Alicia Wheeler | Homicide Watch DC

Claude Kinney Sentenced to 30 Years for Stabbing Death of Alecia Wheeler

Laura Amico — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:12:30 -0500

One by one, Alecia Wheeler's sister pulled items out of a blue plastic shopping bag. First, a small blue lunchbox, then a pink one, another pink one, and another pink one. A borrowed Army jacket Wheeler wore, then a crumpled Mylar balloon. It read "Happy Birthday," and had been tied to the stroller Wheeler was pushing when she was attacked and killed.

Her sister held the stroller up.

"He has destroyed the hearts of my sister's children who witnessed the murder of their mother," she said of Claude Kinney, standing about three feet away, shackled and wearing an orange jumpsuit. Kinney looked away from her, bitting his lower lip.

"No child should have the burden to have to go before a grand jury and talk about how they saw their dad murder their mom," she said.

Kinney, 48, pleaded guilty in October to first-degree murder in the violent stabbing assault on Wheeler, his estranged wife and mother of his children. On Friday he was sentenced to thirty years in prison for the crime, the minimum sentence for a charge of first-degree murder.

Wheeler's family asked for more prison time.

"Impose something for the children, consecutive [to the murder sentence]" another sister said. "Fifteen or thirty years per child. They will not forget."

At sentencing, Fisher said that had the case gone to trial and had Kinney been found guilty, a longer sentence could have been appropriate. But he added that his decision to accept the plea offer, as little as it may seem, was made, in part, because of the children. Fisher said he wished to spare them from having to testify and be cross-examined, reliving an incredible trauma in a very public way.

"The most important part is to try... to avoid further emotional trauma to the family and to the children," he said. "I don't think anyone wants to see these children suffer any more."

Kinney stabbed Wheeler with at least three knives as she was walking her four children home from school the afternoon of Sept. 13. When he entered his plea, Kinney told Judge Gerald Fisher that the government was correct when it said that he had stabbed Wheeler with at least three knives as she was walking her four children home from school the afternoon of Sept. 13.

The oldest child, who was nine, ran for help. Finding an MPD officer she said, "my mommy just got stabbed."

Wheeler had received a protection order the day before the stabbing and Kinney had attempted to retrive belongings from their residence earlier that day. He was arrested in a traffic stop about 15 minutes after the stabbing when an officer recognized his truck from a lookout issued by MPD.

"I'm sorry for what happened," Kinney said at his sentencing Friday. "I'm sorry for my children. They lost a mother and father. If I could go back in time and change what happened I would."

A press release from the US Attorney's Office is below:

District Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison For Killing His Wife in Front of Their Children- Stabbed the Victim in Broad Daylight in Northeast Washington -

WASHINGTON- Claude Kinney, 48, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 30 years of incarceration on a charge of first degree murder stemming from the stabbing last year of his estranged wife in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

Kinney pled guilty in October 2011 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Gerald I. Fisher.

According to the government’s evidence, Kinney and the victim, Alecia Wheeler, 42, were married but had been estranged for at least several months prior to the homicide. The couple had three children in common, ages 1, 3 and 5. On September 12, 2011, the day before her murder, Ms. Wheeler obtained a temporary protection order from the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, which compelled Kinney to stay away from her as well as to stay away from her home in Northeast Washington, her workplace, and their children’s school/day care. The order also required Kinney to vacate the home that the two had shared together some months before.

On September 13, 2011, several hours before the murder, Kinney called for police assistance to obtain items from the home. After the police left, Kinney remained in the area of the home, which is within a block of the children's school and the alley where he later murdered Ms. Wheeler. Sometime that same day, Kinney also visited one of the three children he fathered with Ms. Wheeler at school. He also was spotted in the area around the children’s school during the hour before the murder occurred.

At approximately 3 p.m., Ms. Wheeler left the school on foot with the three children she had in common with the defendant, as well as an older daughter, who is 9. As Ms. Wheeler and the children walked down the alley behind the school in the 1200 block of Neal Street NE, Kinney pulled up beside them in his red Dodge pick-up truck. He got out of his truck holding at least one knife in his hand, which was wrapped in a towel. He grabbed Ms. Wheeler and stabbed her numerous times in the head, neck, chest and back. As he did this, Ms. Wheeler’s nine-year-old daughter screamed, “My Mommy is getting stabbed.”

When people in the area began to respond to the screams, Kinney threw Ms. Wheeler to the ground, got back into his truck, and sped off. Police recovered three broken knives in the area.

