AMHERST COUNTY, Va. (BTW21) — The man accused of murdering his wife and hiding her body for more than a year appeared before an Amherst County judge on Monday, March 10, for a hearing regarding key evidence in his ongoing case.
Frederick Wiggington faces multiple charges related to the 2023 murder of his wife, Elsie Wiggington.
During Monday's hearing, Wiggington's defense attorney filed a motion to suppress statements made by Wiggington to fellow inmate Jared Doss, who had reportedly shared information with law enforcement.
The defense argued that the statements violated Wiggington's Sixth Amendment right to legal counsel, claiming that the Amherst County Sheriff's Office had elicited information from Doss while the two were housed in cells near each other at the Halifax County Adult Detention Center.
In response, the defense called five witnesses to testify, including Doss and several law enforcement officers.
Doss explained to the court that after Wiggington was transferred to the Halifax facility in late August 2024, he began speaking openly about the murder of his wife.
Doss, who had prior experience working as an informant for the Campbell County Sheriff's Office, said that after hearing Wiggington's statements, he reached out to law enforcement and relayed what he had learned.
Doss stated that during a meeting with officers on September 3, 2024, he shared details Wiggington had provided about the crime.
However, Doss added that when asked specific questions, such as the color of the tarp used to cover Elsie’s body or Patricia Wiggington's role in the murder, he responded, "I don’t know, but I’ll find out."
The defense team contends that law enforcement had essentially directed Doss to gather information about the case, asserting that Doss was acting as an agent of the Amherst County Sheriff's Office.
However, Doss denied any such direction, stating that he merely allowed Wiggington to talk freely without probing for details.
Officers testified that Wiggington was initially arrested in August 2024 and taken to Augusta County before being moved to the Amherst County Adult Detention Center.
The move was prompted by a concern for Wiggington's safety after his sister met with a known gang member in Amherst, which investigators believed could put him at risk.
A Blue Ridge Regional Jail Authority (BRRJA) lieutenant explained that, although the meeting was not recorded, the unusual nature of the encounter led to the decision to transfer Wiggington to Halifax as a precaution.
The defense speculated that the move was orchestrated to place Wiggington near Doss, a strategy they argued allowed for the subsequent gathering of information.
The Commonwealth, however, maintained that Doss was acting as a typical informant, not as an agent of law enforcement, and stressed that Doss approached law enforcement of his own accord.
They further argued that Doss was not given any incentives for providing information.
The jury trial for Frederick Wiggington is set to begin on April 29, 2025, and many are anticipating further developments in the case, including the judge’s upcoming decision on the motion to suppress key evidence.
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