed for her at times. Key defense arguments included no trace of blood, DNA, or tissue evidence linking West to the crime and testimonies from both West’s and Kat’s mothers supporting his innocence.

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Kat’s mother Nancy revealed her daughter’s struggles with alcohol and admitted she often stepped outside after drinking. She stood by West, convinced that Kat’s demise was unintentional.

Despite criticism of West’s seemingly detached demeanor during the investigation, his defense highlighted his military background as a reason for his composed response to stress. The trial took a turn when prosecutors presented heated text exchanges between the couple, including one where Kat lamented about “throwing away 14 years of marriage” just weeks before her death, and another during Christmas stating, “I’m never doing this holiday again with you.”

Crucial evidence came from health app data, which contradicted West’s claim that he was asleep, showing activity at the time he said he was in bed.

Kat had been married to Jeff for 14 years

In November 2020, after five hours of jury deliberation, West was acquitted of murder but convicted of reckless manslaughter. At his February sentencing, West spoke of personal losses experienced during his time in custody, without directly naming his late wife, saying, “I lost my best friend,” which appeared self-centered.

Nancy’s plea for mercy was considered by the judge, who nonetheless felt she had overlooked the evidence against West. The judge acknowledged West’s military service and clean record but reproached him for not admitting guilt in a plea deal, leaving it to the jury to determine his responsibility for Kat’s death.

West was handed a 16-year sentence, with credit for the three years he has already served. His attorney announced plans to appeal the decision. Meanwhile, Kat, who enjoyed her adult work, was oblivious to the underlying tensions in their marriage that would tragically escalate.