A dying Alabama man who called police last week to confess to a fatal 1995 shooting said he did so because he wanted to be ready to ‘meet his maker’ after being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.
Johnny Dwight Whited called investigators on Wednesday saying he wanted to confess to the unsolved slaying of Christopher Alvin Dailey to 'lift a weight from his chest,' authorities said.
Detective Sean Mukaddam of the Decatur, Alabama, Police Department told AL.com that he was initially skeptical when a secretary told him that there was a man on the line wishing to confess to a murder.
'You’re always leery,' Mukaddam said. 'I thought it might be a prank call. But it quickly developed that this was the real deal.'
This booking photo (left) provided by police in Decatur, Ala., shows Johnny Dwight Whited, who authorities say was arrested for the 1995 slaying of Christopher Alvin Dailey (right) after calling police with information on Wednesday
Dailey's body was found in April 1995 by two hunters in a wooded area of Decatur. Investigators then found Dailey's partially submerged 1983 Toyota Tercel (above) in the Tennessee River
The days without an arrest turned into months and then years after someone killed Dailey in 1995.
While never closed, the case went cold without new evidence.
Then the phone rang at the Decatur Police Department.
Johnny Dwight Whited called investigators on Wednesday saying he wanted to confess to the slaying, authorities said.
'There was nothing else to follow up on,' Mukaddam said.
'When it gets like this, you’re hoping something else will come up. It usually doesn’t occur like this.'
On April 26, 1995, two hunters who were in a wooded area of Decatur spotted Dailey's body and called the police.
The victim's car, a 1983 Toyota Tercel, was later found partially submerged in the Tennessee River.
Investigators said Dailey was killed by a single gunshot to the head.
Whited, 53, of Trinity, was charged with murder after providing details that matched evidence and information collected after Dailey's death, police said in a statement.
Court records don't include a defense attorney who could speak on behalf of Whited on the murder charge, but he already was awaiting trial on a methamphetamine charge with his trial scheduled for May.
Whited's lawyer in the drug case, Griff Belser, said he was unaware of the arrest in the slaying until after it was announced by police.
'He has not mentioned anything about this other matter to me,' Belser said.
Whited had a string of arrests for traffic and drug offenses through the years including one for possession of a crack cocaine pipe less than three weeks after two hunters found Dailey's body, documents show.
In a sworn statement, Investigator Sean Mukaddam said he initially spoke to Whited, who agreed to show police the crime scene. Whited, who has been diagnosed with late stage lung cancer, told police he wanted to be 'ready to meet his maker'
Without a suspect and no information that could lead to one, detectives kept following leads without any success. Then, on Wednesday, a detective answered the phone.
In a sworn statement, Mukaddam said he initially spoke to Whited, who agreed to show police the crime scene.
'Detectives met with Whited who reenacted the crime to detectives and provided corroborated information about the murder,' the statement said.
While police sometimes make public appeals for information to help resolve old cases, that had not happened with Dailey's killing.
Authorities said it was not clear what prompted the call from Whited, who was jailed for the killing with bail set at $15,000.
Authorities said it was not clear what prompted the call from Whited, who was jailed for the killing with bail set at $15,000
Mukaddam told AL.com that forensic investigators over the years put in many hours in searching for the killer, but there were no breakthroughs.
After Whited called, he met with Mukaddam and led police to the crime scene.
Investigators noted that Whited was familiar with the terrain and knew which way to turn and which roads to take.
Whited finally led cops to the area where he says he fatally shot Dailey. He then showed police where he dumped Dailey’s car into the river.
After Whited’s statements were corroborated by available evidence, police recommended that prosecutors charge him with murder.
Mukaddam said he was under the impression that prosecutors would move ahead with murder charges despite Whited’s failing health.
Prior to his confession, he was awaiting trial on a methamphetamine charge.
Mukaddam said he spoke to Dailey’s sister, who expressed gratitude that the case was solved.
‘The investigators who worked on this case wrote a great book,’ he said.
‘I just got to write the last page.’
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