This is the other side…

On November 11, 1978, in Simi Valley, California, my sister and my nephew (Rhonda Hamilton Wicht, age 24, and Donald Alan Wicht II, aka Donnie, age 4) were brutally murdered. Back then Simi was a small community and this was the first double homicide in our little valley.

Rhonda’s ex boyfriend was arrested, charged with the murders, tried and convicted. In 1980 he started serving his life without parole sentence. He did maintain he was innocent, and in fact all the evidence against him was circumstantial, however it was enough to convince a jury of his guilt. My family and I never doubted his guilt.

By around the mid to late 1980’s all appeals had been exhausted so with that it was requested that the court allow the evidence be destroyed (I assume because of storage purposes) and this request was granted.

In 2013 RDK filed for clemency but in 2016 the governor of California, Jerry Brown, denied clemency. However in 2016, for some unknown reason, Jerry Brown requested that the case be reexamined again which fell into the hands of the Simi Valley Police Department cold case division. Based on their findings the governor chose to pardon RDK.

In November of 2017 he was released from his life without parole sentence. He went on to sue the Simi Valley Police Department and the County of Ventura and received more money than most of us could ever dream of earning in a lifetime.

He became known as the man who was wrongly convicted, who had 39 years of his life stolen from him. The man who worked hard to prove RDK’s innocence (*XCV) was declared a hero. The media loved his story and published every follow up and update to their feel-good story.

My name is Shelley Hamilton. With my parents long gone and having recently lost my last two living siblings, I am the only voice left for Rhonda and Donnie. I have been interviewed by the cold case detective, aka CCD (see acronyms list), who explained in depth what “new” evidence was found. I do commend their wonderful investigative work in finding a lab that had two items leftover from the original investigation and were able to extract DNA from it. However, these two items and the DNA aren’t necessarily related to the crime itself. The media related the story that this was “new” when it wasn’t new at all! It’s the same evidence from 1978; the only difference now is they were able to extract DNA from it.

In my opinion the only reason RDK was pardoned is because the governor, Jerry Brown, was on his way out of office and was doing the usual duty of pardoning people from prison before he left office. But that’s just my opinion. I don’t believe the supposed “new” evidence proved anything as to RDK’s guilt or innocence. He was just a 71-year-old man who is too old to hurt anyone so why not let the guy out; what harm could it do? Who cares about the victims. They are long dead and forgotten!

I have been interviewed by a couple different newspapers over the past couple of years but my opinion is not the popular one. Some has been published and some hasn’t. The majority of the media is only publishing one side of the story. There is even a documentary being made on the story of RDK and his hero.

There is always another side to any story, and my sole purpose of creating this blog is to get the other side of the story told. Let people read both sides and decide for themselves their own conclusion.

I do not believe this case will ever be solved merely because it already was solved. There is another person they are focusing on but this person, along with many others, were looked at closely in the original investigation but it always came back to RDK. Evidence from the crime scene was found in his apartment and his truck was seen leaving the scene. Of course all this has been dissected over the decades and explanations to contradict the original theory has been argued. RDK had two different attorneys in two different trials (the first was a hung jury) and apparently the jury didn’t believe his defense. Somehow that all changed over the years! Now I am hearing about witnesses who were drug addicts so clearly unreliable and stories of crooked cops.

Pardon me if I sound sarcastic, but I still believe in the original investigation when witnesses were still alive and their story was still fresh in their minds (including me) and evidence still existed.

I do not claim to have all the answers from the original investigation or the current one. My one hope is that the reader of this blog will fairly weigh both sides of this story. I do not want Rhonda and Donnie to be forgotten. Their story matters. I am the only remaining voice that Rhonda and Donnie have now. They may never get justice, but at least their story will be told even if it is just in this simple blog.

I may be right or I may be wrong, but I won’t be quiet.

Thank you for taking time out from your day to read this.

If you would like to know real names for the acronyms just email me, or just have any questions I will be more than happy to respond: RandDjustice@gmail.com

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[*See Acronyms below]

I decided to dedicate a page to explaining what was presented at trial regarding RDK’s mental state at the time before and leading up to the murders.

As I said before, I had always thought RDK was a weak individual. I felt Rhonda needed a stronger person in her life.

I know very little about RDK’s past. I know he was an only child. His father was a police officer. I believe by the time of the murders he had been retired. RDK had been divorced when he met Rhonda. He had no children. Rhonda had mentioned in her journal that RDK’s mother did not like her. She didn’t know why, but she did make this statement in her journal regarding RDK’s mom: “His mom hates me more than his first wife. Maybe if we get married she’ll hate me more! Ha Ha!”

