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The Reverend
L. M. Whidden was interviewed on Monday July 21, 1998 in preparation
for trial.
Whidden stated he
was attending Liberty University when Ronnie Kimble told him he had
killed his sister-in-law and prior to that he had been a member of
the U.S. Marine Corps and stationed at the USMC base located at Camp
Lejeune, North Carolina. He was trained in the infantry. Rev.
Whidden had a four year commitment with the Marines, but he
requested an early discharge to go to Liberty Bible Institute and
that was granted. He left the Marine Corps on August 19, 1996 after
3 1/2 years. Rev. Whidden stated he completed his obligation with
the USMC, and had a exemplary military record.
The last 6 months
of his tour of duty he requested to be assigned to the chaplain's
office, as a chaplain's assistant. He had requested that assignment.
A chaplain's assistant is an administrative position, mostly I
helped in scheduling services and setting things up for services. He
stated he was at Court House Bay Chapel when he met Ronnie Kimble
who was a deliveryman for the chaplain's office. Ronnie Kimble was
responsible for the delivery of requested supplies to each
chaplain's office. He stated: We just happened to be in the same
unit, were doing the same type of work, had infantry training as
some thing in common, and we hit it off. The assignment at Court
House Bay Chapel was really laid back. He had access to a pool table
there and Ronnie would come out here and eat lunch and we would
shoot pool together, cause it was really a long way out there and he
had time to hang around. He thinks he knew Ronnie for the about the
entire 5 months he was there.
He stated: The
first time I was aware of the murder was a month or two after I met
Ronnie. He said he just wanted to talk, he had some things on his
mind, he told me that his brother was being investigated because his
sister in law had been brutally murdered. He said that his brother
had not done it, despite the differences between Ted and his wife,
the arguments that they had and all that. He told me one time that
someone had said that his car had been seen at the time of the
murder, but that was impossible because he had a receipt from a gas
station from across town. I remember thinking at the time that that
did not really impress me because anyone could get a receipt. Every
time he would come out, he would tell me more details. He said that
he was trying to figure it out in his own head and he was always
going over it with me. One time he told me that some stuff had been
moved in the house, a big toolbox or something like that, I got the
impression it was one of these big stand up toolboxes. He always
said that and that gave me the impression that more than one person
was there. Now, I wonder if he had someone with him, and I am
worried because that person might be out of jail.
He didn't really
let on that they were investigating him also. Of course, I did not
believe that he did it at that time. I went home and told my wife
about the facts that Ronnie gave me and I told her that Ronnie was a
nice guy and there is no way he could have been involved in
something like that. So when I left the Marine corps. I still
thought he did not do it.
He talked a lot
about a good friend of his in the Marines, I cannot remember if he
mentioned his name to me, he just said they were very close friends.
He said that every time they had leave they would go to Greensboro
together. They used to go back and forth together, whenever they
would have leave.
He called me when I got out of the Marines, when I was at Liberty
Bible Institute. He called me and expressed an interest in attending
the institute, said he wanted to come up and check out the Liberty
Bible Institute. I said, well come up and stay with us a couple of
days and you could sit in the class, and see what's going on there.
They came up, kind of unexpected, about January 24, 1997. They
stayed with us at our home 31 County Plane Lane, Lynchburg,
Virginia. Ronnie and his wife stayed at our house a couple of days
and one evening he said that he wanted to speak with me about the
possibility of him attending Liberty University.
Actually, the
conversation started at dinner and when we got back to the house he
said that he wanted to talk to me about something. At dinner we were
discussing the ministry, because he said he felt like he had been
called into the ministry. I was encouraging him to attend Liberty
University, if that's what he wanted to do. I told him to do what he
thought God wanted him to do. He expressed doubts about going into
the ministry and he said he needed to talk to me about something
when he got home. He said that his past was haunting him and I just
thought that he had cheated on his wife. I remember my wife telling
him that he had not done anything that most of us might have done
and he said, I would not be so sure about that. I fully expected him
to tell me that he had cheated on his wife, because that's the kind
of thing that you hear. On the way home he told me he had some
struggles with pornography and stuff like that, which did not
surprise me, that is very typical of marines.
He and I went
upstairs and he admitted to me that he had killed his sister-in-law.
Basically I remember the whole scenario. He had talked to me about
the case before hand so I knew what he was talking about. Ronnie
said that Widden was the only person he (Ronnie) had told about the
murder and began crying. Whidden stated Ronnie Kimble told Whidden
that he had in fact shot his sister-in-law and that Kimble did not
know where the gun was at that time. I asked him why he did it and
he said he had done it for greed, for money. I tried to talk him
into turning himself in and he said he would die first. He said
there was no way he was going to the electric chair and that he
would die before he ever went to jail. He said he killed his
sister-in-law. I was worried about him trying to commit suicide and
tried to convince him not to do that. I remember I told him he would
not go to hell if he killed himself and I suggested that he (Ronnie)
not have such thoughts. He did not give me any more details about
how he killed her. He did tell me that his brother had offered him
money to commit the murder and that that he had not received the
money yet. He wanted my advice about what he should do with the
money. He asked if I could take the money for him and put it to
God's work. I told him that I could not take the money, that idea
was crazy. I told him that the money is blood money, no way I could
be involved in that. I just told him to turn himself in, I strongly
encouraged Ronnie to turn himself into the authorities. I remember
Ronnie asking: Do you think any less of me now? And not knowing how
to answer him.
