Husband of Missing Virginia Woman Elsie Wiggington Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder
In May 2024, Elsie's story was featured in Dateline's Missing in America series. Dateline spoke with her daughter, Sativa Rucker, her friend Tracey Coleman, her sister Victoria Seal, and Sheriff Jimmy Ayers from Amherst County.
Sativa said the last time she heard from her mom was on June 25, 2023. Elsie had texted her asking for a recipe. Sativa replied, but the next day she couldn't get ahold of her. 'I just figured she was busy working. But then a few hours later, her job called to ask if I'd heard from her,' she told Dateline in 2024.
Elsie was the director of nursing at Fairmont Crossing Health Rehabilitation Center in Amherst, and her sister Victoria said she loved what she did. 'You don't just walk away from that,' she said.
According to Sheriff Ayers, Elsie's husband, Frederick Wiggington Jr., called the police on June 26, 2023, to report her missing. He said he last saw her the night before, wearing pajamas and packing a bag.
Elsie's family and friends told Dateline they never believed she'd just leave without saying anything. 'She would never put her kids through this kind of heartache,' friend Tracey Coleman said.
In August 2024, investigators searched the Amherst County property Elsie and Frederick had shared. During that search, authorities discovered human remains buried beneath a concrete slab on the property. They were later identified as Elsie's.
Frederick Wiggington Jr. was arrested and charged with concealment of a body, first-degree murder, and concealment of a firearm.
In late April 2025, Wiggington went on trial for the firearm and murder charges. During the trial, prosecutors played a 2024 video interview with a fellow inmate, who claimed Wiggington confessed to killing Elsie while they were in jail together. He also claimed Wiggington said he would 'end up on Dateline.'
On May 2, a jury found Wiggington guilty of first-degree murder. He was sentenced on July 30 to life plus three years.
Wiggington was also charged with concealing a body. Earlier this month, he entered an Alford plea -- acknowledging that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict him while maintaining his innocence.
In January 2025, Wiggington Jr.'s ex-wife, Patricia Wiggington, was arrested and charged with one count of accessory after the fact and one count of obstructing justice. She was released on bond shortly afterward.
In 2020, Elsie filed for divorce from Frederick. Among the allegations in the filings, Elsie claimed her husband had continued to see Patricia while they were married.
According to her arrest warrant, Patricia moved into the couple's home the same weekend Elsie was killed. She has not yet entered a plea to the charges against her. Her next court date is set for August 21, 2025. Dateline reached out to Patricia Wiggington's attorney who declined to comment on the case.
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NBC News
2 days ago
- NBC News
Husband of Missing Virginia Woman Elsie Wiggington Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder
On July 30, 2025, an Amherst County, Virginia, judge sentenced Frederick Wiggington Jr. to life in prison for the murder of his wife, Elsie. In May 2024, Elsie's story was featured in Dateline's Missing in America series. Dateline spoke with her daughter, Sativa Rucker, her friend Tracey Coleman, her sister Victoria Seal, and Sheriff Jimmy Ayers from Amherst County. Sativa said the last time she heard from her mom was on June 25, 2023. Elsie had texted her asking for a recipe. Sativa replied, but the next day she couldn't get ahold of her. 'I just figured she was busy working. But then a few hours later, her job called to ask if I'd heard from her,' she told Dateline in 2024. Elsie was the director of nursing at Fairmont Crossing Health Rehabilitation Center in Amherst, and her sister Victoria said she loved what she did. 'You don't just walk away from that,' she said. According to Sheriff Ayers, Elsie's husband, Frederick Wiggington Jr., called the police on June 26, 2023, to report her missing. He said he last saw her the night before, wearing pajamas and packing a bag. Elsie's family and friends told Dateline they never believed she'd just leave without saying anything. 'She would never put her kids through this kind of heartache,' friend Tracey Coleman said. In August 2024, investigators searched the Amherst County property Elsie and Frederick had shared. During that search, authorities discovered human remains buried beneath a concrete slab on the property. They were later identified as Elsie's. Frederick Wiggington Jr. was arrested and charged with concealment of a body, first-degree murder, and concealment of a firearm. In late April 2025, Wiggington went on trial for the firearm and murder charges. During the trial, prosecutors played a 2024 video interview with a fellow inmate, who claimed Wiggington confessed to killing Elsie while they were in jail together. He also claimed Wiggington said he would 'end up on Dateline.' On May 2, a jury found Wiggington guilty of first-degree murder. He was sentenced on July 30 to life plus three years. Wiggington was also charged with concealing a body. Earlier this month, he entered an Alford plea -- acknowledging that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict him while maintaining his innocence. In January 2025, Wiggington Jr.'s ex-wife, Patricia Wiggington, was arrested and charged with one count of accessory after the fact and one count of obstructing justice. She was released on bond shortly afterward. In 2020, Elsie filed for divorce from Frederick. Among the allegations in the filings, Elsie claimed her husband had continued to see Patricia while they were married. According to her arrest warrant, Patricia moved into the couple's home the same weekend Elsie was killed. She has not yet entered a plea to the charges against her. Her next court date is set for August 21, 2025. Dateline reached out to Patricia Wiggington's attorney who declined to comment on the case.
