NORTH PORT, Fla. – A man was stabbed to death in North Port Wednesday when a woman managed to grab his knife as he tried to kidnap her. But in a bizarre twist, we've learned that he's linked to the Natalee Holloway case.
The victim, 32-year-old John Ludwick, had previously appeared on the Nancy Grace Show, defending the prime suspect in Holloway's disappearance on a trip to Aruba in 2005.
In 2010, Ludwick said he was paid $1,500 to dig up her remains and have them cremated. He was never charged due to lack of evidence.
Ludwig died Wednesday following an altercation in the 4300 block of Wesley Lane.
According to a North Port Police report, the victim says that around 6:30 a.m. she had just arrived home and as she started to get out of her car, someone ran up to her car and pushed her back into the driver’s seat.
She says she recognized the man as Ludwig, a former friend of hers.
Police say Ludwig was holding a knife to the woman’s neck and forced her into the passenger side seat as he sat in the driver’s seat. The woman was able to grab the knife from his hand and started to exit the vehicle when Ludwig grabbed her from behind.
In an effort to escape, the woman says she swung her arm with the knife in her hand back towards Ludwick, allowing her to run into the house.
Ludwick started to leave the scene but collapsed a few blocks away from his injuries. He was transported to the hospital for treatment, but was pronounced dead.
Here's what a North Port Police spokeperson had to say about Ludwick's death. "This gentleman had some ill intentions, and she wasn't going quietly, and it ended very bad for him," says Josh Taylor.
