The morning of Dec. 1, 2002, will forever be ingrained in the mind of Kevin Wolters.
Wolters' live-in girlfriend, Kellie Nelson, got out of bed at her regular time to go to work. She had just moved his car out of the driveway so she could back hers out of the garage. She went back into their townhouse to drop off his keys. She kissed him goodbye, said "I love you" and left. Wolters watched as the door closed behind her.
It was the last time Wolters would see Nelson alive. Later that night, Nelson's burning body was found off the side of I-80 near 9000 West.
"I love Kellie very much. I still love her. I miss the hell out of her," Kevin Wolters told the Deseret News, speaking publicly for the first time.
For Wolters, December was filled with too many tragedies for a person to have to go through all at once. About a week after Nelson's murder, Wolters was fired from his job at Citadel Broadcasting where he worked as a deejay and promotions director. According to Wolters, he was told his "credibility was destroyed," even though Wolters has never been charged with anything related to the murder.
A week later, Wolters' mother died after a courageous and lengthy battle with cancer.
"I've been living in my own private hell," he said.
A few days after Nelson's body was discovered, Wolters' grief turned into shock and anger when Sally Krivanek, a long-time acquaintance of his whom he had dated at one time, was arrested and later charged with criminal homicide and desecration of a dead body.
"I couldn't believe it. Would I have ever guessed it? No way. Was I (angry)? Absolutely. Did I feel betrayed? Absolutely," Wolters said.
Wolters has kept a low profile since the murder. He has not attended any of the court hearings against Krivanek and does not plan on attending any future hearings unless he is called to testify.
"I'll just add to the sensationalism. (Nelson's) parents deserve justice. They don't need a circus," he said.
Wolters said his biggest concern is Nelson's parents.
"I can't imagine what her parents feel," Wolters said. "Parents shouldn't have to bury their children."
Wolters is the only known link between Nelson and Krivanek. Some have speculated Krivanek allegedly committed the murder over jealousy. But prosecutors have yet to unveil a motive in the case. Krivanek's attorney, Michael Peterson, said his client remains adamant that she is not guilty.
"There is no indication my client had met Kellie Nelson in any shape or form," Peterson said. "She has never raised a finger to strike anyone."
Prosecutors, however, called the murder a "calculated, violent crime" that "took a long time to plan," Deputy District Attorney Bob Stott said in court Thursday. The person who committed the slaying was "angry" and "obsessed," and the fact the person poured gasoline on Nelson's deceased body and lit it on fire was "especially bizarre" and says a lot about the killer's character, he said.
Wolters has been interviewed extensively by sheriff's detectives and prosecutors. He doesn't want to talk publicly about the investigation or the evidence for fear it would jeopardize the case.
But in an exclusive interview with the Deseret News, Wolters did say he was not an accomplice and had nothing to do with the murder.
"Absolutely not. Absolutely not," he said emphatically.
Wolters said he and Krivanek dated for a short time in 1993. She married another man and they lost touch for a few years. They met again in 1999 about the same time Krivanek was on the verge of getting a divorce, he said. At that point they remained friends, mostly because Wolters' son enjoyed playing with her children, he said.
But he said there "was a reason" they didn't date long, referring to what he described as Krivanek's odd personality.
Thursday, 3rd District Judge Robin M. Reese refused Krivanek's request for a bail reduction saying that she is both a flight risk and poses a danger to the community. Her bail for the murder charge is $1 million. Krivanek has an additional $50,000 bail for five counts of prescription fraud.
In court Thursday, Peterson said Wolters "went out of his way" to make sure Krivanek didn't know where he and Nelson lived and "did everything in his power to keep these women apart so they wouldn't know about each other."
Wolters agreed he didn't want Krivanek to know where he lived. But it wasn't because of any kind of love triangle. Nelson and Krivanek knew about each other, he said. But Krivanek had no reason to call him at home or visit him, which is why he never gave out his phone number or address, he said.
Krivanek called Wolters at work, however, enough times "to make me want to distance myself," and sent e-mails, many of which he never opened or only read the first paragraph, he said. The last time Wolters said he talked to Krivanek was three or four days before the murder.
Rather than concentrating on the murder case, Wolters said he just wants to focus his attention on spending time with his son and his father. The love, support and attention they need has helped him avoid dwelling on all the recent events.
"I haven't had time to grieve," he said.
What he prefers to think about is happier times with Nelson. The two took a trip to Arizona in the fall. In February, they went to Idaho for Wolters' birthday. She gave him a new stereo receiver and had a new 47-inch, high-definition television delivered to their house while they were gone. Nelson was always generous when it came to giving gifts, he said.
"She would buy presents to make other people smile," Wolters said. "I miss her. I pray for her family. I would trade places with her in a heartbeat."
E-MAIL: preavy@desnews.com