Shelby Wilkie, Michael Wilkie: Hendersonville, North Carolina, Murder Case To Air On ABC ’20/20′ TV Show Tonight
The Shelby Wilkie-Michael Wilkie murder case will air on the latest episode of the hit TV show ABC 20/20, according to ABC News. The 2012 murder of Shelby Wilkie in Hendersonville, North Carolina, made news headlines and rocked the region. It is the second documentary to be based on the murder case. Her husband, Michael Wilkie, aka Michael Leroy Wilkie, was found guilty of killing his wife and sentenced to life without parole. Today, he remains in a North Carolina correctional facility.
Shelby Wilkie disappeared in January of 2012. According to her husband, she was last seen at their Moody Street home. He told law enforcement officials that his wife suffered from problems related to postpartum depression. A day after Michael Wilkie reported his wife missing, he went on the air in a live interview with ABC-News 13 in Hendersonville, stating that he had no idea where his wife could have gone. In the video below, he cried as he looked into the camera and pleaded for his wife to come back home even though he knew she was already dead.
“We need you, we love you. Please just come home. Call somebody. Let somebody know you’re ok.”
In the background of the video, it is apparent that Wilkie had scratches to his face. The victim’s car was found in a parking lot of the J & S cafeteria on Airport Road in Fletcher, North Carolina Michael Wilkie eventually confessed to killing his wife. He also led police to the body, which was located at a home on Kanuga Lake Road. Court records show that the victim’s body had been burned and dismembered.
At trial, Shelby’s mother was in tears as she took the stand. The prosecution alleged that Shelby Wilkie was in an abusive marriage and that she was scared to death of her husband. Co-workers and family members also testified that she had planned to leave the marriage. The prosecution continued that Michael Wilkie killed his wife in a fit of rage, then burned her body in a bonfire in the back of the house.
Tonight’s 20/20 episode will trace investigators’ steps to find as they try to find the missing woman. Be sure to tune in tonight on Friday, April 17 at 10:01 p.m., ET on ABC.
Here is the tease for the episode, according to the Futon Critic.
“Why would a woman who seemed to have it all including a new husband and a three-month-old baby just vanish into thin air? On New Year’s Day 2012, Shelby Wilkie disappeared without a trace. Although there are no obvious clues, the lead detective on the case has a strong gut feeling that leads police on a game of cat and mouse. Detectives take “20/20” inside the investigation to solve the mystery of what happened to Shelby Wilkie. Is a silver Tiffany bracelet the ultimate clue? “
[Photo Credit: YouTube]
