On May 1, 2008, 60‑year‑old Kay Wenal was brutally murdered in her Lawrenceville, Georgia, home. The attack was savage: Kay was struck, chased into the kitchen, forced to the floor and had her throat cut with a very sharp blade. Crime scene investigators found only Kay’s blood in the house; there were no usable fingerprints, hairs, or fibers, and no signs of forced entry. Pieces of a latex glove — not matching first responders’ gloves — were recovered inside the house and on the back deck. A bloody towel was found in Kay’s upstairs closet. Investigators believe the killer was a right‑handed man wearing gloves who used a very sharp instrument and left through the woods behind the house. The motive was not robbery: credit cards and accessible jewelry were left behind and valuable jewelry was kept locked in a safe.
Kay’s husband, real estate developer Hal Wenal, and his circle were investigated early. Hal had an alibi supported by video at the likely time of the crime and initially cooperated with detectives. He offered a reward — eventually $250,000 — and later hired retired FBI agent Ned Timmons and a private team when the police investigation stalled. Hal died in 2010; his death curtailed private funding for follow‑up work.
The crime scene suggested familiarity: investigators believed Kay likely let her killer into the home. Blood patterns and the way her glasses were found indicate she was struck first and ran; the second assailant caught her in the kitchen and cut her throat. Pieces of latex gloves and the choice of a clean, sharp instrument suggested some planning. Profiles assembled by investigators and former FBI profiler Mary Ellen O’Toole point to a male perpetrator for the physical violence, though the cut‑and‑paste letter that arrived at the Atlanta Journal‑Constitution in July 2008 — a threatening, expletive‑filled note assembled from magazine clippings and mailed from Augusta, Georgia — may have been written by a woman attempting to mislead investigators. The letter called Kay a “money‑grubbing whore” and threatened revenge for a spurned relationship; its tone and construction raised doubts among profilers about whether it was from the killer or a plant to create a “jilted lover” narrative.
Key physical evidence:
– Bloody towel in Kay’s upstairs closet.
– Fragments of latex gloves inside the house and on the back deck, not matching responder gloves.
– No footprints or definitive physical traces of the assailant; no DNA tied to a suspect publicly reported.
– All blood identified as Kay’s.
– Knife wounds consistent with a very sharp blade (scalpel‑type or a sharp hunting/fishing knife).
– Surveillance footage from the neighborhood captured a man who a neighbor saw twice the day before and the day of the murder; that man was reportedly walking (no car visible) in a subdivision where people normally drive. The neighbor described him as a white male, wire‑rimmed glasses, aging and balding. He carried a flyer for a house for sale that would only have been given to people inside that house.
The investigation and suspects
– Hal Wenal: Investigated from day one but cleared by video alibis and no evidence tying him to the crime. Hal appeared grief‑stricken and funded private team efforts.
– Jeff Gilbert: Kay’s third husband, mentioned because of history and past threats when Kay left him for Hal. Investigators checked airline and phone records and found no indication he was in the area.
– Labor and work associates: Private investigators and police explored Hal’s business connections and lawsuits, including allegations of fraud and unsettled debts. Some investigators considered whether someone angry at Hal might have targeted Kay as part of revenge. The profile of the attack — close, violent, with physical contact and throat‑slashing — did not easily fit a professional hit aimed at Hal.
– Karen Scott: A close friend and Hal’s employee, Karen was near Kay’s life and present in the immediate aftermath (Hal and a colleague delivered breakfast to Karen the morning Kay was killed; Karen was his first call after the discovery). Police investigated Karen, reviewed her alibi via cellphone records, and found no evidence linking her to the murder or the ransom‑style letter. Profilers, however, flagged that the cut‑and‑paste letter was the kind of note sometimes authored by women trying to mislead investigators, and encouraged a re‑examination of people interviewed early in the probe.
– Unknown “man with flyer”: The most promising lead was the stranger seen in the neighborhood the afternoon of the murder and the previous day. He was carrying a house‑for‑sale flyer that investigators later determined had been distributed only to people who had been inside that house and that house had had no public showings. The neighbor who saw him twice helped create a sketch. That man has not been definitively identified and remains a strong person of interest.
The cut‑and‑paste letter
– Mailed July 21, 2008 from Augusta, Georgia; contained expletive‑filled accusations and references to Kay’s “secret life.”
– The note was cut from magazines and glued, suggesting deliberate effort to avoid fingerprints — and the envelope and letter showed no forensic DNA.
– Profilers noted the letter’s structure and tone resembled a staged “threat note” and suggested it might have been intended to divert police to the “jilted lover” scenario and away from other motives.
– The letter raised the possibility of multiple participants: one person may have written the note while another committed the murder.
Other findings and developments
– The Wenal home was left unchanged for months: Kay’s open book, her sneakers, blood stains remained. Hal kept the house as found, reportedly unable to bear changes after the murder.
– Hal financed private lab work and investigators traveled to multiple jurisdictions chasing leads tied to people Kay might have known.
– Hal’s business troubles and lawsuits prompted investigation into possible enemies tied to his real estate dealings. Some wondered if debts, fraud, or anger towards Hal could have led to a revenge killing — but investigators emphasized the manner of the crime and its personal nature more closely matched an offender who had a relationship or personal connection to Kay.
– Private investigation work slowed after Hal’s death in 2010 when funding ended. Gwinnett County’s cold case unit continues the official investigation, but detectives say they lack a clear break.
What authorities and private investigators believe
– The physical brutality and the “insurance” second neck cut indicate rage and personal motive.
– The killer likely knew Kay, knew the house layout, and entered with purpose. Investigators believe Kay allowed the person in rather than being ambushed through forced entry.
– The assailant appears to be a man (based on strength of the blows and the attack) — but the staged letter and other oddities mean that a woman could have tried to misdirect investigators.
– The “man with the flyer” seen in and around the neighborhood on the day of the murder is a key unresolved lead.
– The case remains open; the crime laboratory found no usable DNA from the letter or other submitted items that has been publicly tied to a suspect.
Family appeal
Kay’s sister, Pam Sleeper, and other relatives continue to press for answers. Pam and Kay’s mother and friends visit Kay’s grave and publicly urge anyone with information — especially about the stranger seen in the neighborhood, the house flyer, or anyone who knew of a threat to Kay — to contact Gwinnett County Police or 48 Hours. Pam and private investigators say there are people who know something important and encourage them to come forward.
How you can help
If you have any information about:
– A man seen walking in the Wenal subdivision the day before and the day of May 1, 2008, carrying a house‑for‑sale flyer.
– A man who resembles the sketch or appears in older photos with Kay.
– Anyone who might have known about Kay’s private life or the papered letter (July 2008) or who displayed knowledge about Kay’s house, family, or the Wenals’ situation.
– Any suspicious activity in Lawrenceville, Georgia, around May 1, 2008.
Contact Gwinnett County Police Detectives (Cold Case unit) or the tip line listed on the “48 Hours” segment. Investigators welcome new tips, no matter how small they seem, and stress that even an innocuous recollection can sometimes break a cold case.
