Post by Joanna on May 4, 2018 8:53:39 GMT -5
DeAngelo's DNA Sent for Testing in 1978 Murder of Woman and Son
Rhonda Hamilton Wicht, 24, and her 4-year-old son, Donnie, were found dead the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 11, 1978, in their apartment in the 1800 block of Buyers Street in Simi Valley. The mother was raped and strangled in her room, and the boy was suffocated in his bed.
On Jan. 3, 1980, following two jury trials, the first of which ended with a hung jury, Craig Coley, Wicht’s ex-boyfriend, was convicted of killing the mother and child and sentenced to prison, all the while insisting he was innocent of the crime. (Photos at left show Craig Coley as he appeared in 1980 and today.)
Despite the efforts of Simi Valley Police (SVPD) Detective Mike Bender, who was convinced someone else committed the crime, after serving 36 years behind bars, Coley had little hope of ever being a free man. Then in October 2016, Police Chief David Livingstone reopened the case, DNA testing cleared Coley and the now 70-year-old man was pardoned by Gov. Jerry Brown.
According to Livingstone, the police have been working diligently to solve the two murders, following various leads, but failing to come up with anything to solve the case. But a possible link materialized last week with the April 24 arrest of 72-year-old Joseph James DeAngelo Jr., whom authorities suspect is the notorious Golden State Killer. “As soon as we heard of [DeAngelo’s] arrest, we got on the phone to obtain a sample of his DNA to test against the samples we have in Rhonda’s and Donnie’s murders,” Livingstone told the Acorn. Once received, DeAngelo’s DNA will be sent to the same crime lab in Northern California that analyzed Coley’s DNA to determine whether it matches samples linked to the two deaths, added the chief, who expects to have some answers within a week or two.
There are similarities between the Wicht murders and the Golden State Killer cases – including the fact it was a double homicide, that the place was ransacked and strangulation was involved. Also, the year and geographic proximity of the crime drew the attention of investigators. “Nothing is overwhelming to the point where you could say the MO would be enough to close the case, but there’s enough that we’d be looking at [DeAngelo] anyway,” Livingstone confirmed. “We want to eliminate or include him if we can. It would be miraculous if he’s responsible for the Wicht murders.”
Coley, who recently bought a house in Carlsbad near Bender, said he’s both excited and reserved about the possibility of a connection. “I’ve been excited about things before and then disappointed because they don’t always work out,” he added. “I told police when they arrested me at the beginning that they had the wrong man, to keep looking because this guy could be doing it to other families. If [DeAngelo] is in fact responsible for Donnie and Rhonda, then I think [authorities] have some soul-searching to do because they’re the ones who are going to bear the burden of guilt on this one.” However, he admitted he would be surprised if DeAngelo killed his former girlfriend and her son. “There’s so many variables in this case, but I know that Simi police is going to find the right person and put all the pieces together,” the former police officer asserted. “I’m okay to be proven wrong and ... I have my favorite suspects, but I don’t want tunnel vision at all.”
Back in November when Coley was pardoned, Chico resident Shelley Hamilton was faced with the unknowns all over again: Who killed her sister and nephew, and why? When she heard last week that SVPD was planning to compare DeAngelo’s DNA to samples in the double homicide of her family members, she admitted she was a little surprised. “I think it’s a long shot, but I’m glad they’re doing it because it’ll be one less question for us,” the 60-year-old woman told the Acorn. “And I know Simi police have tested other serial killers in the area [who were operating] at the time, so it’s a good road for them to go down.”
It was Shelley Hamilton who found her sister and nephew dead on Veterans Day 1978. She went to Wicht’s Simi apartment after she failed to show up to take Shelley to get her hair done for a friend’s wedding that evening. Their brother, Rick Hamilton – now 56 and a resident of Las Vegas – was living in Simi in 1978 and rushed to the apartment after receiving a frantic call from Shelley that something had happened to Rhonda and Donnie. He previously told the Acorn he is still haunted by visions of what he saw. Now the siblings are waiting for answers all over again. “We’re back to where we were 40 years ago, just waiting, albeit the circumstances this time are a little different,” Shelley said. “We just want to have answers and get some closure for all this.”
Livingstone indicated he’d like to be able to give Rhonda Wicht’s family the answers they deserve, especially since Coley was cleared after almost four decades. Considering what is now being done with DNA gives him confidence that the SVPD will solve the case. “It’s a daunting task, but seeing the outcome of the Golden State Killer case gives us hope that, even when there seems to be not much else to do, you can get a break,” he added.
Coley admitted he feels for Rhonda and Donnie Wicht’s family, who are having to go through the motions of a homicide investigation all over again. “This has all just dragged on for way too long,” he said, adding that when the the killer is found, whether it’s DeAngelo or not, he won’t have anything to say to the man. “I’d just pray for their soul because they need help,” he told the Acorn. “I want to enjoy what I’ve missed in a Godly way and I’m not going to let anybody else disturb the time I have left.”
Source: Melissa Simon, The Simi Valley Acorn, May 4, 2018.
