Kriti Mehrotra
As the title suggests, Investigation Discovery’s ‘Impact of Murder’ is a series that highlights the significance of the life that was taken and how it created a havoc for those who were left behind. Providing an acute and emotional understanding of the collateral damage of the crime through the words of the survivors, it shows us exactly how the impact of murder lasts a lifetime. Its newest episode, ‘There’s No Winning in Murder,’ is no different. It chronicles the life and death of Alyssiah Wiley and showcases how she, even after her passing, helped others to find a safe haven. Curious to know how she died and who exactly killed her? Here’s all that we know.
How Did Alyssiah Wiley Die?
Alyssiah Wiley, a native of West Haven, Connecticut, and a student at Eastern Connecticut State University, was described as vibrant and vivacious by anyone who knew her. With a loving family and a boyfriend, Jermaine Richards, many believed that her life was stable and going really well, but that was not at all the case. On April 20, 2013, the truth started to come out. At the age of 20, Alyssiah disappeared from Willimantic, near her university’s campus, never to be seen again. Her boyfriend, then 30, reportedly told the police that the couple had got into an argument that night, following which he dropped her off at a gas station near her college at around 10 p.m. But, the last video surveillance of Alyssiah is on April 19, when she left campus to get into his car.
Many searches near the area were conducted, but they all proved to be inconsequential, that is, until May 17. Nearly a month after she went missing, Alyssiah was found dead in a wooded area of Trumbull, Connecticut. Authorities later confirmed that they found an ankle, lower leg bones, and other parts of an arm dispersed in the woods. An autopsy later confirmed that the remains were of Alyssiah and that she had been purposefully cut up with a sharp tool. It was evident that her death was nothing short of homicide. The psychology major had been murdered and dismembered in cold blood only to be discarded so that no one would find her, not for a while at least. As soon as all this was confirmed, the authorities decided to take action.
Who Killed Alyssiah Wiley?
Alyssiah Wiley’s 30-year-old, private-duty nurse of a boyfriend, Jermaine Richards killed her. Some reports claim that he turned himself in the day after the Cadaver dogs found Alyssiah’s remains in the woods, following which the state spent hours trying to seize evidence from his home. It turns out that their four-year relationship, which started when Alyssiah was still in high school, was riddled with violence, and that she suffered from a pattern of abuse caused by him. The police even confirmed that once, when she tried to confront him about his controlling nature, he grabbed her in a headlock and began choking her. And then, one of her friends came forward to say that she had received a text from Alyssiah the day she went missing, saying that she had broken up with Jermaine.
The problem in this case, though, was that there was no physical evidence. The wrongdoing and the brutal slaying of Alyssiah were evident, yes, but there was nothing that directly implicated Jermaine. There was no blood residue or DNA to be found on any of his clothes or his apartment, there were no eyewitnesses who could testify as to where and when Alyssiah was killed, and there certainly was no confession from Jermaine’s side. In fact, he plead not guilty and did not even testify during his trial. Because of this, in the years that followed, twice, the 12-member juries deadlocked six to six on whether Jermaine killed his girlfriend. But then, in late 2017, after his third trial, a new jury finally found him guilty of Alyssiah Marie Wiley’s murder. (Featured Image Credit: CBS News)
Read More: Where Is Jermaine Richards Now?
