Man who killed three women he met on dating apps sentenced to 160 years in prison
Khalil Wheeler-Weaver also brutally raped a fourth victim
NEWARK, N.J. — Khalil Wheeler-Weaver, the 25-year-old man who killed three women he met on dating apps, was sentenced to 160 years in prison Wednesday.
“The purpose of this sentence is that he never walks free in society again,” Judge Mark Ali said during Wheeler-Weaver’s sentencing hearing.
Wheeler-Weaver, of Orange, New Jersey, was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder in December 2019 in the deaths of Joanne Browne, Robin West, and Sarah Butler.
Court records show that between September and December 2016, he arranged to meet the women for sex, then beat them, wrapped their faces in duct tape, and strangled them before dumping their bodies in northern New Jersey.
A fourth woman, Tiffany Taylor, narrowly escaped Wheeler-Weaver after being brutally raped. She said the horrific experience has forever changed her life.
“I don’t wear makeup anymore,” she told the judge. “I don’t have friends. I’m always paranoid. But I’m happy to still be here. I hope you don’t show any remorse because he’s not showing any remorse.”
Wheeler-Weaver claims he’s innocent.
“My heart goes out to the families,” he said. “However, I was not the person who committed these crimes. I was set up, I was lied on and framed by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.”
Authorities say Wheeler-Weaver was caught after a friend of Sarah Butler’s created a fake social media account to bait him into a meeting. His cell phone was later linked to the killings.
Wheeler-Weaver will be eligible for parole in the year 2161.