The Widemans : Part 3

Philip Holloway. I haven't went out investigating, and I asked questions like yall, some people, we all thought, tell me, some people won't. Some people are scared. When it first happened, everybody's like they get killed. Last episode, we talked to the local news outlets that covered the Wideman case. We also talked to a local family friend. It's been hard for us to get a lot of the details straight. We needed to talk with the current Turner County Sheriff,

Andy Hester. I tried sending him a message, and Mason tried calling twice, but we got no answer. I reached out to him by phone and my text message, but I had no love. Finally, I decided to send one of the sworn producers in person to see if we could ask him some questions about the Wideman case. Seven November October September. On our way down to Rebecca, we stopped at the Turner County E. M. S and Fire station.

I met a group of nice people who are willing to sit through the fire report documents to find the one on the Wideman case. So it's filed in the two thousand one because if this player runs one through June. They brought out a box of paper files that they had in storage July August, September, October, November to Sember. Their fiscal year runs July one thro so even though the Wyman fire took place in two thousand two, it would be filed in with the two thousand one reports.

So large is into two thousand one would because we used to have to do um monthly reports and turn it into forestry now, so that means it's either burned or it's that's wise not solved because the wards are gone. Maybe she's right. They looked for us, but they couldn't find any of the two thousand one files Apparently the protocol is to keep files dating back ten years and after that they're burned. There should be a fire report from that. All right, we don't know we threw anything away.

We were connected with Brad Calhoun, the husband of one of the e M T s we've spoken to earlier. I know he said that Sheriff's office definitely has a copy of it, but yeah, I don't know if he'll give it to me. Uh, I call that sho be a problem. Brad is the county and District commissioner, so he got us in touch with the Sheriff, Andy Hester. Come, well, I'm Andy Hester. I'm the sheriff of Turner County. Spent about twenty five of my years here in this county.

Whether it started out with Ashton Police Department and then came to the Sheriff's office. We got lucky. Sheriff Hester was in his office and he was willing to talk to us. Status of the cases. It's open. It's raw to all of us that work here, because it is to me one being. I grew up here and I knew the family to being. I'm the sheriff of this county and people expect me to keep things fresh and

and worked on. And that's what my goal is, to make sure that it's not, let you know, laying down stagnant. Since I've been sheriff, I know I've called the gb office and met with their sack at the time that came down when I first become sheriff, I called him and asked him to come. And that was the specific reason as they picked this case back up and please look at it harder and look at it. If anything was not turned over, to turn it over. There's a

lot of information. I can't tell you that there's not something there that could solve the case. I can't tell you that there is, but I can say that there's a lot of information that's been gathered. It's very important that people if they know anything, it don't matter if they think it's important or not. It might be a little piece of thread that connects two things together that we need connected that will solve the case. And uh to I want to tell people that, yes, it will

be solved. I want to tell them that, and I want them to be encouraged to anything they here to. Please call and tell us us what we're here for. They ain't gonna be bothering us. They ain't gonna cause us to have any undo work that we don't need to do. We need to do that work. You know, if they don't trust the sheriff's office called the g B office. Those guys, they didn't grow up here, They don't have any friends, and they involved in either side.

And if there's any question, I hope there's not. I hope the public that has all the confident and trust in the world in the sheriff and the Sheriff's office here. But if they don't, there's an avenue that they can take to keep us clear of the information. They can call the GBI and the g B I will work that case with that information without us even knowing. That's fine. I want the case solved. I don't care how it solved. I don't care who it is that did it. We

want them in jail. They murdered three people, and uh, they need to be brought to justice. That's what our goal is. And I wish we could release a lot of information out there to people like you that are wanting to all you want to do solve the case. I wish we could, and I don't want it to seem like that we stonlee walling or putting up barricades for you or the public. But there's just things that

are detrimental to cases that you don't release. Early on, in our interview with the sheriff, we were met with a common roadblock in cases like this. I really can't tell you that information because it's it would be information