The next morning I
was completely sick over it. The night before when he asked me if I
thought any less of him him, I did not know what to tell him. I felt
that I did not want him my house after that and I told him that he
should leave. We talked about him leaving and he was concerned about
how they could leave that night without making his wife and my wife
suspicious. I did not want to upset Ronnie further so I agreed that
they could stay that night as long as he left first thing in the
morning. I lay awake all night listening to every breath he made, I
was ready to call the police or do whatever necessary to protect
myself and my family. So the next morning, after he left, I was sick
over it, it made me literally sick. My wife could tell something was
really wrong. She came up to me and asked: Did he kill his sister in
law? I said yes he did and we have to turn him in.
Widden stated: I
talked to someone I trusted, who told me to talk to a lawyer so I
talked to Jerry Falwell's son, it was January 25, 1997 I think, and
I told him about it and I asked him what I should do. I told him
that I wanted to turn this individual in, because I felt like it was
the right thing to do. Rev. Whidden stated, he met with attorneys
Falwell and Yeatts to determine what Whidden's legal responsibility
was regarding what had been told
to him by Ronnie Kimble. Whidden stated he was told by that they
would investigate the matter and contact Whidden at a later time.
Widden said: That
night we left home and went to a motel, I felt that anybody who
could murder a woman that way could come back and kill me and my
family also. After that we went to North Carolina and then went to
the (city's name ommitted) Virginia and stayed with my family. We
were never back at our house after that, except for a night or two
when we were getting ready to leave Virginia. I remember on those
nights neither one of us could sleep because this murder knows where
we live now and we were afraid he would come back. You have to
remember I had two of my children with us then and we were concerned
for their safety. That was my main concern. I was in the Marines and
I knew how to defend myself. I did not have any problem with my
personal safety, like when I went to talk to Ronnie, my problem was
I have to leave the house to go to school, he would know my school
schedule and he would know when I was not at home and he could come
and threaten or harm my family. I felt he was capable of that. It
was a very stressful time.
He stated: Before
I contacted the Guilford County Sheriffs Department my wife and I
picked up and went to North Carolina to stay with a some friends,
for a couple of days so that I could try and convince him to turn
himself in one more time. I was concerned about Kimble's thoughts of
committing suicide, so January 28, 1997, I went down there and met
him on the base at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. On this occasion,
Whidden stated he again suggested Ronnie should not think of taking
his own life and he suggested that Ronnie turn himself into
authorities. During this same conversation, Whidden stated, he did
tell Ronnie that Whidden had talked with an attorney regarding any
legal problems that Whidden may now be facing based on Ronnie's
confessing to Whidden on January 24, 1997, at Lynchburg, Virginia.
Whidden stated: He (Ronnie) was very surprised to see me, I think it
scared him pretty much, so I tried to convince him to turn himself
in again. I believe that it was when I talked to him and he said did
believe what he had done was wrong, that God had forgiven him, that
he believes nobody dies before its their time to go, so it had to be
her time to go. I assumed that this was the way he was justifying it
to himself and living with himself. He said: Well, maybe all of this
was a bad dream, maybe all of it really didn't happen. He was trying
to back out of what he told me, basically. We talked some more and I
tried to convince him to turn himself in and he said he wouldn't
turn himself in.
When we got back
to Virginia I went to the attorneys office. I discussed it with the
lawyers and I told them I wanted the ball in my court. I wanted to
be able to choose whether I testified or not. And I wanted
protection for my family in the event that that I needed. The
attorneys sent an agreement to the District Attorney's Office which
said that the State would try to keep me a confidential source, but
that if I need protection for my family I could get it.
The detectives
from the Guilford County Sheriffs Department came up and we sat
down, them and my lawyer and I told him everything that Ronnie had
told me.
Much later I met
with Detective Church and my lawyers and Church mentioned a reward
and I told them I would not feel right in taking something like
that. This whole thing has cost me a lot, leaving school and moving,
keeping my stuff in storage until I got a new home. There was 6
months when I did not have a real job. I had to go back to Virginia
to meet with the lawyers. But that's ok. I do not hold any grudges,
I understand I have to do what I have to do.
Then the detectives expressed interest in staying in Virginia and
going to Camp LeJune and talking to Ronnie again. They wanted me to
wear a wire. I said no way. I cannot openly deceive someone, that's
deceitful. I can turn him in but I would never deceive him. So we
put our stuff in storage and we moved out as soon as we could.
Rev. Whidden
stated the primary-reason he came forward with this information was
because he felt it was the moral thing to do. In addition, Whidden
stated, he felt the murder Ronnie told him about was premeditated
and as a result of the murder, Ronnie was to receive an amount of
money from his brother. Whidden stated: that had the murder victim
been his wife or sister, he would hope someone would come forward
and provide authorities with this type of information. Whidden
further stated he would be willing to testify in court if necessary.
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