Ms. Wheeler’s nine-year-old daughter ran back to the school to get help. Once there, she told a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer, “My Mommy just got stabbed!” This officer ran to the rear of 1299 Neal Street NE, and saw that Ms. Wheeler was suffering from multiple stab wounds, face down in a pool of blood. Ms. Wheeler was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead a short time later. An autopsy performed at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the District of Columbia revealed the cause of death to be multiple stab wounds.

Within minutes after the stabbing, Kinney was apprehended by officers of MPD's Fifth District, who received a look-out for the suspect and his vehicle. At approximately 3:15 p.m., officers spotted a truck matching the description in the area of the 2300 block of New York Avenue NE. Upon stopping the truck, which was being driven by the defendant, the officers saw that Kinney was covered in blood and that his right hand had several cuts on the palm and fingers. Officers saw blood on the front center and front passenger seat of the truck, along with a sock stained with blood on the front seat. There was also blood in the rear of the truck on the bumper and in the flat bed.

After being stopped, the defendant made the following statements at various times: “I don’t know why she made me do this.” “God, please forgive me.” “I’m sorry God, I failed my family, I failed my kids. I want to kill myself.” “What did I do?” “Shoot me. Just shoot me.”

In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended MPD Detectives Darin March, Anthony McGee, Keith Batton and Duane Corbett for their work on the investigation, as well as Officer Jeffrey Zumwalt, who spotted and stopped the defendant, and Mobile Crime Technician Tony Nwani, who processed evidence of the crime. In addition, U.S. Attorney Machen expressed his appreciation to Paralegal Phil Aronson and Victim Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker, both of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas A. Gillice and Sharon Donovan, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

Comment of the Day: "Who could protect her?"

Laura Amico — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 09:19:05 -0400

This comment of the day comes from Sherrie, who wrote in about Alicia Wheeler. She said:

This story really hurts me to my heart. I taught her two oldest girls for two years. I've seen them come to school late, sometimes hungry. I've braided their hair. I saw sadness in their mother's eyes, pleading for help as she pushed her son in a stroller. She really tried to do whatever she could for those children, to protect them at all costs... but who could protect her?

Guilty Plea in Stabbing Death of Alicia Wheeler

Laura Amico — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:38:06 -0400

Claude Kinney pleaded guilty this morning to first degree murder in the fatal stabbing of Alicia Wheeler, his estranged wife.

In exchange for the plea, the government agreed to not seek a sentence of more than 30 years, the minimum charge in a first-degree murder case.

In the government's presentation of evidence Tuesday, the prosecutor said that had the case gone to trial it would have been proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Kinney stabbed Wheeler with at least three knives as she was walking her four children home from school the afternoon of Sept. 13.

Kinney, 48, told Judge Gerald Fisher that that information was correct.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan 13.

A press release from the US Attorney's Office is below.

District Man Pleads Guilty to First Degree Murder For Killing His Wife in Front of Their Children- Stabbed the Victim in Broad Daylight in Northeast Washington

WASHINGTON- Claude Kinney, 48, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to a charge of first degree murder stemming from the stabbing of his estranged wife during a mid-day attack last month in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen announced.

Kinney pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Under terms of the plea agreement reached between the government and the defendant, both parties agreed to request a sentence of 30 years of incarceration. If the Court does not agree that such a sentence is appropriate, the defendant may opt to withdraw his plea on the date of sentencing. The Honorable Gerald I. Fisher scheduled sentencing for January 13, 2012.

The charge of first degree murder carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years of incarceration. Statutes in the District would mandate that the defendant serve all 30 years of incarceration, with no possibility of an earlier release.

According to the government’s evidence, Kinney and the victim, Alecia Wheeler, 42, were married but had been estranged for at least several months prior to the homicide. The couple had three children in common, ages 1, 3 and 5. On September 12, 2011, the day before her murder, Ms. Wheeler obtained a temporary protection order from the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, which compelled Kinney to stay away from her as well as to stay away from her home in Northeast Washington, her workplace, and their children’s school/day care. The order also required Kinney to vacate the home that the two had shared together some months before.

On September 13, 2011, several hours before the murder, Kinney called for police assistance to obtain items from the home. After the police left, Kinney remained in the area of the home, which is within a block of the children's school and the alley where he later murdered Ms. Wheeler. Sometime that same day, Kinney also visited one of the three children he fathered with Ms. Wheeler at school. He also was spotted in the area around the children’s school during the hour before the murder occurred.