I personally had never met his mother but I did have my own experience with her. When we first started attending court proceedings she used to sit behind us in court with her dark glasses on. I can’t remember how often this happened but I know it was more than once which means it wasn’t just coincidental. We just laughed about it but let it go because we knew that she was also hurting.

Then there was an incident during the sentencing phase for RDK. Court was on a break so we sat outside the courtroom on a bench. A couple of us left Mom (alone) to go to the restroom. When we came back Mom was crying. This was very strange because it took a lot for Mom to cry publically. We asked her what was wrong and at that moment RDK’s mother and her entourage came walking out of the bathroom. His mother looked at my mother and said, “I hope you’re happy.” I understand she was in a lot of pain but I don’t think that’s a very civil way of handling it. I know it affected my mother deeply. She never said one cross word to either of RDK’s parents or other family members.

I apologize for talking ill of someone who has long passed and unable to explain herself in response to my comment, but I was there and I saw and heard it. I’m sure to those who knew her she was a lovely woman, but based on Rhonda’s comments and feelings, and the incidences that I experienced, I believe it goes to RDK’s character and how he viewed women.

I would like to share a few things about my mother, Pauline Hamilton. She was an amazingly strong woman and she loved her family more than anything. She could have a sharp tongue when she needed to but the day she was confronted by RDK’s mother she just cried. She didn’t lash out verbally because she knew RDK’s mother was hurting. However, my mother hurt for his mother more than she could know. She loved RDK and was hurting deeply. She said she had lost three children that day: Rhonda, Donnie and RDK. We were angry that this happened to her, but she never talked about it. She just forgave and moved on. I learned through her the true meaning of forgiveness and trusting God.

Another incident regarding RDK was in court and this reinforced his guilt to me. I’m not sure at what point of the trial it was, but I think this might have also been the day of sentencing. I also can’t remember who all went to court with us that day. I remember my mother and me and one or two other people, possibly my sister-in-law and cousin. We were sitting up in the front row in the courtroom. At one point RDK was being led out of the courtroom and had to walk past us. As he walked by he stopped briefly and looked down at my mother. The look was one I had never seen and shocked me. A lady sitting behind us actually gasped! My mother didn’t react at all.

A few months after RDK was released from prison I decided to go through all the old newspaper articles from the trial to help piece things together. I certainly couldn’t go by my memory after all these years, but I had also been excluded from the courtroom so I wasn’t present for any testimony, so the newspaper reports were all I had to go by.

I found that a neighbor of Rhonda’s testified that Rhonda had told her that RDK had slapped her once. Another neighbor testified that Rhonda told her RDK tried to live her life for her and that, “Every breath she breathed he’d take half of it.”

There was testimony from employees of RDK’s physician. RDK had gone to see his doctor on November 2, 1978 (nine days before the murders). One employee, the office manager, said RDK appeared, “About to cry.” Another employee, the doctor’s medical assistant, testified that RDK appeared, “Upset, disturbed and depressed.” She said he spoke about problems with his parents and girlfriend, and she said he was crying. The next day, November 3, 1978, RDK returned to the same doctor but this time he brought Rhonda in because she was sick. The medical assistant said RDK looked at her for an instant, “In a strange way —petulant, broody, sort of hateful,” a side of him she had never seen. She said the glances bothered her for two or three days but then was forgotten. She also said, “It was not a very pleasant glance. A mean look around the eyes, face and nose. His mouth was turned down. His eyes flashed. He was frowning.”

RDK’s ex boss testified that RDK had not completed required paperwork associated with his job. He said RDK left inventory undone, was late for work, and added that RDK had never ran a good shift.

RDK’s psychotherapist also testified that she had counseled him four days before the murder and she said he was “acutely depressed” the day of their meeting. She said he told her he had lost a lot of weight, was not sleeping well and he was going through some very unhappy times. She felt he needed treatment. She said RDK, “Felt rejected and suffered a loss of self esteem because Wicht had broken off their intimate relationship, and that Rhonda had told him she wanted a brother-sister relationship rather than a romantic one.” He also mentioned that he was having problems with his parents.

My cousin and a couple of his friends had moved to California and were staying at my parents’ house temporarily. My cousin testified that he had a telephone conversation with RDK where RDK told him, “You can tell ***(cousin’s friend) if he thinks he’s going to be with Rhonda he’s going to have to go through me.” I personally don’t know why RDK felt threatened by the friend but obviously he was upset about this enough to confront my cousin (over the phone and not face-to-face since he was such a coward).

