Killing of Kathleen West

Kathleen Dawn “Kat” West, 42, was found dead outside the Calera, Alabama, home she shared with her husband and daughter on the morning of January 13, 2018. A passerby saw her body partially in the street and summoned help. Police found a mobile phone and a bottle near her, and evidence at trial established that she died from blunt-force trauma to the head. [WVTM 13](https://www.wvtm13.com/article/husband-of-kathleen-west-found-guilty-of-manslaughter-in-her-death/34745495)

West and her husband, William Jeffery “Jeff” West, had gone to dinner and purchased alcohol the previous evening. Prosecutors contended that he struck her with an absinthe bottle during an argument and left her outside. The defense argued that she fell and hit her head after drinking, emphasizing that the medical examiner classified the manner of death as undetermined. The parties agreed on blunt-force trauma as the cause but disputed whether another person inflicted it. [CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kat-west-onlyfans-mysterious-death-48-hours/)

The trial also addressed physical and digital evidence. Investigators documented blood at the scene and fingerprints on the bottle, while testimony discussed activity data from Jeff West's phone. His attorney challenged the state's interpretation of the bottle, the blood evidence, and the timing, and presented the death as an accident. The prosecution argued that the combined circumstances showed reckless conduct resulting in West's death. [WBRC](https://www.wbrc.com/2020/11/20/jury-charged-deliberating-kat-west-murder-trial/)

After a four-day trial, a Shelby County jury found Jeff West guilty of reckless manslaughter on November 20, 2020, rather than murder. A judge later sentenced him to 16 years in prison. The conviction resolved criminal responsibility even though the verdict did not find intentional murder. In January 2022, the Alabama Supreme Court denied further review, leaving the conviction and sentence in effect. [WBRC](https://www.wbrc.com/2022/01/07/appeal-denied-jeff-west-convicted-killing-wife-kat-west/)

West maintained an adult subscription website, a fact that attracted substantial attention after her death. That work did not establish the cause of her injuries and is not treated here as an explanation for the crime.