Suvechha Sarkar
In May 2004, the residents of Max Meadows, Virginia, were shaken to their core by a brutal crime. 42-year-old Vaughne Wilder Thomas was found dead in her yard. She was a loving wife and a dutiful mother, and her untimely demise left her family and friends devastated. The investigation soon revealed a chilling tale of anger and betrayal. Investigation Discovery’s ‘Mean Girl Murders: She-Devils’ delves deeper into how a cruel decision spiraled into a devastating act of violence. It also features interviews with her acquaintances and the officials who helped uncover the killers.
Vaughne Thomas’ Remains Were Found in the Yard of Her Home in Virginia
Vaughne Wilder was born on February 16, 1962, in West Virginia and arrived as a bundle of joy in the lives of her parents, Ken and Anna Whitlock Wilder. She grew up in a loving household alongside her brother, Matthew. She was a woman of immense faith, and attended the Millennium Outreach and Austinville Assembly of God Church. She always assisted in the church with the dinners, extra events, and at the Bible Schools. In 1990, Vaughne welcomed her daughter, Nakisha Roxanne Waddell, into the world. Since Nakisha’s birth father was not present in their lives, she and her mother shared a close bond. When she turned 3, Vaughne met Robert Thomas Sr., AKA Bobby. They soon realized what they had was genuine and tied the knot. It led her to welcome two stepsons, Robert Jr. and Jason Thomas, into her life.
Vaughne moved to Max Meadows, Virginia, along with Bobby, who helped her raise Nakisha. However, things took a turn after September 2003, when Nakisha began attending high school. She was an individual of faith but strayed from the path when she became friends with Anastasia Fawn Belcher, AKA Annie. In the spring of 2004, Vaughne reportedly learned about Nakisha’s chats with several older men online, which led to frequent arguments between them. On May 30, 2004, Bobby returned from Texas after meeting his son and found that the house seemed to be ransacked. He also noticed that Vaughne and 14-year-old Nakisha were not present in the house. He promptly called the authorities around 10 am to report the situation. When officials arrived at the scene, they found that the house was ransacked.
Bobby informed detectives that some of Vaughne’s jewelry was missing. Upon further inspection, they reportedly deduced that the scene was staged. Furthermore, they found a small amount of blood on the kitchen floor. Around 1:27 am, they searched around the house. In the right corner of the yard, they horrifically discovered a shallow grave where Vaughne was buried. Her remains were reportedly covered with a crude concrete mixture, aside from logs and leaves. Investigators noted that she had multiple stab wounds on her face, neck, back, and chest. The autopsy determined that she was reportedly stabbed 43 times, and the wounds were around 6 inches deep. It was determined that her date of death was May 28, 2004, and she passed away from multiple stab wounds.
Two Chilling Confessions Led to the Arrest of Vaughne Thomas’ Killers
When investigators first questioned Bobby at the scene, he informed them that he last spoke to Vaughne on May 27, 2004. He reportedly called her again on May 28 but got no response. When he arrived home after three days of no contact, he found that the house had been broken into. Bobby also informed officials that Vaughne and Nakisha had a strained relationship. When police learned about Nakisha’s chats with older men, her computer was taken, and it led them to a 20-year-old guy, Victor. He reportedly informed them that he was just having an online banter with Nakisha. He added that she lied about her age and visited him on May 28. Victor further informed them that a friend had driven her to his house. He and Nakisha got into an argument when the former found out her true age, and she left after that.
A neighbor of Vaughne, Stephanie, revealed to Bobby that she last saw Nakisha on the afternoon of May 28, after school. The officials arrived at 15-year-old Annie’s home and found Nakisha in her bedroom. When she was asked about Vaughne, she admitted that she had killed her mother. That helped the officials to discover Vaughne’s remains. Ultimately, Annie and Nakisha were taken to the station for questioning. The former claimed that the latter called her to say that she had an argument with her mother on that fateful day. Annie alleged that Nakisha then went to her house and told her that Vaughne had passed away. However, Annie claimed that she was shocked to hear it and had no prior knowledge of it. During Nakisha’s confession, she said that on May 28, she and Vaughne had an argument before the former decided to skip school.
When Vaughne returned from work around 12 noon, they began arguing again. She claimed that she “snapped” and in the spur of the moment, she reportedly took a knife and stabbed her mother on the shoulder. She confessed that when Vaughne ran out the back door, Nakisha followed her and stabbed her multiple times. Since Nakisha sometimes used “we” in her confession, Annie was questioned again. Annie finally admitted she was at the scene when the murder happened. A search warrant of the home uncovered a large knife, a note, and a sketch of Vaughne’s residence where the door she usually entered through was marked. It indicated that the crime was premeditated. Detectives learned that Nakisha and Annie first tried rubbing alcohol and nail polish remover on Vaughne’s remains in an attempt to set it on fire. Ultimately, Nakisha and Annie were arrested and charged with the murder of Vaughne.
While Nakisha is Currently Serving Her Time in Prison, Annie Has Passed Away
Initially, Nakisha and Annie were just charged with the murder of Vaughne. Shortly after, the prosecution reportedly charged them with conspiracy to commit felony murder, conspiracy to commit felony robbery, solicitation of another person to commit murder, and intimidation of a witness. Although both of them were minors at the time, the prosecution wanted to try them as adults. While Nakisha was facing life in prison, Annie was set to face 50 years in jail. However, Nakisha pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, grand larceny, solicitation to commit murder, and obstruction of justice. The other charges against her were dropped as part of the deal. Similarly, Annie pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, grand larceny after the fact, and obstruction of justice.
The prosecution reportedly emphasized that Nakisha committed the crime in a premeditated manner. They pointed out that Annie helped her in hiding the remains and was aware of the murder plan. On June 16, 2005, Nakisha was sentenced to 70 years in prison with 35 years suspended. Speaking about the crime, she explained, “It’s from all the years of fighting and fussing. You could only take so much before you finally explode.” On the other hand, Annie was sentenced to 15 years in prison. She was released in 2018, but later passed away in April 2024 when she was 35 years old. Nakisha is set to be released on May 26, 2037, by which time she will be 47 years old. As of writing, she is serving her sentence at the Fluvanna Correctional Center in Troy, Virginia.
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