A waitress who had a conversation with RDK the early hours of 11/11/78 (the day of the murder) also testified. Apparently they were old friends as they had worked together at some point. But according to her testimony she said RDK had asked her out to breakfast after her shift at around 2 or 2:30 a.m. but she turned him down because she already had a date.

About a year ago I came across a document online. It was a scanned copy of RDK’s 2nd appeal filed 4/1/1987. The first appeal had been denied. The argument against the appeal did go into RDK’s state of mind at the time around the time and leading up to the murders.

The following is directly from that appeal with acronyms for names as necessary:
RDK was having problems on his job, at the same time his relationship with Rhonda was deteriorating. Rhonda told her mother that she did not feel she should have to raise a 32-year-old man as well as a 4-year-old child. RDK did not want the relationship to end so was very unhappy about it.
Rhonda told a friend that she wanted to meet new people and that RDK was becoming too possessive.
During this time Rhonda became sexually active with NS. Rhonda and RDK by this time had an agreement that he would call before he came to her apartment. However, one night when NS and some other friends were visiting RDK arrived unannounced. After some conversation with Rhonda RDK appeared angry and left, slamming the door.
Rhonda was frightened and called her mother who suggested NS spend the night (this was before anyone knew of the relationship between NS and Rhonda). About 2:30 a.m. RDK called Rhonda’s mother and asked to speak to NS who usually stayed there. Her mother said everyone was asleep. RDK appeared at Rhonda’s apartment the next morning.
On November 2, 1978, RDK consulted his doctor about the problems he was having with his parents and Rhonda and the doctor prescribed an anti-depressant drug. On the next day, Rhonda went to see the same doctor about a throat infection and RDK went with her. The doctor suggested that Rhonda and RDK should see a family counselor, which advice upset Rhonda.
On November 5, RDK took a lady friend to dinner and indicated how unhappy he was about his diminishing relationship with Rhonda and Donald.
On November 6, RDK went to see a psychiatric social worker and appeared acutely depressed and in need of medication. RDK confided that he had lost weight, was unable to sleep, concentrate or function in a normal manner and that it was his girlfriend who has initiated a separation who was responsible for his problems.
On the 8th, RDK phoned Rhonda’s mother and said he felt like he was going through another divorce and was concerned about custody of Donald.
During this period Rhonda told her mother that RDK was trying to live her life and it seemed to her that he was taking half of every breath she took, and she told a neighbor she was not seeing RDK anymore.
On the 10th RDK phoned Rhonda’s mother and also spoke to Rhonda who was there at the time. She told him she didn’t want to see him “face to face right now” and that she had been “cheated.”
On the night of the 10th, RDK worked late at his job. At 1:30 a.m., the lights were on in the office and his truck was still in the parking lot. Before 2:00 a.m., RDK went to visit a friend at another restaurant in town. He also spoke with another friend telling him that he was breaking up with Rhonda and was unhappy about it. He seemed wound up. No injuries were visible on RDK at this time. RDK took the bus boy home at about 4:30 a.m. because it was raining heavily.

And then of course we know that the next door neighbors heard the commotion in Rhonda’s apartment around 5:30 a.m.

Further down the appeal document indicates physical evidence found in RDK’s apartment after the murder:
In the search of his apartment certain items were found. Inserted in the middle of his dirty clothes pile in his closet were a beach towel with bright fresh human type O (Rhonda was type O), a man’s t-shirt, and a child’s Mickey Mouse t-shirt like the ones Donald wore. The bloodstains came from the lining areas of the body, such as inside the mouth, nose or vaginal area.
The beach towel also revealed reddish-brown fiber in one of the bloodstains. The fiber was similar to and consistent with, originating from the same source as the fibers in the brown velour dress Rhonda was wearing at the time of her death.
The man and boy’s t-shirts contained spermatozoa from blood Group type A, of which RDK was a member. The child’s t-shirt also contained human feces, small yellow fibers similar to those originating from the yellow pajama sleeper Donald was wearing at death, and blood of Group type A, Donald’s exact blood group type. (A piece of this child’s t-shirt is what was found in a lab and extracted DNA from in 2016.)

After reading this maybe one might understand how I have come to my conclusions of RDK’s guilt for all these decades since the murders. After being given information regarding the “new” investigation I still believe in his guilt. Despite a couple interviews by some media where I have given my opinion of RDK and why I believe he is still guilty none of it has been reported. This is why I decided to create this blog.

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I do believe that God gives us dreams and visions that are truly of things to come or answers to prayer. I know everything He does has a purpose that sometimes we don’t see the why right away but the pieces to the puzzle come together eventually.

My mother’s name was Nora Pauline Hamilton but she went by Pauline. She was very protective of us, her children, but also allowed us to be kids and explore our world. She was outspoken and opinionated. When she had something to say she came right out and said it. But she was also a very private person.

