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Annette Cahill was implicated in Corey Wieneke's 1992 bludgeoning death after a witness confessed she saw the former light black candles and apologize to the 22-year-old victim for murdering him. The witness, Jessica Becker, who was only nine years old at the time, revealed this staggering information surfaced after 25 years in December 2017.
Several sources reported that 29-year-old Annette was a suspect during the initial stages but was ruled out as a suspect after her alibi was confirmed and she passed a polygraph test. She was arrested in May 2018 and charged with first-degree murder.
Annette Cahill was tried twice before a jury found her guilty of second-degree murder in September 2019 and sentenced her to a maximum of 50 years in prison. She is currently serving time at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women.
This Friday, NBC Dateline will further delve into Corey Wieneke's murder case in an all-new episode titled The Black Candle Confession. The official synopsis for the same reads:
"A glimpse of a sobbing woman lighting black candles is seared into a 9-year-old girl’s memory. Decades later that girl reveals what she saw, heating up a long-cold case. Keith Morrison reports."
The upcoming episode is scheduled to air on the channel at 9 pm ET on August 4, 2023.
Corey Wieneke's 1992 case was cracked after 25 years based on a confession that implicated Annette Cahill
An unusual breakthrough was made in Corey Wieneke's 1992 cold case 25 years later when Jessica Becker, who was nine years old at the time of the crime, came forward with a chilling confession. Jessica told investigators from the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation that she saw Annette Cahill light black candles and apologize to Corey during a sleepover with her niece.
On October 13, 1992, 22-year-old Corey Wieneke was found bludgeoned to death with an aluminum bat inside the Iowa home he shared with his high school sweetheart and fiance, Jody Hotz. The latter found his body in the evening hours after returning from work. The bloody murder weapon was found the following day.
During the initial stages of the investigation, Corey's friend Wendi Marshall provided authorities with key information. Wendi claimed that a drunk 29-year-old Annette Cahill (then Hazen) confronted them while they were leaving his family-run restaurant Wink's Bar & Grill, where he served as a bartender, on the morning of October 13.
Corey reportedly gave Annette a lift home, and during the drive, the two got into a brief argument. Wendi alleged she met with him later. When confronted with this information, Annette revealed that she and the victim were in a casual s*xual relationship and that they quarreled because she was jealous. As per her account, the lovers made up shortly after and even had s*x.
According to Oxygen, Annette told investigators that she was working a roofing job with her sister-in-law. The latter corroborated her alibi. She even passed a polygraph test and was eventually ruled out as a suspect. The case then went cold.
A witness claimed he saw Annette Cahill burn blood-stained clothes on the day of Corey Wieneke's murder
Annette Cahill was arrested on May 31, 2018, and charged with first-degree murder in Corey Wieneke's decades-old bludgeoning death. This came after Jessica Becker's confession in December 2017 about what she witnessed.
Jessica was friends with Annette's niece and was having a sleepover at her house when she saw her "lighting black candles and apologizing to Corey." The outlet reported that in her confession, Jessica mentioned that Annette said,
"'I'm so sorry, Corey. I never meant to hurt you. I loved you Corey. I never meant to kill you.'"
Annette's trial took place in 2019, during which prosecutors alleged that she was jealous of Corey's relationships with other women and murdered him in a fit of rage. The trial, however, ended with a deadlocked jury, leading to a second trial in September of that same year. This time, her drug buddy, Scott Payne, claimed he saw the defendant burn blood-stained clothes on the day of the murder.
On September 19, 2019, Annette Cahill was found guilty of second-degree murder in Corey Wieneke's 1992 murder case. She was later sentenced to a maximum of 50 years in prison and is currently serving the lengthy sentence at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women.
NBC Dateline airs a new episode this Friday, August 4, at 9 pm ET.
