Viswa Vanapalli
In April 2013, Aaron Wilkinson was suspected of driving under the influence and hence stopped by the local authorities of Charleston, South Carolina. But soon after, he told them of a murder-for-hire plot that he was a part of and that the target was a woman named Nancy Cannon. NBC News’ Dateline’s podcast ‘Murder & Magnolias’ actually focuses on how Aaron’s testimony ultimately led to the convictions of Nancy’s estranged husband, Chris Latham, and Chris’ then-girlfriend, Wendy Moore. So, let’s find out more about what happened to him, shall we?
Who is Aaron Wilkinson?
On April 5, 2013, Aaron was stopped by the authorities while in a car in Charleston with his then-wife. It was reported that he was looking to buy heroin on the city’s East Side at the time. The police then found a gun and some ammunition in his vehicle, which is what led to his being extensively questioned. That’s when Aaron told them that he had traveled to The Holy City from Louisville, Kentucky, with Samuel Yenawine, a former prison cellmate.
According to Aaron, Samuel had told him about traveling there to buy drugs. But once they were on the road, the latter claimed the trip was to kill someone who was a witness in a RICO case. In reality, though, the target was Nancy Cannon, a realtor going through a bitter divorce with banker Chris Latham. At the time, Chris was in a relationship with Wendy Moore, Samuel’s ex-wife. Aaron stated that a few days before the traffic stop, his companion had bought a prepaid phone and began having hit-related conversations with Wendy.
Aaron claimed that Samuel then met Wendy, who rented a room for them and gave her ex-husband $5,000 in cash for the job. While Aaron received $2,500, Samuel asked him to wire another $2,000 to his girlfriend, Rachel Palmer, in Louisville. During Samuel’s second meeting with Wendy, she gave him a hit packet with important information related to Nancy. It contained her address, photos of her home and car, printed maps with handwritten notes, and other things.
The ensuing investigation revealed that it apparently didn’t matter whether Nancy’s two daughters were at home when the killing was supposed to happen. The police had set up a call between him and Samuel, within which “Wilkinson said, ‘What should I do if somebody is there; if the kids are there?’ and Yenawine told him, ‘Well, it will make it look better, so go ahead and kill them too.'” That’s three lives they were casually talking about.
The police also found out that the men were promised $20,000 if Nancy was killed but would get more money if they made it look like an accident. Eventually, the authorities connected most of the contents from the hit packet to Chris and Wendy, leading to their arrests. In August 2014, the two were found guilty and sentenced to serve time in federal prison, bringing the curtain down on the investigation. However, during the trial, Aaron’s narrative did briefly come into question as the defense claimed he’d often changed his story and had admitted to using 1.5 g of heroin per day when he was arrested.
Aaron Wilkinson is Working at a Substance Abuse Treatment Center Now
Aaron actually testified against Chris and Wendy after he pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting murder-for-hire in January 2014. Nancy appreciated his testimony and said, “Aaron Wilkinson had the opportunity to take a plea for the gun and keep his mouth shut. He didn’t have to take [the police] to his hotel room. He didn’t have to uncover the plot and give them the hit packet. He could have just kept his mouth shut and taken the gun charge. From my impression, he could’ve gotten maybe six months, so the fact that he did what he did is remarkable to me.”
In March 2014, then around 40 years old, Aaron was sentenced to serve four years in prison and was asked to undergo 500 hours of mental health treatment. His sentence for probation violation was to run concurrently with the federal sentence, and he was sent to Kentucky to serve it out. Apart from that, Aaron was to be on probation for three years following his release. Prison records indicate that he was discharged from behind bars in November 2016. Since then, it appears he has kept himself out of trouble. From what we can tell, he lives in Paducah, Kentucky, and works at a substance abuse treatment center at the moment. Aaron is also happily married to Heather and is raising a child with her.
Read More: Where is Chris Latham Now?