Newsweek
27-06-2025
- Newsweek
Bryan Kohberger Dealt New Legal Blow from Judge
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The judge presiding over Bryan Kohberger's case said a delay to the trial is "not warranted" in an order on Thursday. District Judge Steven Hippler denied the defense's motion to continue the trial after hearing oral arguments on the matter at a hearing on June 18. "Defendant has not made showing that there is good cause to continue the trial or that his substantial rights will be prejudiced by proceeding to trial as scheduled," Hippler wrote. Why It Matters Defense attorney Anne Taylor argued that the delay would grant the defense more time for reviewing discovery and preparing for the sentencing phase of proceedings if convicted. Taylor also argued that recent and upcoming media coverage of the case have an "extremely prejudicial impact" on the case. The prosecution argued that the defense had not shown good cause to delay the trial or prejudice resulting from the current start date. Newsweek reached out to Taylor and prosecutors for comment. Bryan Kohberger, a former Washington State University doctoral student, was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary in connection with the deaths of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. The students were found fatally stabbed in an off-campus residence in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13, 2022. Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania on December 30, 2022, and later extradited to Idaho to face trial. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf. Bryan Kohberger, accused of fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students, is escorted into court for a hearing in Latah County District Court, Sept. 13, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho. Bryan Kohberger, accused of fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students, is escorted into court for a hearing in Latah County District Court, Sept. 13, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho. AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File Prosecutors announced they would seek the death penalty if Kohberger is convicted. What To Know At the hearing on June 18, Taylor said a recent Dateline special, along with an upcoming docuseries and book, could complicate jury selection. "The moment we start attempting to select a jury in this case, those things are going to be on everybody's TV, everybody's social media feed," Taylor said. Hippler wrote that there is "no assurance that the pretrial publicity will fade with time." "The circumstances of the murders were provocative — four college students in small Idaho college town were brutally stabbed to death by an unknown perpetrator. It was an immediate media sensation and garnered widespread attention that not only continues to persist, but continues to grow," Hippler said. Hippler said that if there were concerns over discovery, the motion to continue should have been filed prior to the expiration of discovery, expert deadlines and the final pretrial conference. He said the defense has been able to retain about two dozen experts, file and argue motions and disclose witnesses and exhibits "with nary whisper that continuance would be sought." "These actions belie his counsel's ongoing—and ultimately empty—discovery complaints," Hippler said. "Without more, the Court can only conclude that defense counsel is using the volume of discovery measured in terabytes as tactic to delay the proceeding at the eleventh hour simply for the sake of delay rather than legitimate threat of prejudice to Defendant's substantial rights." Neama Rahmani, former federal prosecutor and the president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, told Newsweek that a motion to continue does not have to be filed before discovery closes. "You can file a motion to continue at any time," Rahmani said. "There's not a specific cut off for it." What People Are Saying Neama Rahmani, former federal prosecutor and the president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, in comments to Newsweek: "I don't see any world where kicking this can down the road will result in less pretrial publicity. Everyone in the entire world knows about this case and is waiting for this trial, so I don't think it was a particularly good argument." District Judge Steven Hippler, in an order filed Thursday: "The longer the public is made to sit and wait for the facts to come out at trial, the more time there is for inflammatory, speculative stories, movies and books to circulate and more time for prior ones to be rebroadcast, purchased, viewed and consumed by the public. Proceeding with trial as scheduled will likely avoid negative consequences from future publicity." What Happens Next While Hippler did not grant the defense's motion, an amended scheduling order filed on Thursday said jury selection will now begin on August 4 instead of the previously scheduled July 30. The change was an internal scheduling adjustment by the court and was not the result of the defense's attempt to delay proceedings, a court spokesperson told Fox News. Sealed court proceedings between the prosecution and the defense will take place from July 28 to August 1. The court said it is estimated that the trial will begin on August 18. Do you have a story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@
New York Post
27-06-2025
- New York Post
How Bryan Kohberger could evade the death penalty in murders of Idaho students