She once shared a dream with me she had which could either be viewed as a premonition or irony. I believe it was a premonition.

In 1954 Mom was in the hospital after just giving birth to Rhonda (her second baby). She was lying in bed dozing off when she had a dream of a little girl with blonde hair being grabbed by a man. The dream startled her and she woke up. She said it scared her enough that she was thankful her little girl had been born with dark hair.

She had forgotten the dream until Rhonda’s hair started coming in blonde as she got older.

When Mom first met RDK she said he looked familiar to her. She had to ask him if they had ever met before.

Rhonda was a blonde for a brief time as a child but the rest of her life she was a brunette, as were all of us. However, at the time of her death she had her hair frosted to the point that it was almost blonde. She was even described in the newspaper after her death as a blonde.

My mother once again remembered that dream of the man who grabbed the girl with the blonde hair. Could that have been a premonition which is why RDK looked familiar to her when she met him?

Maybe God was giving my mom a peek into a future event to prepare her, or maybe to give her an answer. I certainly don’t have the answer but I do know He is a loving God and everything He does works together for our good.

I don’t usually remember my dreams but I did have one a couple of years ago that I remembered clearly and immediately wrote it down while it was still fresh in my mind.

Since the events unfolded with RDK being released from prison in 2017 I battled with all the factors and theories, what I believed versus what I was being told about the murder. Nothing was making sense and I was questioning my own beliefs about the murders. I was doing a lot of praying asking God to show me who murdered Rhonda and Donnie. It was just something I needed to know internally.

About a year and a half ago I had a dream with Rhonda in it. Since she died I think this is only the third dream I’ve had of her. In the dream I was sitting on a couch. Rhonda came walking in from the kitchen area of the house. She walked up to me, I stood up and we hugged. She turned to walk away from me and I asked her, “Rhonda, who killed you?” She turned around, looked at me and said “RDK” (his name, not the acronym). She just shrugged her shoulders and turned back again to walk away and as she did she said, “But it doesn’t matter because he’s in prison,” to which I said, “But they let him out.” She turned around and looked at me with a surprised look. That’s where the dream ended.

I even remember in detail what she was wearing. She had on a peach colored short sleeved ribbed knit top that buttoned at the neck. I went through all the family photos and could not find her wearing that top so I don’t think it was a memory of something she wore before.

Was this dream an answer to my prayer? I believe it was just for my peace of mind.

If you would like to know real names for the acronyms just email me, or just have any questions I will be more than happy to respond: RandDjustice@gmail.com

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On August 31, 2021, I read a newspaper article from the San Diego Union Tribune that had been published on August 16, 2021. The article was entitled Exonerated Carlsbad Man and Police Collaborating on $50,000 Reward to Solve 1978 Murders. A week or two before this I had learned about RDK putting up a $50,000 reward for “new information that results in the conviction of the person or persons who murdered Rhonda Wicht and her son Donnie, November 11, 1978, in Simi Valley, California.”

The reporter interviewed RDK, XCV and the chief of the police. Instead of just reporting on the main topic of the interview the reporter chose to attack Rhonda’s character and state an outright lie. She said, “…on the night of Nov. 10 when Wicht was partying in her apartment with up to five men.” I consider this irresponsible reporting and just plain cold-hearted.

I spoke to a detective involved in the current investigation as well as a detective involved in the original investigation in 1978 and both assured me there was no proof of Rhonda having anyone in her apartment the night before the murder, partying or otherwise!

Once again this is proof of tabloid reporting on the part of this journalist for ratings instead of reporting the truth. Journalists like her attack the victim, especially if they are deceased and unable to speak for themselves and in turn make the perpetrator the victim. As I’ve said before, most media aren’t interested in the other side of the story because it’s not nearly as interesting or popular as RDK’s story.

Unfortunately this isn’t the first time the media has attacked Rhonda’s character. Back in 1978 a local Simi Valley newspaper, The Mirror, also chose to make Rhonda look like a “loose” woman (my words) because she had been with another man other than RDK. In 2017 about the time RDK was getting released from prison an article mentioned Rhonda having multiple partners (I wish I could remember where I read that but I can’t and was unable to find it). And now this article stooped to this accusation as well.

I wonder if RDK or XCV happen to mention the issue with RDK’s mental state back in 1978. Did she read the testimonies of those who encountered RDK’s odd behavior in 1978? Did RDK or XCV happen to mention that RDK’s story in 1978 as to how that semen stained t-shirt came to be in his apartment has now changed to having been planted evidence in his request for clemency (which resulted in his pardon in 2017)? Funny nobody has mentioned how that story changed.

