posted December 13, 2002
) Joseph A. Gray |
A nationwide all-points alert has been issued for Timothy Charles McDaniel, 20, of Ooltewah.
Sheriff Cupp said McDaniel had dated the young daughter of Mrs. Wojcik, and she had sent the high-schooler away to an out-of-state school because she disapproved of McDaniel. He said McDaniel was "furious" at Mrs. Wojcik over that.
Also charged in the case were two Tunnel Hill, Ga., men, and they are being held in the Catoosa County Jail on charges of especially aggravated burglary and accessory after the fact of murder.
They are Joseph Alan Gray, 26, and Nicholas Kelly Webster, 21.
Sheriff Cupp said they are cooperating with authorities.
He said the trio left Georgia to go to Mountain Shadows on Saturday to commit some burglaries and wound up at the Wojcik residence.
He declined to say whether all three were in the house when the murder occurred. Authorities believe Mrs. Wojcik was killed sometime after Saturday midnight.
They said they received a key lead in the house "46 hours into the investigation."
Sheriff Cupp said Mrs. Wojcik was known to leave her door open, and he said the killer apparently walked in on her.
He said McDaniel recently has been hanging around with a black male named Gerald, whom he met in Florida within the past few weeks. He said McDaniel is known to frequent truck stops. Sheriff Cupp said authorities have no idea where McDaniel may have gone.
Sheriff Cupp said the daughter had no part in the murder.
He said that around the time of the murder police received a call from a Mountain Shadows resident about a suspicious vehicle in the neighborhood. He said the vehicle the trio was using that night has been impounded.
Sheriff Cupp said McDaniel had made statements about the murder after the incident.
McDaniel is also charged with especially aggravated burglary.
The sheriff said Wednesday afternoon an autopsy revealed that Mrs. Wojcik was killed by having her throat slashed. He said there were "multiple incised wounds" around her neck. No weapon was found.
The victim also suffered a stab wound to the abdomen and contusion to the head, the report says. She was slashed three times in her throat.
The sheriff said the victim was found near the bathroom of her Mountain Shadows home, and "there was not much clothing present." But he said there was no evidence of sexual assault.
He said the body was found on the first floor of the house and was in a pool of blood.
The sheriff said Wednesday there were no firm suspects at that time despite an extensive investigation. He said family members were cooperating, including the victim's ex-husband, who is an emergency room physician at Erlanger Medical Center.
Sheriff Cupp said the victim's son, who is in the military, and daughter have both returned to Chattanooga in the wake of the tragedy.
He said workmen who were doing remodeling work at the home had been interviewed.
The body of Mrs. Wojcik, an agent with Realty Center GMAC, was found Monday.
The autopsy report was finished early Wednesday afternoon.
Chief Deputy Andy Derryberry said a sister in Illinois became concerned and asked a neighbor to check. The neighbor went inside through a garage door and found the body.
The East Brainerd woman had not been seen since Saturday. The body was found about 11 a.m. Monday.
She lived alone in the upscale subdivision on Rocky Shadows Drive. Mountain Shadows is a sprawling subdivision of fine homes off Banks Road in East Brainerd.
The funeral of Mrs. Wojcik is Saturday at 11 a.m. at Christ United Methodist Church. Visitation is Friday from 5-8 p.m. at Heritage Funeral Home on East Brainerd Road.
Sheriff Cupp said several different agencies cooperated in the investigation, including the Catoosa County Sheriff's office.
) Nicholas Kelly Webster |
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