Idaho quadruple murder suspect Bryan Kohberger might avoid the death penalty if convicted because of leaked evidence, a former prosecutor suggested. Kohberger is accused of killing Madison Mogen, 21, Ethan Chapin, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Xana Kernodle, 20. Advertisement On May 9, a television episode featured leaked information relating to the case, which Kohberger's attorney has argued will taint the jury pool. Included in NBC's 'Dateline' special on the University of Idaho murders was surveillance video from a neighboring house, which caught a car similar to Kohberger's driving in the King Road area several times in the hours and minutes before the four college students were killed. The episode also featured alleged evidence from a nearby FBI cellphone tower, which claimed to show that Kohberger's phone pinged nearly a dozen times near a tower providing coverage to an area within 100 feet of 1122 King Road, where the students were killed. The phone allegedly pinged near the tower on multiple occasions between July 2022 and mid-August 2022. Advertisement 4 Suspect Bryan Kohberger might avoid the death penalty if convicted of murder because of leaked evidence, a former prosecutor suggested. Getty Images 4 Kohberger is accused of killing Madison Mogen (top left), Kaylee Goncalves (bottom left), Ethan Chapin (center), and Xana Kernodle (right). Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Neama Rahmani told Fox News Digital that the leak has the potential to remove the death penalty as a punishment. 'The media leak could help Bryan Kohberger on appeal or potentially take the death penalty off the table. If the leak results in prejudicial pretrial publicity that taints the jury pool, especially if the leak was of inadmissible evidence, that's a constitutional violation,' Rahmani said. Advertisement Rahmani brought up the Lori Vallow Daybell case, where the judge ruled that prosecutors couldn't seek the death penalty after they didn't comply with discovery rules. Vallow Daybell was found guilty after prosecutors alleged that she worked with Alex Cox, her brother, to murder her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, to receive money from a $1 million life insurance policy. Here's the latest coverage on the brutal killings of four college friends: 'The other basis for appeal or to strike the death penalty would be prosecutorial misconduct or a violation of a judicial order. Advertisement In a recent high-profile Idaho capital case, Lori Vallow Daybell, the court ruled that prosecutors could no longer seek the death penalty because they failed to comply with their discovery obligations,' Rahmani said. On May 15, Judge Steven Hippler said a violation of the gag order was 'likely' committed by someone involved in the case. He ordered the prosecution and Kohberger's defense team to preserve all communications and data relating to the case, including law enforcement officers who worked on the case. 4 Judge Steven Hippler ordered the prosecution and Kohberger's defense team to preserve all communications and data relating to the case, as a violation of the gag order was 'likely' committed by someone involved in the case. TNS Hippler said the following pieces of evidence were revealed during the episode: Surveillance footage of 'Suspect Vehicle One' AT&T records for Kohberger Content of Kohberger's cellphone Photographs and information associated with Kohberger's Amazon account. 'Such violations not only undermine the rule of law, potentially by persons charged with upholding it, but also significantly impede the ability to seat an impartial jury and will likely substantially increase the cost to be borne by the taxpayers of Latah County to prosecute this case by extending the time it will take to seat a jury and potentially requiring lengthy period of juror sequestration,' Hippler wrote. Kohberger's lawyer, Anne Taylor, asked Hippler to delay the trial because the jury pool could be tainted by information aired during the 'Dateline' episode, in addition to other reasons. Advertisement 4 1122 King Road, where the students were killed. TNS Prosecutors argued in a court filing that the airing of information relating to the case should not be a reason to delay August's trial start date. 'Like the court in the Vallow-Daybell trial, this Court is well-equipped to select a jury, to handle ongoing media coverage, and to conduct a fair trial in the Ada County courthouse,' prosecutors wrote. Timeline of Nov. 13, 2022: 4 a.m.: Suspect arrives at house Between 4 and 4:17: Time of murders 4:19: Roommate calls three victims; no one answers 4:22 to 4:24: Surviving roommates text each other from inside house 4:27: Roommate calls victims again; no one answers 4:32: Roommate texts Goncalves, 'Pls answer' 10:23: Surviving roommate texts victims; no one answers 11:39: Roommate calls her father 12 p.m.: 911 call placed from roommate's phone. Advertisement An amended scheduling order filed in Idaho's Fourth Judicial District Court on Thursday indicated that the trial will be pushed back one week. Jury selection will begin on Aug. 4, but opening statements are now expected on Aug. 18, one week later than the previously anticipated start date on Aug. 11. A court spokesperson said the updated timeline was not the result of any attempt by the defense to delay the proceedings, but rather an internal scheduling adjustment by the court. Fox News Digital reached out to Kohberger's lawyer, prosecutors and NBC for comment.
