Hogan Arrested in High-Profile Murder Case: The Cullman County Sheriff’s Office, in collaboration with District Attorney Champ Crocker, disclosed on Nov. 1 that Randall Hogan, 66, faces charges related to the murder of Jeffery Glenn Wilhite. Wilhite had been reported missing from the West Point area on April 3, 2020.
New details emerged from court documents, revealing that Hogan is accused of discharging a firearm into an unoccupied vehicle and causing fear of immediate physical injury to Jeffery Dye on April 2, 2020, the day before Wilhite’s disappearance. The complaint for this incident was filed on March 4, 2021, by CCSO Captain Phillip Harris, the lead investigator in Wilhite’s disappearance.
Hogan claims a potential bias in the 2021 case, as all four Cullman County Judges have individually recused themselves or transferred the case. On Nov. 1, 2023, Hogan retained Johnny Berry and Brandon Little for representation in both the 2021 case and the recent murder case.
A jury trial for these charges is scheduled for Dec. 11, 2023. Hogan’s arrest and Wilhite’s disappearance were mentioned in Hogan’s ex-wife’s petition for protection from abuse in April 2021, highlighting concerns about Hogan’s alleged threat and his identification as a suspect in Wilhite’s disappearance.
Hogan’s ex-wife accused him of leaving threatening voicemail messages and threatening to kill her, her attorney, and the judge who presided over their divorce hearings. A Protection from Abuse order was issued by Morgan County courts, upheld by the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals.
In March 2023, Hogan filed a slander lawsuit against his ex-wife. The jury is set to hear the case on Feb. 12, 2024. During a press conference, Sheriff Matt Gentry didn’t disclose specifics of the evidence leading to Hogan’s arrest, emphasizing that Wilhite’s body had not yet been recovered.
While rare, murder convictions without a body have occurred, as seen in the Derrill Ennis case in Auburn in April 2022. However, Alabama law requires a minimum of five years without contact before presuming death, with a mandatory two-week public notice.
Despite extensive searches, no records declaring Wilhite deceased were found in probate records or statewide court databases, posing unique challenges to the prosecution. District Attorney Crocker declined to comment on the rareness of these circumstances and the associated legal challenges.
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