A 33-year-old West Virginia woman will spend at least three decades behind bars after pleading guilty to murdering her 4-year-old daughter because she was jealous of the attention the child received from her husband.
Rebakah Weikle pleaded guilty on April 30 to first-degree murder and child abuse resulting in injury. A judge handed her two life sentences, with parole eligibility coming after 30 years.
The plea stems from an incident in July 2022 at the family’s home in the Forest Hill area. According to investigators, Weikle fatally stabbed and slit the throat of her daughter, Haley, in a bedroom either late on July 11 or during the early morning hours of July 12.
Summers County Prosecuting Attorney Chris Lefler revealed that forensic analysis of Weikle’s cell phone showed a pattern of premeditation starting weeks before the killing.
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“What we could determine from her cellular phone searches beginning in mid to late June, she started having these very pointed searches on how to harm people, specifically searches relevant to lacerations or stab wounds, particular locations on the body,” Lefler told People magazine. “And I can only assume that with her statement that she had this growing animosity and jealousy, most likely when she was conducting these searches, she did have her daughter in mind.”
Lefler noted that the searches were initially somewhat generic, focusing on topics like “stab wounds to the upper chest” and “how long does it take someone to die from being stabbed.”
On the night of the murder, Haley’s father and her two brothers had already gone to sleep. Lefler stated that Weikle and Haley were the only ones still awake. After telling the young girl to go to bed, Weikle went to the kitchen, retrieved a knife, and attacked the child.
“She used either a blanket or a pillow to cover Haley’s mouth, and she specifically used this method so that the father would not hear,” Lefler said.
Following the attack, Weikle cleaned and concealed the weapon, ran a load of laundry, and went to sleep.
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“She stated that she then went to the bedroom, disrobed, and hid her clothing in a pile of clothes, which we were able to find on the execution of a search warrant,” Lefler said.
Records indicate Weikle remained on her phone throughout the rest of the night. The next morning, she told her husband, Rusty Weikle, that Haley was not waking up. When he instructed her to go wake the girl, Weikle replied, “Haley’s dead,” according to the prosecutor. Rusty Weikle discovered his daughter’s body in the bedroom and immediately dialed 911.
While both parents were initially arrested and charged with murder, authorities later dropped all charges against the father after establishing he had no involvement in the crime.
Speaking after the sentencing, Rusty Weikle expressed the profound impact of the loss and his anger over the motive.
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