At approximately 3 p.m., Ms. Wheeler left the school on foot with the three children she had in common with the defendant, as well an older daughter, who is 9. As Ms. Wheeler and the children walked down the alley behind the school in the 1200 block of Neal Street NE, Kinney pulled up beside them in his red Dodge pick-up truck. He got out of his truck holding at least one knife in his hand, which was wrapped in a towel. He grabbed Ms. Wheeler and stabbed her numerous times in the head, neck, chest and back. As he did this, Ms. Wheeler’s nine-year-old daughter screamed, "My Mommy is getting stabbed."

When people in the area began to respond to the screams, Kinney threw Ms. Wheeler to the ground, got back into his truck, and sped off. Police recovered three broken knives in the area.

Ms. Wheeler’s nine-year-old daughter ran back to the school to get help. Once there, she told a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer, “My Mommy just got stabbed!” This officer ran to the rear of 1299 Neal Street NE, and saw that Ms. Wheeler was suffering from multiple stab wounds, face down in a pool of blood. Ms. Wheeler was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead a short time later. An autopsy performed at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the District of Columbia revealed the cause of death to be multiple stab wounds.

Within minutes after the stabbing, Kinney was apprehended by officers of MPD's Fifth District, who received a look-out for the suspect and his vehicle. At approximately 3:15 p.m. officers spotted a truck matching the description in the area of the 2300 block of New York Avenue NE. Upon stopping the truck, which was being driven by the defendant, the officers saw that Kinney was covered in blood and that his right hand had several cuts on the palm and fingers. Officers saw blood on the front center and front passenger seat of the truck, along with a sock stained with blood on the front seat. There was also blood in the rear of the truck on the bumper and in the flat bed.

After being stopped, the defendant made the following statements at various times: “I don’t know why she made me do this.” “God, please forgive me.” “I’m sorry God, I failed my family, I failed my kids. I want to kill myself.” “What did I do?” “Shoot me. Just shoot me.”

In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Machen commended MPD Detectives Darin March, Anthony McGee, Keith Batton and Duane Corbett for their work on the investigation, as well as Officer Jeffrey Zumwalt, who spotted and stopped the defendant, and Mobile Crime Technician Tony Nwani, who processed evidence of the crime. In addition, U.S. Attorney Machen expressed his appreciation to Paralegal Phil Aronson and Victim Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker, both of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas A. Gillice and Sharon Donovan, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

Preliminary Hearing for Man Suspected in Trinidad Stabbing Postponed

Laura Amico — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 18:13:24 -0400

Court records show that a preliminary hearing for Claude Kinney, suspected in the stabbing death of his wife, Alecia Wheeler, in Trinidad this month, has been postponed.

Kinney, 48, was scheduled to appear before Judge Fisher tomorrow. Instead he is now scheduled to appear before Judge Fisher on Oct. 18. He remains in custody.

Kinney was arrested and presented with a charge of first-degree murder while armed on Sept. 15.

Alecia Wheeler's Slaying Prompts Neighborhood Discussion of Domestic Violence

Taylor Brown — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 22:43:11 -0400

While teens played basketball at the Joe Cole Community Center Monday night, a group of about 20 people joined together nearby in prayer. They were gathered in the name of a woman none of them knew, but who was brutally stabbed just a few hundred feet from where they stood.

"It's been just all I can think about since it happened," said ANC commissioner Tina Laskaris, who organized the event with staff from the community center.

Alecia Wheeler was a 42-year-old mother of four who had just picked up up her children from the rec center last Tuesday when a man drove up to her, jumped out of his truck, threw her against it, and began stabbing her. She died of her injuries that afternoon. Her husband, Claude Kinney, has been arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder while armed in connection with the case.

Ward 5 Councilman Harry Thomas opened the vigil Monday with a prayer and spoke about the need for the community to help women in situations of domestic violence.

Attendees stood in a circle in front of the entrance to the community center - a few hundred feet away from where Wheeler was stabbed.

Wheeler had moved to the Trinidad neighborhood not too long ago. A staff member at the community center said she kept to herself, even when using the computer lab.

The vigil centered on how to help her four children and how community leaders hoped to respond to domestic violence in the area.

Karma Cottman, director of the DC Coalition against Domestic Violence said the neighborhood has a larger problem with domestic violence. Calls to police on domestic violence are particularly high in the neighborhood's police service area, she said.

A support fund for the children is being organized by the children's elementary school principal. They are also eligible for assistance from the DC Crime Victims fund, for funeral expenses and relocation costs, Cottman said.

