Driver gets 60 years for deadly Valley chase; WWII vet, his daughter, teen killed
VALLEY, Ala. (WRBL) – A 21-year-old man who led police on a high-speed chase in a stolen car—killing three people in a violent crash—has admitted his crimes in court. Now, he's been sentenced to decades behind bars, as victims' families grapple with grief and giving grace.
Wesley McKinnon entered a blind plea to three counts of Reckless Murder, Attempting to Elude Law Enforcement, and Receiving Stolen Property 1st Degree. His sentencing was on May 22 in a Chambers County courtroom.
Inside the courtroom, emotions ran high as victims' families shared their pain before McKinnon was sentenced to 60 years in prison—that's 60 years for each reckless murder charge, plus 20 years for eluding police, and 20 more for receiving stolen property. The sentences will run concurrently, meaning McKinnon will serve a single 60-year term. He is expected to serve most of it—possibly until he's 81 years old.
Presiding Circuit Judge William Isaac Whorton delivered a forceful rebuke during sentencing.
'You killed three innocent people just as if you had walked up and shot them in the head,' the judge said. 'What you did was so reckless, so beyond the pale—it must be punished as murder.'
The deadly pursuit happened on December 28, 2023. Investigators say McKinnon stole a Kia at gunpoint in Union Springs, fled from Valley Police at speeds topping 100 MPH, and crashed into another car while driving in the wrong lane of U.S. Highway 29. The impact claimed the lives of:
• Aron C. Haynes, 98, a World War II veteran who served in General Patton's Third Army
• Regina Rutledge, 64, Haynes' daughter, who died days later from her injuries
• Cadence Brown, 18, a passenger in McKinnon's vehicle
The scene was devastating—twisted metal, bloodied airbags, and shattered glass stretched across the highway. First responders fought to save lives, but three families were changed forever. Chesley Rutledge lost both his mother and grandfather in the crash.
'He was such a good grandfather. And Mama? She protected me. I'm an only child. Nobody messed with me. I know she loved me, and I loved her. I'll miss her for the rest of my life,' Rutledge said.
He describes his mother as a fierce protector, a devoted caregiver, and a proud grandmother who lived for her family. Regina, Chesley says, was always proud to help others—traits she inherited from her father, Aron, who had lovingly cared for his wife as she battled Alzheimer's until her death.
'I was blessed. I had good parents and good grandparents. I was raised in a good home,' he said.
Despite his loss, Chesley speaks with remarkable compassion for the man responsible.
'I'd have been OK with 20 or 30 years for each one. He's just a kid and it got me thinking he probably had a hard road and he just chose the one the wrong road to go down. I don't hate him,' Rutledge said. 'Pop would've said: don't hold a grudge. Don't be mad at nobody. Stay close to your family.'
He even believes McKinnon—if given the chance—might one day help others avoid the same path.
'I hope he does school in there and if he comes up for parole years down the road, maybe someone will speak on his behalf. Maybe I will. I don't know,' Rutledge said. 'Maybe he can share his story and keep another family from going through this.'
Cadence Brown's mother also shared her heartbreak during the proceedings. She described her daughter as a bright, loving teen who had her whole life ahead of her.
'She was a light,' her mother said. 'How many people is he going to take from this world?'
This wasn't McKinnon's first time running from police. At the time of the crash, he was already out on bond in Bullock County for an earlier fatal crash—also following a police pursuit. That case is still pending.
McKinnon addressed the families in court, appearing remorseful.
'I'm very sorry,' he said. 'I hope you can forgive me one day.'
McKinnon entered a blind plea—meaning he did not seek a deal or take the case to trial. His defense attorney said he admitted his wrongdoing from the beginning and never attempted to shift blame or minimize the outcome.
His defense team described his background—a young man with an eighth-grade education, a special education student, and a history of drug use. They argued he never intended to kill anyone, only to get away. But that decision, prosecutors said, showed 'extreme indifference to human life' as they pushed for the maximum sentence, saying their hearts go out to the families—and made it clear: this kind of reckless disregard for life will not be tolerated in Chambers County.
Chesley Rutledge said the people of Valley have wrapped around him in the aftermath.
'I had hundreds of phone calls and messages. I still have people checking on me,' he said. 'The Valley area has been good to me and my family.'
As the courtroom emptied and McKinnon was led away to begin his 60-year sentence, the families left behind are still picking up the pieces. For Chesley Rutledge, the pain of losing both his mother and grandfather will never fade—but neither will their example of compassion.
