A new Hulu docuseries is bringing the shocking case of Sarah Jo Pender back into the spotlight. Titled Girl on the Run: The Hunt for America’s Most Wanted Woman, the project revisits the story of an Indiana woman who was convicted of a gruesome double murder, escaped from a maximum-security prison with the help of a guard, and became one of America’s most wanted fugitives. The three-part series, which debuts on February 19, features exclusive new interviews with Pender, her family, and her ex-boyfriend and co-convicted killer, Richard Hull .
While the docuseries focuses on the dramatic manhunt, the core of the story lies in the brutal crimes of October 2000 and the legal battles that continue to this day. Here is a detailed look at what Sarah Jo Pender did, how she escaped, and the latest developments in her case, including a court decision from January 2026.
Who is Sarah Jo Pender and What Were the Crimes?
Sarah Jo Pender was 21 years old and living in Indianapolis in the fall of 2000. She was a graduate of Lawrence Central High School who had attended Purdue University for a year before dropping out and working as a secretary . She began dating Richard Hull, a convicted felon and drug dealer, after meeting him at a Phish concert. Soon, the couple moved into a small house on Meikel Street with another couple, Andrew Cataldi, 25, and Tricia Nordman, 26 .
Tensions in the house were high. Hull and Cataldi were reportedly selling drugs, and arguments were frequent . The situation came to a violent head on October 24, 2000.
On the morning of the murders, Hull, who could not legally buy a gun due to his criminal record, drove Pender to a Walmart. She purchased a 12-gauge shotgun and ammunition . That evening, an argument broke out between Hull and Cataldi. Pender has consistently stated that she left the house to take a walk before the shooting started.
When she returned, she claimed she found that Hull had already shot and killed both Cataldi and Nordman. Prosecutors said during her trial that she helped Hull load the bodies into a pickup truck and dispose of them in a dumpster behind a Teamsters union building . The bodies were discovered days later. Both victims had been shot in the chest with deer slugs from the shotgun .
Hull was arrested on October 27 and confessed to the murders. Pender was arrested the following day. She later gave police a pair of Hull’s pants that were stained with the victims’ blood . Despite no physical evidence placing her at the scene of the shooting, the prosecution built a case portraying her as the mastermind.
The Trial and the “Female Charles Manson” Nickname
During her trial in July 2002, prosecutor Larry Sells argued that Pender had manipulated Hull into committing the murders. He famously labeled her the “female Charles Manson” for her supposed ability to control her boyfriend .
The conviction largely rested on two pieces of evidence:
- A Letter: Prosecutors presented a letter allegedly written by Pender to Hull from jail. In it, she seemed to confess to the crime, writing, “I just snapped. I didn’t mean to kill them.” .
- An Inmate’s Testimony: A jailhouse informant named Floyd Pennington testified that Pender confessed to him, admitting she had manipulated Hull .
Pender was found guilty on two counts of murder and sentenced to 110 years in prison. Remarkably, Richard Hull, who admitted to being the shooter, took a plea deal and received a lighter sentence of 75 years . This discrepancy would become a major point of contention in the years to come.
How Did Sarah Jo Pender Escape from Prison?
On August 4, 2008, while serving her sentence at the Rockville Correctional Facility, Pender managed to walk out of the prison. She escaped with the help of a correctional officer, Scott Spitler, with whom she had begun a sexual relationship .
Spitler helped Pender change into civilian clothes and sneak out a door in a recreation building. He then drove her off the prison grounds in a white van. From there, a former inmate named Jamie Long picked her up and provided her with money . Pender assumed the fake identity of “Ashley Thompson” and fled to Chicago, where she got an apartment and a job.
The escape sparked a massive manhunt. Pender became the only woman on the U.S. Marshals’ 15 Most Wanted Fugitives list .
How Was She Caught?
Pender remained free for nearly five months. Her freedom ended thanks to the television show America’s Most Wanted. After the show profiled her case in December 2008, a viewer in Chicago recognized her as her neighbor.
On December 22, 2008, police arrested Pender at her apartment on Chicago’s Far North Side. She was wearing a Purdue sweatshirt and was taken into custody without incident . Upon her return to prison, she was placed in solitary confinement for five years, a period she later described as “torture” that led to psychotic breaks and catatonic episodes .
The Key Evidence Unravels: Questions of Innocence
After Pender’s conviction, significant doubts emerged about the fairness of her trial. The two main pillars of the prosecution’s case have since been called into question.
- The Confession Letter Was a Forgery: In a 2003 affidavit and later court testimony, Richard Hull admitted that the confession letter was a fake. He claimed he asked a fellow inmate, Steve Logan, to forge the letter using samples of Pender’s handwriting. Logan signed an affidavit in 2019 also admitting to the forgery. Crucially, Pender’s fingerprints were not on the letter, but Hull’s and Logan’s were .
- The Informant Was a “Snitch”: Years after the trial, prosecutor Larry Sells and author Steve Miller were reviewing old case files. They discovered a “snitch list” written and signed by Floyd Pennington, which had never been turned over to Pender’s defense attorney. In it, Pennington offered to do “whatever it takes” to help police with cases in exchange for a lighter sentence on his own charges. This document could have been used to destroy Pennington’s credibility on the witness stand .
The 2026 Resentencing Hearing and Judge’s Decision
The questions surrounding the evidence led to recent legal action. In December 2025, after serving 25 years, a 45-year-old Pender appeared in a Marion County courtroom to plead for mercy. She asked a judge to reduce her sentence, saying, “I’m asking to be free, not to die in prison” .
In a stunning turn of events, the very man who put her behind bars, retired prosecutor Larry Sells, testified in support of her release. Sells stated that he now believes there is “reasonable doubt” as to Pender’s guilt and that “justice is long overdue for Sarah Pender” .
Pender’s defense team presented evidence of her transformation in prison. She had earned a bachelor’s degree, completed a culinary arts program, helped other inmates with legal aid, and was accepted into a graduate program. Witnesses described her as a leader and rated her chances of successful reentry in the “top 5 percent” .
However, on January 5, 2026, Judge James Snyder formally denied Pender’s petition for sentence modification. Despite the evidence of the forged letter and the discredited witness, her request for immediate freedom was rejected . No detailed reasoning was provided in the initial court order .
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Where is Sarah Jo Pender Now?
Following the January 2026 court ruling, Sarah Jo Pender remains incarcerated at the Indiana Women’s Prison in Indianapolis. According to the Indiana Department of Correction, her earliest possible release date is currently set for January 12, 2054 .
For now, her story continues to be told. The new docuseries, Girl on the Run, features interviews from prison where Pender maintains her stance on the case. In the trailer, she is heard saying, “I’m real dangerous with my charming smile,” before adding a laugh, highlighting the complex and chilling persona that has fascinated the public for decades .
All three episodes of Girl on the Run: The Hunt for America’s Most Wanted Woman are now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers .
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