The Virginia man who murdered his wife after she predicted “he’s going to kill me” and buried her body in a concrete slab is going to prison for life.
A judge sentenced Frederick Lewis Wiggington, Jr., 38, to life in prison for the murder of his estranged wife, Elsie Mae Wiggington, in Amherst County.
Frederick Wiggington was convicted of first-degree murder in May after jurors deliberated for just over an hour following a three-day trial, according to local CBS affiliate WDBJ. He was also found guilty of using a firearm to commit a felony.
“The truth didn’t stay buried,” prosecutors reportedly stated during closing arguments. “The truth is that he planned and executed his wife, Elsie Wiggington.”
An inmate who reportedly stated that Wiggington admitted to him that he murdered his wife and intended to frame her brother also played a role in the conviction. The defendant claimed he killed her because she was going to leave him. He also believed he would gain recognition.
“I’m going to be on Dateline,” the inmate said Wiggington told him.
The inmate felt Wiggington “isn’t right in the head.”
“He ain’t got no remorse, and he don’t give a damn,” the inmate reportedly stated.
Frederick Wiggington previously entered an Alford plea — not an admission of guilt, but an acknowledgement that prosecutors have sufficient evidence to convict — on the charge of concealing a body.
The victim’s foster sister spoke with WDBJ about the impact her death has had on their families.
“When you consider all the losses, my niece and nephew have lost their mother. My foster sister, Victoria, and I lost a sister. Fred’s mother lost her son. “No one walks away from this unscathed,” Tracey Coleman told the television station.
As previously reported by Law&Crime, the events that led to the discovery of 45-year-old Elsie Wigginton’s remains and her husband’s arrest began on June 23, 2023, when she sent her final message to her foster sister, saying, “He’s going to kill me,” and that she was moving to Maryland to live with her, according to local NBC affiliate WSLS.
Two days later, the victim’s daughter received a text message from someone who the family believes was posing as Elsie Wiggington. On June 26, family members reported her missing.
Investigators discovered her remains more than a year later, on August 14, 2024, while searching a property in the 600 block of Pendleton Drive in Amherst County, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.
Frederick Wiggington was quickly arrested and charged with concealing a dead body.
The victim and defendant married in April 2019 and separated on June 17, 2020, when she claimed Frederick Wiggington had returned to live with his ex-wife, according to court documents. Elsie Wiggington filed for divorce, citing adultery, according to court documents obtained by local ABC affiliate WSET.
According to court documents, Frederick Wiggington admitted to forging Elsie Wiggington’s signature to obtain the title to her mobile home and retitle it in his name.
He also admitted to staging a robbery at their home in September 2019 and transporting his guns, Elsie Wiggington’s jewelry, home décor, and other belongings to his ex-wife’s home, according to court documents.
“There is no prospect of reconciliation,” the court filing stated.
The victim was fondly remembered on a GoFundMe page, where family members described her as a devoted mother and grandmother who served as the director of nursing at a rehabilitation center.
“Elsie Wiggington, mother, grandmother, sister, nurse, and caring community member was brutally murdered and parts of her body hidden under her own home,” the Facebook post reads. “She was the victim of domestic violence. Elsie attempted to flee the situation and stand up for herself.”
“Elsie doted on her grandchildren and devoted her time to members in her community that were in need,” according to the update.
