Serial killer lured by fake social account gets 160 years

NEWARK, N.J. – A New Jersey antheral who utilized dating apps to lure and termination 3 women 5 years agone was sentenced Wednesday to 160 years successful situation aft a proceedings successful which it was revealed that friends of 1 unfortunate did their ain detective enactment connected societal media to ferret retired the suspect.

Khalil Wheeler-Weaver, 25, sat motionless arsenic the justice gave the condemnation successful authorities tribunal successful Newark. The sentencing was preceded by affectional statements by household members of victims Robin West and Sarah Butler.

In a little connection earlier they spoke, Wheeler-Weaver denied responsibility, telling Superior Court Judge Mark S. Ali that helium was framed. Wheeler-Weaver's mother, aunt and member sat successful the assemblage but didn't code the court.

The sentences covered 3 murders, 1 attempted execution and different counts including kidnapping, aggravated arson and desecration of quality remains.

The Essex County prosecutor's bureau had credited friends of Butler, a assemblage pupil from Montclair, with utilizing societal media to assistance constabulary find Wheeler-Weaver. They gained entree to her societal media accounts, acceptable up a fake account, lured Wheeler-Weaver to a gathering successful Montclair and notified police, according to prosecutors.

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A 4th pistillate who survived an onslaught and testified astatine Wheeler-Weaver's proceedings besides provided important accusation that helped investigators, since the details of her onslaught were akin to those of the different victims.

At Wednesday's sentencing, Tiffany Taylor described however the onslaught changed her life.

“My full beingness is different; I don't deterioration constitution anymore; I don't person friends. I'm ever paranoid. But I’m blessed to inactive beryllium here," she said, earlier addressing the justice with, “I anticipation you don’t amusement him immoderate remorse, due to the fact that he’s not showing immoderate remorse.”

Prosecutors presented grounds astatine proceedings that Wheeler-Weaver, past 20, utilized the dating apps to lure the women for enactment and past strangled them. Their bodies were recovered betwixt September and December 2016 successful bluish New Jersey. Investigators besides presented grounds from Wheeler-Weaver’s cellphone that placed him wherever the victims disappeared and wherever their bodies were found.

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Assistant Essex County Prosecutor Adam Wells noted Wednesday that the killings were separated by weeks, giving Wheeler-Weaver a accidental to contemplate his actions earlier sidesplitting again.

“The suspect believed these victims were disposable. They were killed and past helium went connected astir his time arsenic if thing had happened," helium said. “But each of these women's lives mattered.”

West, a 19-year-old from Philadelphia, was seen getting into a car with Wheeler-Weaver the nighttime of Aug. 31, 2016, and was killed wrong the adjacent fewer hours, prosecutors said. They alleged Wheeler-Weaver dumped her assemblage successful an abandoned location not acold from his ain location successful Orange, adjacent Newark, and acceptable the location connected fire. It took astir 2 weeks to place her remains.

West's mother, Anita Mason, described a sometimes headstrong young pistillate who often showed a softer side.

“I volition ne'er hide her smile, her face, her walk, her tendency to assistance stateless people,” Mason said Wednesday. "The satellite focuses connected the past period of her life. She had a full full beingness earlier her demise. Hundreds of radical were affected by her beingness and were saddened by her death."

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Joanne Brown, 33, of Newark, was killed astir a period aft West was identified and besides dumped successful an abandoned location successful Orange, but her assemblage wasn't discovered until six weeks later. Butler disappeared astir Thanksgiving 2016, astir a period aft Brown was killed, and her remains were discovered successful a wooded country 4 days earlier Brown's assemblage was discovered. Both women had been strangled with clothing.

On Wednesday, Butler's father, Victor, urged the justice to springiness Wheeler-Weaver the maximum sentence. Then, turning to the defendant, helium said:

“I anticipation you suffer, boy, each night.”

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