A Virginia woman has admitted kidnapping and murdering a 20-year-old man whose body was chopped up and thrown away in black trash bag, the Free Lance-Star reports. Bronwyn C. Meeks, 22, pleaded guilty this week to more than 30 criminal charges including first-degree murder, concealing and defiling a corpse, murder by mob, and abduction in relation to the death of Dylan Whetzel.
Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office
- Whetzel’s remains were found in a wooded area of Spotsylvania. His body was dismembered and placed into four large trash bags. An autopsy revealed that he’d been shot in the head at least five times before he was chopped up. Meeks and two co-defendants, Dominic Samuels and Brennan Thomas, were arrested shortly after.
- Meeks reached a deal with prosecutors just before her arraignment. The Free Lance-Star says that in exchange for a guilty plea, Special Prosecutor David Sands put in a request with Judge Ricardo Rigual to sentence Meeks to prison for anywhere between 16 and 54 years. Samuels and Thomas have no such deal and will face a jury on August 15 and November 29, respectively.
- Whetzel lost his life because of drugs. According to investigators, Meeks and Samuels were dating and they and Samuels all sold drugs together. Whetzel told Meeks to stop selling drugs to his friend who recently survived an overdose from drugs she provided. Meeks allegedly planned his murder as a result of the confrontation.
- Meeks was a cold-blooded killer. According to Sands, Meeks picked up Whetzel claiming that he could go with herself, Samuels, and Thomas to a party. They first stopped at McDonald’s, which Meeks later referred to in texts as Whetzel’s “last meal.” After, she drove to a remote area where Whetzel was pulled from the car and shot several times in the head. Samuels and Thomas then reportedly bought an ax which was used to dismember Whetzel before he was discarded.
- Their crime was discovered quickly. Unfortunately for the trio, they ran into Samuel’s grandfather after dumping the body. The older man was suspicious and went to investigate, which is when Whetzel’s remains were discovered. As per a transcript of his 911 call, the grandfather told a dispatcher: “Oh my God. I’m just tripping out. What the f*** did [Thomas] do?”