that don't need to be released. You see, with multiple agencies involved and the fact that they all consider this technically an ongoing investigation, whatever that means, even though it's nearly been fifteen years, they still don't want to open up about the facts of the case, and that would be something you'd have to talk to the GBI about. They still don't want to talk about what they're doing to keep this case moving. I couldn't release any of

that information to you. I wouldn't be able to release that information. The g b I would have to release that to you. That's information that the g b I would have to least if it's released. I can't tell you that either. Are they doing what Sheriff Kendrick pleaded with the gb I to do back in two thousand and five. Are they actually doing something or is it just simply sitting on a shelf somewhere collecting dust. Any

murder supporting to me. And I've had people say, well, you know, we have other cases that y'all don't put as much interest in we did. And some of those are not murders. They've been a suicide, or they've been something else. And of course the family is always convinced that their family members was a victim of somebody else's hand. That's not always the case. And sometimes you show that it was what it is and they're not satisfied with it. And I understand that I would probably be the same

way if it was somebody I loved. But we have no interest of it in solve crimes. We don't make my check go up to solve a murder, and it don't make it go down to not solve the murder. My interests and my heart is to put bad guys in jail for committing crimes, going home and laying my head down, and I know, and I'm doing the right thing for my family's name and for the public. Is is my goal. I don't gain anything from covering something

up or uncovering something. It don't gain me anything. What will gain me is if I do the right thing and put people in jail at the criminals, that's the goal. I just want the public to know and we depend on them as much as we depend on each other to get his job done. Once that it was determined that they were someone in the house at some point that morning, we contact the g b I and let them come to the scene and started processing the scene.

After the fires extinguished and determined that there were people in the home, they came and processed it before anything was moved from the residents at all. They came initially before and once the fire was out, before anything was taken from the scene. Gb I was called a make process the scene, crime scene taped off and there was uh several days passed before that scene was released. I do know that the the remains of the home was

sifted through, and I mean sifted. I'm talking about sifted with a piece of equipment that sifts ashes and things of that nature. So I know that it was processed thoroughly. We asked the sheriff about the fire reports. He didn't have them, and it sounded like he'd never even seen them. Now Brad told me that they I don't I don't know if they could find it or whatever. UM there should be a copy of the fire Department UM report in the in the case file, and I mean that

would have been all in that. There's a box of stuff that the gb I has and it's all in that case file. I know there's a lot of information out there because people, however, they found out information that you know, there's been a lot of and some speculation and some could be truth to some of it. I couldn't confirm or deny. I know that the contact was made with their families that morning. I don't know where they were at reference to where they were when they

were contacted. I do know that some of the family members came out to the scene that morning. So as far as who contacted them, where they were at when they were contacted, I don't I didn't contact them myself, So whoever done that, I know it's probably in the case file, but I don't know who did it or where they were at when they were contacted. Some of them live in Rebecca and some of them live in Tifton, and so they were probably notified pretty quickly after it

was determined. You know that that somebody was in the house.

I'm sure they were notified pretty quickly after that. I know the ones that live in Rebecca, Charles Henry and Diane Wyman, Chip Wyman, Larry and his wife has been very adamant and persistent, which they should be about, you know, the case being worked on and and and I agree totally with them, but I know that everybody in the county has their opinion what they think, which at this time everybody that could be interviewed has been interviewed, whether

they were a suspect or a person of interest. I know the gbis interviewed and exhausted all those avenues, and certainly if there's been new ones over the time that have come up to g BI has responded quickly and promptly to go and follow up any leads. And so you know, our hope is through whatever means doing the news interviews and things like this, that somebody somewhere will you know, remember something, or maybe I have told somebody at the time and that person didn't act or whatever

or didn't relay that information on it. We can rehash it again or visit it again, but I can't tell you we have a suspect, and I can't tell you we don't either I do know that every avenue has been checked on that could be checked on, whether it led to new information or whether it ruled somebody out

or rule somebody in. I can't tell you that either, but we have and recent as Sunday got information that's been given in the case that could be beneficially could We don't know yet, but it's everything that we can gather. Someone little something can make the difference, and that's what we're hoping. And I hope that some little something comes along that's the piece to the puzzle that we need.

