GUILTY Wesley Hadsell guilty after retrial on murdering adopted stepdaughter, A.J. Hadsell #3

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Man, 43, found guilty of murdering his stepdaughter, 18, by injecting her with lethal dose of heroin | Daily Mail Online

"Wesley Hadsell's first trial in 2020 ended in a mistrial. His second trial began in January and lasted three weeks.

AJ Hadsell, a freshman at Longwood University in Farmville, vanished on March 2, 2015, while spending her Spring Break at home in Norfolk.

A month later, her lifeless body was discovered partially concealed by a piece of plywood in a ditch next to an abandoned home in Franklin, located 40 miles away from Norfolk.

A medical examiner determined that the college student died from homicidal violence and acute heroin poisoning after being pinned down and injected with three times the lethal dose of the opioid."
 
Now that he is convicted (again!), can we change the banner of this thread to guilty rather than mistrial? I always want to see the words guilty next to this murderer's name.
 
A.J.’s body was partially buried, face down, in a ditch. Her sweatpants had been pulled down.
…
Wendy Gunther with the Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined — due to the presence of bruises on the victim’s eyes and chin, and three times the lethal dose of heroin in her system — that A.J. died from “homicidal violence” and acute heroin poisoning. Hair follicle analysis showed the Longwood University freshman had no prior history of drug use, which friends and family confirmed. An affirmative determination of sexual assault was impossible, Gunther’s report said, due to damage inflicted on the corpse by insects and other animals.
…
According to the prosecution, A.J. wasn’t killed until the day after she disappeared. The physical marks left on her body, Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Toni Colvin said during trial, were consistent with someone being pinned down and forcibly injected with heroin.
Virginia Man Found Guilty of Murdering His Adopted 18-Year-Old Stepdaughter While She Was Home on Spring Break by Injecting Her With a Lethal Amount of Heroin
Good article.
 
A judge sentenced Wesley Hadsell Monday to life in prison plus 15 years for the murder of his stepdaughter AJ Hadsell, saying Hadsell showed the most “callous, egregious conduct I can envision.”

Wesley Hadsell sentenced to life plus 15 years for the murder of his stepdaughter | WAVY.com

Circuit Judge L. Wayne Farmer gave Hadsell the maximum allowed for each charge he was convicted of, including first-degree murder, concealing a dead body, and possessing drugs in jail.

Wesley Hadsell sentenced to life plus 15 years for the 2015 murder of his adopted daughter
 
Hoosgirl said:
A judge sentenced Wesley Hadsell Monday to life in prison plus 15 years for the murder of his stepdaughter AJ Hadsell, saying Hadsell showed the most “callous, egregious conduct I can envision.”

Wesley Hadsell sentenced to life plus 15 years for the murder of his stepdaughter | WAVY.com

Circuit Judge L. Wayne Farmer gave Hadsell the maximum allowed for each charge he was convicted of, including first-degree murder, concealing a dead body, and possessing drugs in jail.

Wesley Hadsell sentenced to life plus 15 years for the 2015 murder of his adopted daughter
Click to expand...
I wish I could heart this!
 
Hoosgirl said:
A judge sentenced Wesley Hadsell Monday to life in prison plus 15 years for the murder of his stepdaughter AJ Hadsell, saying Hadsell showed the most “callous, egregious conduct I can envision.”

Wesley Hadsell sentenced to life plus 15 years for the murder of his stepdaughter | WAVY.com

Circuit Judge L. Wayne Farmer gave Hadsell the maximum allowed for each charge he was convicted of, including first-degree murder, concealing a dead body, and possessing drugs in jail.

Wesley Hadsell sentenced to life plus 15 years for the 2015 murder of his adopted daughter
Click to expand...
From your first link:

Noticeably absent during Monday’s sentencing hearing were AJ Hadsell’s family and friends. These hearings are typically when family members take the stand to read victim impact statements.

Southampton County Commonwealth’s Attorney Eric Cooke said emotions are still so raw and AJ’s murder has broken the family. The seventh anniversary of AJ’s body being found is this Saturday, April 9.

AJ’s first step-father, Zach Hoffer, did come to court with a victim impact statement. Hoffer and AJ’s mother Jennifer have two daughters together. The defense voiced an objection since Hoffer doesn’t meet the court criteria to give a victim statement.

Hoffer did not accept the decision lightly. He refused to get up from the witness stand and began to read his statement anyways. Southampton Sheriff’s deputies intervened, forcibly removing Hoffer from the stand. Hoffer resisted, spewing a string of expletives at Wesley Hadsell as he walked by. At one point Hoffer lunged at the defendant yelling “AJ is my daughter, you coward.”

Hoffer continued to flail and resist deputies. Hoffer is a large man, standing around 6’4″ or 6’5″. It took about five deputies to get control of him. Eventually, law enforcement had him on the ground and handcuffs were placed around his wrists. He was escorted out of the courtroom. Officials said he could face charges for his actions.

A sense of shock descended on the courtroom as this scene played out. During the chaos, the judge left the courtroom. Officials later said this was for safety reasons.

From WAVY’s vantage point in the back, Hadsell looked calm and stoic. The judge later commented that Hadsell had a smirk on his face during Hoffer’s outburst and arrest.
...
Hadsell did speak in court today on his behalf. The written statement he read aloud said how much he loved his daughter and his family and how he would never do this. The judge didn’t buy it.

