William Clyde Gibson III is a convicted serial killer from New Albany, Indiana, who murdered three women between 2002 and 2012 and now sits on death row at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City. He received two death sentences and a 65-year prison term for the killings. His federal habeas corpus case remains pending as of mid-2026, and no execution date has been set.1Indiana Public Defender Council. Death Penalty
The Three Victims
All three of Gibson’s known victims were killed in Floyd County, Indiana. The crimes only came to light in April 2012, but the first killing dated back a decade.
Karen Hodella, 2002
Karen Sue Hodella, a 44-year-old beautician from Florida, was visiting Southern Indiana in October 2002. She told relatives a “nice man” had been buying her drinks at a bar shortly before she vanished. Gibson later admitted he fatally stabbed her on October 10, 2002. Her decomposed body was found near the Ohio River in Clarksville, Indiana in early 2003, and her identity was confirmed three months after her disappearance through a thumbprint match in an FBI database.2Courier-Journal. Gibson Little Comment Murder Sentencing The case stayed cold until Gibson’s 2012 arrest.
Stephanie Kirk, 2012
Stephanie Kirk, 35, of Charlestown, Indiana, met Gibson at a bar in New Albany. He strangled her, sexually assaulted her corpse, and buried her body in the backyard of his home on Woodbourne Avenue.3WAVE 3 News. Serial Killer William Clyde Gibson Sentenced to Death for Kirk Murder Her remains were found when police searched the property in April 2012.
Christine Whitis, 2012
Christine Whitis, 75, was the best friend of Gibson’s late mother. He killed her on or around April 18, 2012, and her body was found the next day in his garage.4WAVE 3 News. William Clyde Gibson’s Home No Longer Evidence, Now Family Estate It was her murder that led to Gibson’s arrest.
How Gibson Was Caught
On the afternoon of April 19, 2012, Gibson’s sisters Brenda Ray and Theresa Adam went to his home after receiving a letter from an attorney asking for mileage information on their deceased mother’s car, which was stored at the house. When no one answered the door, Ray opened the garage to check on the vehicle and saw a body on the floor in a pool of blood. She called 911.5Courier-Journal. William Clyde Gibson Says in Video He Just Wanted Sex With Murder Victim
Investigators searched the property, tearing up carpet, cutting into walls, and moving appliances. Along with Whitis’s body in the garage, they found Stephanie Kirk’s remains buried in the backyard.4WAVE 3 News. William Clyde Gibson’s Home No Longer Evidence, Now Family Estate Once in custody, Gibson confessed to killing Karen Hodella as well, closing the decade-old cold case.6WAVE 3 News. Suspected Serial Killer William Clyde Gibson Changes Plea to Guilty in 2nd Murder Case
Convictions and Sentences
All three cases were prosecuted by Floyd County Prosecutor Keith Henderson and heard by Floyd Superior Court Judge Susan Orth.3WAVE 3 News. Serial Killer William Clyde Gibson Sentenced to Death for Kirk Murder
Gibson was tried first for the Whitis murder. He was convicted and sentenced to death in October 2013.7WDRB. Indiana to Resume Executions as Convicted Serial Killer William Clyde Gibson Remains on Death Row
In the Hodella case, Gibson pleaded guilty on March 20, 2014 under a plea agreement and was sentenced to 65 years in prison on April 17, 2014. Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty on that count.2Courier-Journal. Gibson Little Comment Murder Sentencing
Judge Orth handed down a second death sentence for the Kirk murder in August 2014. Gibson had pleaded guilty in exchange for the dropping of a habitual offender allegation and waived a jury for the penalty phase. The prosecution sought death based on four aggravating circumstances, including the sexual assault of Kirk’s body, the prior Whitis conviction, and the fact that Gibson committed the murder while on probation for felony auto theft.8Indiana Courts. Gibson v. State
Where the Appeals Stand
Both death sentences went through automatic review by the Indiana Supreme Court. The court upheld the Whitis sentence in 2015 and the Kirk sentence in April 2016, with Chief Justice Loretta Rush rejecting Gibson’s argument that an amendment to one of the aggravating factors had violated his due process rights.8Indiana Courts. Gibson v. State The Indiana Court of Appeals denied Gibson’s petition for post-conviction relief on the Hodella sentence in July 2018, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear his appeals of the death sentences.9The Indiana Lawyer. SCOTUS Rejects Floyd County Killer’s Death Sentence Appeals
Gibson’s fight has since moved to federal court. He filed a petition for habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2254 about two years after the February 2021 deadline. His attorneys argue the delay should be excused through equitable tolling, contending Gibson was abandoned by prior counsel and that his mental health deteriorated after the prison withdrew his psychiatric medication.10FindLaw. Gibson III v. Neal
A federal district court ordered an evidentiary hearing on the tolling question and also authorized Gibson’s transfer to an Indianapolis hospital for brain scans, including an MRI and a PET scan, intended to document cognitive decline. The state challenged the transportation order. On March 31, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit reversed that order in Gibson III v. Neal, No. 25-2779. Circuit Judge Scudder held that Gibson had not shown a sufficient connection between the requested scans and his tolling argument, citing the Supreme Court’s ruling in Shoop v. Twyford. The Seventh Circuit stressed that its decision was “narrow and limited” to the transportation order and did not control the outcome of the evidentiary hearing itself, which remains pending in the district court.10FindLaw. Gibson III v. Neal
Will Gibson Be Executed?
No execution date has been set for Gibson, and none is on the public schedule. Indiana resumed executions in late 2024 after a 15-year pause, carrying out three between December 2024 and October 2025: Joseph Corcoran, Benjamin Ritchie, and Roy Lee Ward.11Tri-State Homepage. Five Inmates Remain on Indiana’s Death Row The state’s death row has shrunk to five inmates, four of whom are considered competent for execution. The Indiana Attorney General’s Office must request execution dates from the state supreme court, and no timeline for the next one has been announced.12Indiana Capital Chronicle. Indiana’s Death Row Dwindles to Five and Future Executions Remain Uncertain Gibson’s pending federal habeas case would also need to run its course before any execution could proceed.