Vigil Tonight in Memory of Alecia Wheeler Confirmed

Laura Amico — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 15:03:37 -0400

Homicide Watch has confirmed that a vigil in memory of Alecia Wheeler is planned for this evening. An email this afternoon states:

Please join me at a vigil for murder victim Alicia Wheeler 6 pm at the Joe Cole recreation center 1299 Neal St. N.E. Monday September 19th at 6 pm coordinated by ANC 5b08 commissioner Tina Laskaris, Joe Cole recreation staff, and neighbors of the Trinidad community. 42-year-old Alicia Wheeler was murdered after picking up her four children from the Joseph Cole Community Center. Please come out and support this Family and let's stop domestic violence.

Vigil for Alecia Wheeler

Laura Amico — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 07:52:32 -0400

We're working to confirm this, but District Curmudgeon reports on Twitter that a vigil in memory of Alecia Wheeler is planned for tonight.

Vigil for murder victim Alicia Wheeler: Mon. 9/19, 6pm at Joe Cole rec center, 1299 Neal St. NE. http://t.co/lVTEv9ml #StopDomesticViolence about 10 hours ago via TweetDeck ReplyRetweetFavorite @distcurm District Curmudgeon

Memorial to Alecia Wheeler

Laura Amico — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 21:16:51 -0400

Washington's Other Monuments has photos of a memorial to Alecia Wheeler, who was killed Tuesday.

See more photos at Washington's Other Monuments.

Claude Kinney Held in Stabbing Death of Alecia Wheeler

Laura Amico — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 17:58:18 -0400

Claude Kinney was ordered held today pending a preliminary hearing, after Judge Levie found substantial probability to believe that Kinney stabbed his wife on Tuesday, killing her in front of their children.

Charging documents in the case describe Kinney driving up to Alecia Wheeler, throwing her onto his truck, and stabbing her. An MPD officer ran to the crime scene when a child stopped the officer and said, "My Mommy just got stabbed."

Another witness heard a young girl yelling, "My mommy is getting stabbed."

Wheeler had pursued a protective order against Kinney, and on Tuesday Kinney had inquired of the police department how he could retrive his belongings from their residence.

While AUSA Thomas Gillice said statements attributed to Kinney in the complaint, including "God, please forgive me," and "I'm sorry God, I failed my family, I failed my kids. I want to kill myself," indicate consciousness of guilt, defense attorney Rene Raymond said they should be taken at face value and do not constitute a confession.

"Clearly it is an incredibly tragic thing that has happened here," Raymond said.

A preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 30.

Charging documents are below.

Alicia Wheeler Sought Protective Orders Against Claude Kinney

Laura Amico — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 20:59:58 -0400

On Monday Alicia Wheeler was in court, filing for an order to protect her from Claude Kinney. She was given a two week order, but on Wednesday she was dead. Kinney, authorities believe, killed her.

The Washington Post reports that Wheeler filed for least two protective orders:

Describing a pattern of recent domestic assaults, she said Kinney slapped her, punched her, kicked her and threatened her with worse.

In her petition, she said Kinney told her “that he wanted to take [her] from this world” and that “he would slice [her] throat and no one would know.” He threatened her with a knife, she said, and beat her several times. Once, after slapping her, Kinney told her that she “needed to listen to him,” Wheeler alleged.

In 2006, court records show that Wheeler's request for a protective order resulted in a mediated agreement. In 2008 Kinney filed for a protective order himself; a woman, not Wheeler, was the subject of that complaint.

Trinidad Stabbing Victim ID'ed as Alicia Wheeler; Claude Kinney Arrested in Connection with Case

Laura Amico — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:37:37 -0400

A woman stabbed to death in a Trinidad alley Tuesday afternoon has been identified as 42-year-old Alicia Wheeler, the Washington Post reports. Claude Kinney, 48, has been arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder while armed, but has not yet been presented with the charge.

Arrest Made in Slaying of Woman in Northeast DC: MyFoxDC.com

Read MPD's press release after the jump.

September 14, 2011

Arrest Made in the Homicide of Alicia Wheeler

(Washington, DC)-Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch have announced that an arrest has been made in the fatal stabbing of Alicia Wheeler.

On Tuesday, September 13, 2011, at approximately 3:09 pm, an officer from the Fifth District was flagged down in the 1200 block of Neal Street, NE to investigate the report of a stabbing. Upon arrival, the officer observed a female suffering from multiple lacerations to her body. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel responded to the scene and transported the victim to a local hospital where she succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead.

The decedent was identified as 42 year-old Alicia Wheeler of Northeast, DC.

The Metropolitian Police Departments 5th District Officers apprehended the suspect, identified as 48-year-old Claude Kinney of Northeast DC, in the 2300 block of New York Avenue, NE, and he was charged with First Degree Murder While Armed.