American serial killer
Khalil Wheeler-Weaver (born April 20, 1996[1]) is an American serial killer.[2][3][4]
An Orange, New Jersey, resident, Wheeler-Weaver lured his victims using Tagged and murdered three women and attempted to kill a fourth between August 2016 and November 2016. One of the victim's sister created a fake account and lured Wheeler-Weaver to a meeting before notifying police.[5] After a jury found him guilty in 2019,[6] he was convicted of three counts of murder and desecration of human remains, attempted murder, two counts of aggravated sexual assault, aggravated arson and kidnapping, and was sentenced to 160 years in prison.[7][8][9] He will be eligible for parole in 140 years. Wheeler-Weaver maintained his innocence, claiming he was framed.[10][11][12][4]
In March 2022, Wheeler-Weaver was charged with the October 2016 murder of 15-year-old Mawa Doumbia. Her remains were found in a house in Orange, New Jersey on May 9, 2019. Doumbia's remains were unidentified for more than two years.[13]
Victims
- Robin Daphne Michele West (19): strangled, set on fire[14]
- Sarah Butler (20): strangled[15]
- Joanne Browne (33): asphyxiated[16]
- Mawa Doumbia (15): strangled, alleged[17]
Tiffany Taylor, who woke up in the middle of an attack, was Wheeler-Weaver's sole surviving victim.[18]
Early life
Wheeler-Weaver was born on April 20, 1996, and grew up in the "well-to-do" neighborhood of Seven Oaks[19] in Orange, New Jersey. He comes from a family of law enforcement officials employed in the region: his stepfather is a detective in the neighboring town of East Orange and his uncle is retired from the Newark Police Department.[20]
As a member of the class of 2014 at Orange High School, he had few friends, did not participate in extra curricular activities, and did not date.[20]
A high school classmate described Wheeler-Weaver's style as nerdy, and thought that his tucked-in shirts, khaki pants, and plain white shoes were evidence that he came from a "good home, a good family."[20]
At the time of his crimes, Wheeler-Weaver worked as a security guard with Sterling Securities and, according to the search history on his phone, had hopes of becoming a police officer.[20]
Crimes
Wheeler-Weaver used a variety of usernames–including LilYachtRock, and pimpkillerghost–on the social networking site Tagged in order to arrange dates with victims. He specifically targeted sex workers and offered money in exchange for sex in his online conversations with victims. A member of the prosecution in his 2019 trial argued that he chose to target these women because, "[Wheeler-Weaver] made a wager that no one would miss them."[21]
Little physical evidence ties Wheeler-Weaver to the murders he committed, as he wore gloves and condoms during encounters with victims. A small amount of his DNA was found beneath the fingernails of one victim.[22] His phone's geolocation data, though, tracked his movements during and after the murders, both to the places where he arranged to meet victims and the locations where their bodies were later discovered.[20] He also used his phone to search the phrase, "homemade poison to kill humans."[20]
