BECKLEY, WV (WOAY) – “It’s hard to come to terms with the fact that a mother would do this to their child.”
On Tuesday, Rebakah Weikle pleaded guilty to the killing of her 4-year-old daughter, Haley, in 2022 in Summers County.
The plea concludes a three-year investigation that deeply impacted the surrounding community.
“I want everybody to know how evil the person that she is and what all she has done. She killed a four year old baby, my baby,” Rusty Weikle, the victim’s father, said. “She was jealous that I was paying attention to her, doing what I was supposed to do, watching out for her. I was trying to keep her safe.”
According to the narrative the prosecution presented to the court before the plea was entered, Rebakah Weikle became obsessively jealous of the attention paid to Haley. She researched how to harm her daughter and eventually acted.
“Young Haley laid down, and at some point, Rebakah made the decision to cut her throat,” Summers County Prosecuting Attorney Chris Lefler, visibly emotional during the hearing, said. “In that act, while that little girl struggled while she was reaching around her, she inflicted two stab wounds to her chest. She was then able to make the fatal laceration across Haley’s throat and took her life.”
“She stated that she had this great resentment towards her daughter for whatever reason, and decided to take her life,” Lefler said in an interview afterwards. “It almost seems impossible to accept.”
According to the prosecution, Weikle hid the clothes she was wearing and the knife and went to bed. In the morning, she woke up and told her husband, Rusty, that Haley was not awake.
In response, Rusty told Rebakah to go wake Haley up. Rebakah then told Rusty that Haley was dead. Rusty rushed into the room and told Rebakah to call 911.
According to the prosecution, Rebakah put the numbers into the phone but did not place the call until Rusty took the phone from her and made the call himself.
Throughout the investigation, Rebakah tried to make police believe that Rusty murdered Haley to cover up alleged sexual abuse. Those claims were not true, and Rebakah admitted to the lie as part of her plea.
“She revealed that she was solely responsible for this, and she has now taken responsibility for committing this,” Lefler said in an interview. “In fact, she admitted that she did this in such a way that it was hidden from Rusty and actually took steps to ensure that he did not hear why she was committing this act.”
Rebakah Weikle received two life sentences, one for first-degree murder and the other for child abuse and neglect resulting in death. As part of the plea agreement, she is eligible for parole in 30 years. The court acknowledged that she is likely to die behind bars.
Rusty Weikle said the sentence is a relief.
“I’m glad to hear that she’s finally going to prison. She’s never going to get out,” he said. “To do this to a baby that’s four years old, for me giving her attention, is monstrous.”
Rusty Weikle entered a guilty plea of child neglect and abuse resulting in death, as well as child neglect for the other two children in the home. He was sentenced to home confinement and probation.
During the hearing, Lefler said that Rebakah was showing red flags before the murder that Rusty did not address. However, Lefler said that Rusty was not involved in the murder.
“Up to this point, she denied any responsibility for this act and in fact, blamed her husband. Now, clearly, the particulars were only known to her. The details of what occurred in that home could not really be fleshed out through an investigation,” Lefler said. “Rusty Weikle was there. You have a mother who was blaming him for committing this act, coupled with allegations that the motive he had was sexually abusing his daughter. But sitting down and going through the evidence and finally having the information that she revealed that she was solely responsible for this, and she has now taken responsibility for committing this.”
The couple’s other two children have been adopted by another family.
In the aftermath, Lefler said that this specific case was devastating for all of Summers County.
“This case has been exceptionally hard. I don’t think there’s an agency in Summers County that that wasn’t involved, from the Summers County Sheriff’s Department, the Hinton Police Department, the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, and, specifically, the West Virginia State Police. The West Virginia Forensics lab, both the digital side and the biological analysis, and our local organizations such as REACH and the CAC interviewers,” he said.
The case was handled by Raleigh County Circuit Judge Michael Froble to avoid conflicts of interest in Summers County.