And I feel like somebody out there knows something that maybe will will help, whether they think they give it before and then it just didn't work out or not, or I hope they'll refresh it and say, look Sheriff, we we've told this before, but we want to tell it again, and I make sure that it's you know, goes to who it needs to be and it is followed up on. I mean, that's my I kind of feel like the coaching a deal where I want to

make sure everything's done that can be done. I think that we could have been a lot closer than we are now do. I think there's some out there somewhere. I do I think there's something that's just not been reported, or something that could be picked up on outside that physical location there, because everything that could be got from that physical location has been got. A fire destroyers a

lot of things. But I do know that anything it could have been collected was collected just out of history of doing this job twenty seven years, that when somebody acts along, it's a lot harder catch them than it is if you've got somebody that's helped them. I know that I don't have a clue. We don't. I can't tell you if there was one or two or five in this instance, but I know that people have a

hard time keeping their mouth shut. So I hope that somebody somewhere knows something and they'll tell I think it costs some maybe some anger and people that are just convinced that they know who could have done it and that that they hadn't been arrested. But it's just not that easy, and to just say, well, we think they did it, we got to have stuff to put them in jail. And so the unfortunate thing is is that we as law enforcement. Of course, I got a bunch

of people here that's that didn't grow up here. I know everybody, all of them, they ever part of the family on both sides, and uh so, you know, there's always speculations about what sheriff knows this and or knows that or whatever. But I got investigators and g B I work in this case that have no clue who any of these people are. They don't have ties to them, They ain't connected to them in some form of fashion

because of living here. And so that alone, I hope it takes the conflict out of people's minds that want to Shriff can control and do what he wants to do with cases, and that's not the case. My interest is solved cases. I don't care who they are. But if there's anybody that has that kind of a conflict, I want them to be assured that the people that work this case, that work at the Sheriff's office, energy B I have no connection with these families at all either way. They don't have a dog and if I

either way, so there's no influence. I try to stay as clear from cases like that. My deputies when they go out and answer calls, if they know families like that, I'll try to steer another deputy of that location, just because of the mere conflict that causes in people's minds. So I think that's the only thing that's affected the community is they think that they know who did it, and they think they should be in jail. And I agree with him. I want somebody in jail too that

did it. As my personal experience, as you always start closest you can to the incident, the family and things of that nature. So now what kind of cooperation you get out of them, I don't have a clue. Some of it could be the fact that they are, you know, wanting to be patient, let the g b I. They don't want to do anything to interfere with the case either, And some of it could be other reasons. You know.

I always start inside the house and work out with missing kids because I have found them leading the close of a sleep and they think they've been kidnapped and they're and they're sleeping the pile of clothes. So I always starting to center the house and work out. I think that's a good rule of thing for anything. He's starting the center of the conflict and work out, you

find out a lot of things moving outwards. So there's a lot of people question and certainly all those that were closest to the family, which I know they were questioned. I think they were all interviewed, you know, starting in the middle of the house, she started out and question everybody. We were all interviewed about everybody, you know, the families and stuff like that. We were all interviewed about that stuff.

You know. Everybody's always skeptical about releasing something that runs the case because then it makes us look bad and then well the sheriff shouldn't have done that, or he he let out something that calls him to lose the case. That's we're scared of. We're we're scared of letting out one something and then getting the chord and they're throwing it out because we released it and it's tainted a jury or something like that. That's what we're scared of.

