WEST LIBERTY, IOWA: The murder of Corey Wieneke left the small town of West Liberty, Iowa heartbroken more than 30 years ago. The investigation was hampered by a lack of evidence and suspects as Corey lived a peaceful life and was loved by every resident of the town.
It was only after 25 years that they received a lead from a woman who was just a child at the time of the murder. While it was difficult to rely on her account, it was eventually confirmed that Corey's killer was none other than his ex-lover Annette Cahill. NBC'S 'Dateline' is doing a rerun of the episode 'The Black Candle Confession', hosted by Keith Morrisson, this Friday at 8 pm ET.
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Who is Annette Cahill?
Annette was 29 years old in 1992 when Corey, 22, was found dead with major injuries to his head. She used to make regular visits to Corey's family-owned Wink's Bar and Grill where he also worked as a bartender. Annette had also been an on-and-off employee there but besides that, she was also in a casual relationship with Corey. This was not new for Corey as he was a popular young man known for dating multiple women.
This apparently did not stop even after Corey got himself a fiancee named Jody Hotz. Annette only became a suspect in the case when a woman named Wendi, one of the women Corey had a sexual relationship with, reported that Annette had gotten into an argument with the man. Wendi was also pregnant with Corey's child. Annette confessed that the argument was merely a lover's spat and admitted seeing Corey with another woman made her jealous. She also claimed that they had made up and used her sister-in-law as an alibi for her whereabouts during the time of the murder.
Then-9-year-old's statement cracks case open
Annette became a suspect when Jessica Becker came forward in 2017 to reveal details from 1992. She had overheard Annette, whose niece she was friends with, asking for forgiveness in her room for killing Corey. "She was lighting black candles and apologizing to Corey," Jessica told WQAD-TV. "And she said, ‘I'm so sorry, Corey. I never meant to hurt you. I loved you Corey. I never meant to kill you." Annette, who continued living in Iowa but in Tipton, gave another statement that was found to be quite different from her previous statements.
An arrest was finally made in 2018 but the court proceedings came to no conclusion as the jury was left deadlocked due to the lack of physical evidence and the unreliability of the witness account. It was another testimony from Annette's brother's friend, who claimed to have seen her burning blood-stained clothes around the time of the murder, that brought the case back up, according to Muscatine Journal. Annette was finally found guilty in September 2019, 27 years after the crime.
Annette received a sentence of 50 years in prison and has been housed at the Correctional Institution for Women in Iowa. She is yet to confess to her crimes and maintains she is innocent.
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