Judge Barry Steelman on Thursday continued the retrial of a Chattanooga man who was convicted of murder in 2012. The original verdict was voided by the court of appeals after they found several issues with the sequestration of the jury and certain testimony. After eight hours of testimony yesterday, the court began the second day of the trial at 9 a.m.
Sometime in between the evening of Nov. 9 and the morning of Nov. 10 of 2012, Tony Bigoms allegedly murdered and then decapitated Dana Wilkes. This occurred after the two went on a short shopping trip to Walmart and Murphy’s gas station. When her car was found the next day, there was blood splattered on the passenger-side glove compartment, and Ms. Wilkes was nowhere to be found.
After Chattanooga police began searching for Ms. Wilkes, they quickly obtained warrants for her and her husband Tom’s cell phones. After Chattanooga police consulted these records and spoke with several of her family members, they were led to Tony Bigoms. According to multiple accounts, he was the last person who saw Ms. Wilkes before she disappeared.
During Thursday’s testimony, several police officers corroborated testimony given from the previous day. In a previously recorded interview with Investigator Reginald Parks, Tony Bigoms told officers he had gone shopping with Ms. Wilkes that night. However, the defendant maintained he had been dropped off back at his girlfriend’s apartment at 9 p.m. and went to sleep.
In another previously recorded interview, Bigom’s (now-deceased) former neighbor told the court he had dropped off Bigoms at a Family Dollar earlier that evening. The neighbor then said he saw Bigoms get into a green Jeep with a blonde lady. Bigoms had already told police he had gotten a ride from his neighbor to the Family Dollar.
Mitch Webber, a former regional security manager for Suntrust Bank, was presented with a receipt of Ms. Wilkes’ purchases. It showed Ms. Wilkes used her debit card to purchase things at both Wal-Mart and Murphy’s at the times established by previous testimony. The now-retired employee confirmed the list was legitimate.
Bigom’s previously recorded interview lasted over two hours, and saw him change his story several times. While he originally stated he went to bed at 9 p.m. and slept until morning, it was later revealed that Bigoms had actually called Ms. Wilkes around 2:30 in the morning. Even more damning was the information obtained from the cellphone company, which showed he was in the same area as Ms. Wilkes when he made the call, despite his earlier account which alleged he was at home.
“So both of your phones were at the same place at the same time?” asked the investigators, who were only were able to procure a mumbling answer from the defendant. When he was asked if he thought Dana was still alive, Bigoms simply said, “I sure hope so.”
The officer followed up the interview by taking pictures of Bigom’s hands and face, and noted several “abrasions” on Bigom’s hands. The police officer then searched Bigom’s residence, and visited Chattanooga State Community College where the defendant was enrolled at the time.
The trial will resume on Friday at 9:30 a.m.