DECATUR, ALABAMA (VINnews) — A terminally ill man called up police and confessed to a murder he committed 25 years ago. Police arrested him and charged him with murder.
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Johnny Dwight Whited, a 53-year-old man suffering from a terminal disease, called up the Decatur police department and said that he wanted to “get off his chest” a murder he had committed 25 years previously, which had never been solved by police.
Detective Sean Mukkadam received a call from dispatch stating that Whited wanted to confess the murder.
“It’s not a call you normally get,” Mukkadam said.
Whited didn’t know the victim, Christopher Dailey, before the murder and to police it seemed originally that it was almost a random killing, since Daily and Whited had met only moments before the killing. Police pressed Whited for details.
“I asked him very specific things so we could narrow it down to research what case it was,” said Mukkadam.
In April of 1995, two leaf hunters were in a wooded area off of George Russell Road and that’s when they discovered Christopher Dailey’s body. A few days later, Decatur police said they found his partially submerged car in the Tennessee River.
“They did surveillance on people. They did everything they possibly could to solve this case and it just got to a point where there were no more leads and no more avenues to go,” said Mukkadam.
Whited finally gave police the lead they needed, stating that he had shot Dailey. Whited revealed the motive of the killing but police did not disclose the motive as yet.
In an interview with local news outlet Waay31 news, Mukkadam added that Whited was apparently close to death:
“He’s terminally ill and my opinion is he’s going to meet his maker soon. He was ready to confess and close all the doors and give the victim’s family some closure,” said Mukkadam.
Mukkadam revealed the news to the victim’s sister and said that “I could see how grateful she was after 25 years.”
Whited will have a preliminary hearing within 30 days. The hearing hasn’t been set yet. He is being held in the Morgan County Jail on a $15,000 bond. While in jail and if he is found guilty and goes to prison, it will be taxpayers who will pay for Whited’s medical expenses.
This animal should be released on bail. It is obvious that he wants and expects to be held in jail (prior to conviction) so that taxpayers pay for his care. Let him rot on his own.
There’s no reason to arrest or hold him. He’s a terminally ill man who confessed to the crime on his own. He’s is thererore not a flight risk. You are innocent until proven guilty in this country even if you confess. The only reason to arrest and hold a person is if they are a danger to others or a flight risk.