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After putting her daughter to bed, Christie (who was aware her husband was having an affair), drove off and her car was later found abandoned, hanging over the edge of a pit. She had left three letters behind, one to her brother-in-law claiming she had gone to a spa, another to her secretary with "scheduling details," and a third to her husband, who never revealed what the letter said. To find her, the police dredged a lake, brought in dogs, enlisted the help of over 10,000 people, and even looked to her novels for clues. She was eventually found at a spa, like she had told her brother-in-law — except according to her husband, she no longer remembered who she was or recognized him. She had checked in under his mistress' name. In the only time Christie ever spoke of it, she admitted to considering driving into the pit her car was found by, and hitting her head — this, accompanied by the trauma of her husband cheating and her mother dying, led to memory loss. 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Speaking of serial killer Charles Manson — he was friendly with a number of big players in Hollywood, including Dennis Wilson and Mike Love, the co-founders of the Beach Boys. In fact, Manson and his friends actually moved into Wilson's house. Wilson later allegedly told Love that he'd seen Manson murder a Black man (though this is contested), causing Wilson to break off the friendship. Marilyn Monroe's last known words were to actor Peter Lawford, who was a brother-in-law to Robert and John F. Kennedy, as he had married their sister, Pat Kennedy. He stated she ended the call with, "Say goodbye to Pat, say goodbye to Jack, and say goodbye to yourself, because you're a nice guy." The Jack in reference was then-President JFK. This is noteworthy because there were longstanding rumors of an affair between JFK and Monroe, as well as Robert F. Kennedy and Monroe. There are also rumors that Robert F. Kennedy visited her that night, though this was denied by the Kennedys. Her housekeeper, Eunice Murray, who was there all day and night and was the one to find her dead, later claimed Robert had visited and they'd fought. When Murray found Marilyn dead around 3:30 a.m., she was reportedly holding her phone, and then-LA chief of detectives Thad Brown reportedly claimed she was found with a crumpled-up piece of paper with the number for the White House on it. Besides her connections to the Kennedys, there were other suspicious details around Monroe's death. Murray initially called Monroe's psychiatrist, Dr. Greenson, who called the doctor who had prescribed the pills, Dr. Engelberg, before calling the police. The police did not arrive for close to an hour after Murray first saw Monroe's body. Lawford later claimed that he'd heard about her death at 1:30 a.m. The wife of Monroe's press relations manager Arthur Jacobs also later claimed that her husband had received the call that Marilyn was dead at 10:30. Natalie Wood, who starred in a number of films including West Side Story, Rebel Without a Cause, and Gypsy, also died under extremely mysterious circumstances. The 43-year-old was with her husband Robert Wagner on his boat on a weekend vacation from filming Brainstorm when she drowned. According to Wagner himself (though he initially denied this), he and Wood argued, and then he went to bed without her. The next morning, her body was found a mile away. Wood had been drinking, and it's possible her death was an accident, but she was found with bruises that could mean she was attacked. Nearby witnesses had heard a woman scream. The captain of the boat, Dennis Davern, allegedly drunkenly confessed to Wood's sister years later that he'd seen Wagner push Wood, who then fell overboard, and that Wagner refused to rescue this is unconfirmed. Wagner has denied he had anything to do with Wood's death. But I mention this one specifically for a wild Hollywood fact that not many people seem to know — Christopher Walken, Wood's Brainstorm costar, had also been on the boat that night. He had reportedly also argued with Wagner, and Wagner was (according to Davern) angry Natalie had invited him. Walken has not said much about the night beyond affirming it was an accident and that he had nothing to do with it. "I don't know what happened. She slipped and fell in the water. I was in bed then. It was a terrible thing." He also said, "The people who are convinced that there was something more to it than what came out in the investigation will never be satisfied with the truth. Because the truth is, there is nothing more to it." One of the wildest Hollywood secrets involves Loretta Young and Clark Gable. For years, there were rumors Young's adopted daughter Judy was actually her biological daughter, conceived with Clake Gable. The rumors wouldn't be proven true until Young admitted to them in her posthumous memoirs. It turned out Young had conducted an elaborate cover-up to make it seem like she had adopted the child. Loretta even reportedly had Judy's ears pinned back in an operation because they so resembled Gable's. Gable never had any role in her daughter Judy's life. Young refused to tell Judy the truth, and according to Judy's memoir, when Judy confronted her about the rumors, Young ran into the house and Young never spoke publicly about the circumstances of Judy's conception, according to her daughter-in-law, Linda Lewis, in the '90s, Young had asked her what date rape meant after hearing the term on Larry King Live. After Lewis explained, Young replied, "That's what happened between me and Clark.' On the train ride back from shooting Call of the Wild on location, Gable had allegedly snuck into Young's compartment. According to Lewis, Young didn't want Judy to know, so Lewis kept quiet until both Young and Judy were dead. Finally, we'll end with a few last examples featuring Errol Flynn, because the man had a wild life and allegedly did some wild things. First of all, he wrote in his autobiography that he once had a job castrating young sheep with his teeth. Second, Flynn once apparently showed up on the doorstep of Hollywood gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, angry about something she had written about him, and began masturbating. "I began laughing, and continued laughing until he finished with a dramatic flourish all over my doorstep," Hopper reportedly told Paul Newman. "I'll say one thing for Errol. He's the only man I know who can ejaculate in front of a fully dressed woman who's laughing derisively during the entire process." And finally, David Niven claims that Flynn once brought him along to view 'the best-looking girls in L.A.'...which, as it turned out, meant parking by Hollywood High to watch the girls get out of school. He then allegedly told a police officer who questioned why they were there that he was "enjoying the scenery." What shocking old Hollywood facts do you know? Let us know in the comments!