We're not scared of without have anything to hide. It's all about integrity of the case and knowing that a lawyer is gonna look for that little chink and he's gonna say, well, didn't you tell so and so this, and and then that's just it runs that piece of evidence. So we're really skeptical about releasing in depth information. It's not that we're trying to hide anything from Pope. We just don't want to lose the case. It's a two edged sword. We want to get it out where we

can get help. But then if you give it out, it costs you an end. So then we're like in a two pronged thing that were like how much what do you tell? What do you say? I mean, in that same lack of ding it would help, but then it runs it at the end. I'm not the best

at at what I do. I strive to be, and I probably don't know everything I should and shouldn't release, but I try to be as open to the public as I can, and they expect me to be knowledgeable enough to know if I'm gonna cost the case in the end to lose it, and that loses their respect to me for that, so then I have to weigh

out all those options. So it's rough sometimes. Since they're still considering this an open investigation, how will we ever know if they're doing the things that John Dawes says that they should be doing. How are we supposed to know if they're actually looking at things, if they're actually talking to people Are they reinterviewing witnesses? Are they actually doing something? I think the case of fallible yes have a father. I don't know, I can't. I think we

missed our chance. I think the Lord Evin this has been Disapperiod. Remember the guy whose name has been censored throughout the podcast here is We got hold of him, but again he asked us not to use his name. He told us the story about one of the persons of interest in this case, Jason. Him and Melissa was dating at the time, and they tried depinion on him. But I don't think he done it. Do you know

that was his baby, don't you? To recap Jason Walker is the supposed father of Melissa's child and immediately a target of suspicion. But according to the story that this family member told us, somebody he knew corroborated Jason's alibi. That night she was at a MC and she went and knew Jason walked through either history would dating and that, and she says she was at his house that morning she felt in his trunk in the hood was cold, so he didn't drive that truck to night. He trusted

that person enough to believe it couldn't be chasing. After a while, he began to express the series on who may be responsible and told us some findings of his own. We was all set up to have a lot to text or tests, and the woman's decided they wasn't gonna have it, and we didn't have it. And that's all I can tell. I mean, you know, for legality plan why I can't even they wouldn't know, like giving an answer to either all my family would have set up to the wood. How did they said, and then all

of a sudden commoon, we wouldn't. How did that happen? I mean they said other questions like that that I could I asked, but I don't. I can't get no evidence. This thing consuming my life for three years actored happened, and I decided I had to go on my way, you know, if faking my whole family, So I haven't went out and investigating and asked questions like you'll do some people, well thought to me, some people want some people are scared. When the first halted, everybody's played, they'n't

get killed. I wasn't going to be the executor of Debra's the states it's all going to the Violen's anyway.

I mean, there's the money, but they had problems, but they kept the best and kift get away from us for three months and the wim has hadn't done all this stuff, and we didn't know nothing the Paris which was a corner Perry funeral, and I didn't know nothing about that because July of the third and when we met at a lawyer's office, Cyril Bryant's office with Challs Hendry Wyman, and I find out they had had the

best ticket for three months. And that's when I decided to be these extra debra states so I could find out something they's connections wanted them. Paris wife is kin to the Wilds was in Nicole house. All of the life insurances were done before anything happened. Before the woman's He wasn't exaction and I wouldn't e sak of it. All of a sudden got done and we got one life insurance to paid debor bills or time to in

dever fields. They wasn't dead heavily. Wine was held back that they got the life assurance, they sold the car, they got a car insurance. They got everything before the legal process started. Does that make sense if you don't have a will to go back to the paternal grandmother. You check it out and see if I'm right. Tom and Joe the ever had ones I love you will so I leave you, you leave me, and if I die first, it says, if you know what I'm talking about,

Melissa did. If that baby had been born, that would have brought the Walkers into the state. The Wiemans wouldn't have been divided up. If White was in our death dead anyway, and the Whitemans was in financial trouble or that point the finger as the man from America most woman told me, he followed the money, and you get the criminals full five million dollars two til Nature's land once you stop house running, ding the beach on the ocean.