The judge gave Hadsell life in prison for first-degree murder, the maximum five years for concealment of a body, and the maximum of 10 years for possession of drugs in prison.
Wesley Hadsell sentenced to life plus 15 years for the murder of his stepdaughter | WAVY.com

No news on whether or not Wesley's lawyers have filed the papers for appeal yet. Hopefully he's used up his nine lives and he'll spend the rest of his nasty life in prison.
 
MsMarple said:
From your first link:

Noticeably absent during Monday’s sentencing hearing were AJ Hadsell’s family and friends. These hearings are typically when family members take the stand to read victim impact statements.

Southampton County Commonwealth’s Attorney Eric Cooke said emotions are still so raw and AJ’s murder has broken the family. The seventh anniversary of AJ’s body being found is this Saturday, April 9.

AJ’s first step-father, Zach Hoffer, did come to court with a victim impact statement. Hoffer and AJ’s mother Jennifer have two daughters together. The defense voiced an objection since Hoffer doesn’t meet the court criteria to give a victim statement.

Hoffer did not accept the decision lightly. He refused to get up from the witness stand and began to read his statement anyways. Southampton Sheriff’s deputies intervened, forcibly removing Hoffer from the stand. Hoffer resisted, spewing a string of expletives at Wesley Hadsell as he walked by. At one point Hoffer lunged at the defendant yelling “AJ is my daughter, you coward.”

Hoffer continued to flail and resist deputies. Hoffer is a large man, standing around 6’4″ or 6’5″. It took about five deputies to get control of him. Eventually, law enforcement had him on the ground and handcuffs were placed around his wrists. He was escorted out of the courtroom. Officials said he could face charges for his actions.

A sense of shock descended on the courtroom as this scene played out. During the chaos, the judge left the courtroom. Officials later said this was for safety reasons.

From WAVY’s vantage point in the back, Hadsell looked calm and stoic. The judge later commented that Hadsell had a smirk on his face during Hoffer’s outburst and arrest.
...
Hadsell did speak in court today on his behalf. The written statement he read aloud said how much he loved his daughter and his family and how he would never do this. The judge didn’t buy it.

The judge gave Hadsell life in prison for first-degree murder, the maximum five years for concealment of a body, and the maximum of 10 years for possession of drugs in prison.
Wesley Hadsell sentenced to life plus 15 years for the murder of his stepdaughter | WAVY.com

No news on whether or not Wesley's lawyers have filed the papers for appeal yet. Hopefully he's used up his nine lives and he'll spend the rest of his nasty life in prison.
Click to expand...
WOW! Good on you Zach! IMHO...obviously.
 
@Zach, so dreadfully sorry you have been through this ordeal having lost your beloved daughter.

You have done everything in your power to fight for justice for AJ & her killer rightfully remains where he belongs, though small consolation to you I’m sure.

I know I’m not alone in saying, my thoughts are with you, and will remain with you in your grief & sadness.

You did everything a father could possibly do, in this truly awful situation.

All my opinion.
 
Just finished watching Dateline on the app... for the most part the facts presented are accurate IMO. Minor complaint - Dateline covered Wesley's eye tats with concealer. Boo.

I understand that LE needed probable cause in order to search Wesley's van, which the burglary charge provided but it still bothers me that it took 3 long weeks for LE to obtain the GPS. As long as Wes' appeal is unsuccessful it won't matter - life plus 15 years is about as good as it gets. Still, he's been extraordinarily lucky in court in the past.

Wes is high on my list of creepy psychopaths. We have those early interviews with him where he masterfully lied about the day AJ disappeared. He murdered her then went on with his life with no emotion. He planned his crime and manipulated others. He still claims to be innocent amid a mountain of evidence. IMO he is a monster. MOO.
 
MsMarple said:
Just finished watching Dateline on the app... for the most part the facts presented are accurate IMO. Minor complaint - Dateline covered Wesley's eye tats with concealer. Boo.

I understand that LE needed probable cause in order to search Wesley's van, which the burglary charge provided but it still bothers me that it took 3 long weeks for LE to obtain the GPS. As long as Wes' appeal is unsuccessful it won't matter - life plus 15 years is about as good as it gets. Still, he's been extraordinarily lucky in court in the past.

Wes is high on my list of creepy psychopaths. We have those early interviews with him where he masterfully lied about the day AJ disappeared. He murdered her then went on with his life with no emotion. He planned his crime and manipulated others. He still claims to be innocent amid a mountain of evidence. IMO he is a monster. MOO.
Click to expand...

Well, he didn't want us to have the last word on his own foretelling of fate. But, I agree. Whose side are they on. I guess it was a concession that Dateline had to make in order to get the interview!

Had I still been a resident of Virginia, at the time of this trial, I would have been out in front of that courthouse selling (at cost) sunglasses with "Game" and "Over" on the lenses!
 
Hoosgirl said:
A judge sentenced Wesley Hadsell Monday to life in prison plus 15 years for the murder of his stepdaughter AJ Hadsell, saying Hadsell showed the most “callous, egregious conduct I can envision.”

Wesley Hadsell sentenced to life plus 15 years for the murder of his stepdaughter | WAVY.com

Circuit Judge L. Wayne Farmer gave Hadsell the maximum allowed for each charge he was convicted of, including first-degree murder, concealing a dead body, and possessing drugs in jail. I met this man in prison. He is a very sad situation
Click to expand...
 
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