Kriti Mehrotra
While there’s no denying every loss of life is heartbreaking, the grief and pain surrounding it does grow multifold when the reason behind a person not being here anymore is murder. This much has actually even been evidenced in HBO Max’s ‘Cabin in the Woods: Cabin 13,’ which carefully chronicles the April 30, 1996, homicide of Cheryl Lynn Flippo (nee Jewell). Though arguably the worst aspect of this entire ordeal was that this 46-year-old was actually killed at the hands of someone she genuinely trusted — it was a betrayal unlike any other.
Cheryl Flippo Was Found Dead in a Secluded Area
At the age of 46, Cheryl was reportedly leading a happy life in Nitro, West Virginia, as a devoted wife, caring mother, as well as an active member of the Landmark Baptist Church of God. The truth is she was actually married to the Minister, James Michael Flippo, whom she had fallen in love with while he was still in college before supporting him in every sense of the term. According to the show, she was not only proud of her well-respected position but had also earned it by constantly doing things that either served the church in itself or its many people.
However, as per records, everything turned upside down for the young Flippo family starting around the late 1980s as Cheryl and her husband James discovered they allegedly had a stalker. This stalker reportedly used to leave them notes made up of letters cut out from magazines, stating things like “You’re next, “I’m watching you,” or “I’ll get you,” which terrified her to no extent. Little did anybody know her fear was both warranted yet not in the years to pass by as James claimed in the early hours of April 30, 1996, that they had been attacked by a masked intruder.
According to the show, James had booked the secluded cabin 13 in Babcock State Park on April 27 for a private getaway for just him and his wife so as to spend some quality time together. However, per his accounts, an intruder allegedly broke into their place in the middle of the night before launching a full-on assault on them with the help of some fireplace wood and a knife. He asserted he lost consciousness for a while, only to immediately realize they needed help when he came to — but alas, it was too late as Cheryl had passed from being heinously bludgeoned.
Cheryl Flippo Was Not the Victim of a Strange Intruder But of Her Husband
While first responders did initially believe James’s frantic claims, considering his response to the situation, the fact he was injured in his leg, and what he described as a strange car being parked in front of the cabin, things soon changed. That’s because the scene did not match his claims. There were signs of struggle in the bedroom and living room, but upon closer inspection, it came to light that the scene had been set. Then it turned out his wounds were also all self-inflicted. As for the strange car, that was actually one of his closest friends, and the couple had actually driven in that vehicle.
Furthermore, the most incriminating aspect was that investigators noticed there was no unidentified footprint set that corroborated James’ claim. It was actually a rainy night, so the dirt all around the cabin had evolved into mud, and not a single footprint it had was unaccounted for in any sense. That’s when James really came under suspicion, so a deeper insight into his revealed he had actually taken out a life insurance policy worth $100,000 on his wife on March 1, 1996, naming himself the sole beneficiary. This policy was put into effect on April 1, and less than a month later, she was dead.
Investigators later also uncovered that James did have a tendency to be greedy. His church had burned down seven years prior, not long after he had claimed he wanted a new one, so the insurance money from there enabled him to do as he desired. Then, as per the show, he had also stolen at least $12,000 from a fund a church had created for a child with a terminal illness, and there was no stalker. In fact, per records, he himself was the stalker – he left the notes whenever he was worried his embezzlings were close to being uncovered by his wife, leading him to shift the focus.
James Michael Flippo is Currently Serving a Life Term
Therefore, in the summer of 1996, James was charged with first-degree murder in connection to the bludgeoning death of his wife, following which his bond was set at $200,000. His friend was never charged or arrested because, apart from his car being used, he had no other direct connection to the matter despite claims of his possible interpersonal involvement with the Minister, which the latter has since denied. In the end, James was found guilty of the charge against him and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Therefore, today, at the age of 76, he remains incarcerated at the maximum-security Mt. Olive Correctional Complex in Fayette County, West Virginia, where he is expected to remain for the rest of his natural life.
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