From the outside, it may not appear that the Wideman inheritance was exceptionally large, but according to him, when it was broken down, it amounted to four or five million dollars. And I think there's a lot with Kendrick and the way I was together. They've been seen going through parties in Ferordo and limousines and things like ball games and things like that. He stopped everything. I mean, I'm sure if it's powerful man. He stopped a lot of plans.

He stopped you be, I feel, and that's rain and I think he's boiling down to the why I was living Rebucca. They was one of the ones, first ones out there. And then Randy Kenny was a surer and he stopped a lot of things, just like investigation or things like he's the one to give tho Kater, but it was the house down a friend to whoever done it is gonna after polk or who listened. And here's often, well, you know, GB, I am don't tell you much or nothing, so I can't verify things will say it or told

or nothing. I can't. I don't know when you said in my opposition, ain't nobody gonna talk to you? In the enforcement horror, that's where he not got investigated. He told me that he couldn't tell me. I thank you that Taylor enforcement but be enforced did let him do nothing. And he's retired in Jacksonville. For it cost me five dollars for him to come up here and ride and

thought Randy candidates and go back. And then he said, you know, if I can't get a piece of information, let's start on and if he put us out of the word, don't talk at about it. The ain't nothing I can do. I'll be wasting your money. So that mysterious phone call we played last episode, we shared it with this individual, turns out ten years earlier, he'd heard

a similar story from the same person. He's a good possibility for he's saying, they said that the truth to its very possible to have that way, just without all the details. He and go onto this day tail like you like you got no he did not. No. I don't know. We need to learned all this either. All I know it was all of a sudden at that he got killed in a call red and again when them coincidence or whatever. These a lot of things happening over the years. A lot of people have died a

new times. Not many years after these murders took place. The key player in the story died in a car wreck, but according to the story, other even more important players are still alive. I think they wrote a lot of things off then. I don't know what they had lives on, or they had their lives focused on it. To give the g B. I are they gonna do anything? I don't know, Uh, they if you for sure it yourself. I don't know which way he's gonna be the best.

Remember when we played an anonymous call in episode two. We've decided we want to play you some more, but we're still keeping the names out of it. Who will never probably never taught speak of it. They were good friends with this chick wideman I believe hired the people that murdered those people that murdered him and burned the house. It's a hell of a story. Now why am I interested in it? Who was a drug addict and an alcoholic and who finally killed himself in a high speed

car accident. He were the alibi that night for the prime suspect in the murder case. Do you understand what I'm telling you? They were his only alibi. Our producer Pain received that phone call a year ago when we started this warn investigation. Mason reached out to the same individual to get some input on the story. A half hour later, he called me some back. Hello is this Mason Linday? Yes, this is don't ever call me about this.

I don't like your brother, I don't like you, and I don't know what God damn think about the murdering case you asked me about, but I do know a by Joan what a bunch of swine you are, so don't ever call me. Okay. We decided that this information was too sensitive to sit on by ourselves, so executive producer Payne Lindsay and I made an editorial decision and decided that Payne should contact Jason Shadell of the Georgia

Bureau of Investigation and he passed this information along. Will continue to follow this case in the future and plan to come out with more episodes in a few months. So please, if you have any information at all about this case, contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. You can also contact us directly at Sworn tips at gmail dot com. Sworn is produced by Tenderfoot TV in Atlanta. Story and production by Payne Lindsay, Mason Lindsay and Meredith Steadman and

myself Philip Holloway. Sound designed by Payne Lindsay, executive producers Donald Albright and Payne Lindsay. Mixed and mastered by Resonate Recordings. Also, if you haven't yet, please check out our sister podcast, Up and Vanished that follows the investigation into the disappearance of Georgia high school teacher and beauty queen Tara Grinstead. Up and Vanished is available now on Apple Podcasts. Thanks for listening. This is Philip Holloway and I'll see you next time on Sworn