I am writing a letter to that journalist to tell her all this and a bit more. She may not have chosen to ask for my opinion but by stating lies about Rhonda’s character she will now hear my comments. I will let her know that I am the only voice left to speak for Rhonda and Donnie and I will not tolerate defaming my sister’s reputation. She has done what so many other journalists have done to victims, degrading their character to empower themselves. I hope in the future this journalist will be more responsible in her reporting. People matter more than ratings.

If you would like to know real names for the acronyms just email me, or just have any questions I will be more than happy to respond: RandDjustice@gmail.com

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On November 6, 2021 Mike Morford, creator of the podcast The Murder In My Family, posted a podcast about Rhonda and Donnie’s murder.

I want to thank Mike for an excellent podcast. He really did his research and spent a lot of time listening to what bothers me most about about this case and put it all together so well in this podcast. It turns out I’m not such a great interviewee but he was extremely professional.

Here is the link to Mike’s site and the podcast is episode 97. Please check it out as well as all the other cases he shares. If you are a true crime buff you’ll definitely enjoy this site. http://themurderinmyfamily.com/episodes/

I have also posted a link at the bottom of this page that will take you directly to the episode.

Here is the direct link to the episode:

themurderinmyfamily.com/episode-97-rhonda-and-donald-wicht/

I had explained in another post about how Rhonda feared dying the way our maternal grandmother had died. We didn’t learn about this story until we were teenagers and it had a profound effect on Rhonda, especially when she became a single mother. My mother showed Rhonda and me a detective magazine that had published the story of our grandmother’s murder. I don’t know what happened to that magazine over the years.

A while back I was researching to see if I could find that magazine but I had no luck. Not too long after that one of my second cousins (that I connected with on Ancestry.com) contacted me and asked me about that magazine. Unfortunately I had no answers for her. We both did our own research. I had no luck but she did and sent me the info. Thanks to that cousin I was able to purchase the magazine.

As the story goes, on November 3, 1957, our grandmother, Ethel Walker Hamilton, was murdered in Dayton, Ohio. My parents had already moved to California by that time.

My grandmother and grandfather had gotten a divorce and grandma remarried a man with the last name of Hamilton. No relation to us. The marriage didn’t last but just a few months and at the time of my grandma’s death she was living in an apartment with her daughter/my aunt.

I am sharing that story here so the reader can better understand Rhonda’s one fear and why she took self-defense classes.

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What has happened to journalism? Are there any left that actually research a story before publishing it? Does justice or injustice only belong to the stories that make us feel good? It is because of this type of journalism that I created this blog, to tell the story the media refuses to tell.

In this day of DNA there are so many different forms of it being used to solve decades old crimes. Even I thoroughly enjoy reading about cold cases being solved this way. But not all crimes fall into those DNA categories and one of those unfortunately is Rhonda and Donnie’s murder. Crucial evidence from the trial was destroyed and what was found to perform DNA on now only proved what the investigation uncovered back in 1978. However, not one single story written since the reopening of the case has talked about the evidence that existed back then. That’s the lazy journalism that exists today.

There is one slight exception…

I recently read a magazine article from another country that shared the story of Rhonda and Donnie’s murder. The majority of the article focused on RDK’s tragic story of his so-called injustice but they at least added a small section that touched on the crime scene and actual evidence, which is more than I can say for any media outlet in the US. Here are some excerpts from that article (once again I will be inserting acronyms in place of real names):

• “At his trial in April 1979 the coroner testified that he had examined RDK after his arrest and found he had a cut on his upper lip, and scratches on his arms, chest, back and penis.”
• “Police recovered a bloody towel and a child’s t-shirt from RDK’s apartment.”
• “Rhonda had suffered vaginal trauma but no semen was recovered from her body.”

As you know I did share in my blog an entry entitled Irresponsible Reporting. That is just one of many media stories that have only shared RDK’s story (as he tells it) and not Rhonda and Donnie’s. Almost all media outlets refuse to speak of the evidence against RDK in 1978. They don’t want to muck up their feel good story with messy details like the magazine above did.

It’s really not hard to get this information. There was plenty of newspaper coverage from the Simi Newspaper, The Enterprise. They actually had a journalist sit down and interview our mother and published it. Their journalists were at court proceedings and trials and reported on what they saw and heard. Those were real reporters reporting the facts. My mother saved every single newspaper article and I am grateful as I have had to rely heavily on them lately.

Before pointing out the negative reporting I do have to give a high five to one outlet that did it right. Mike Morford does a podcast called Murder In My Family and another called Criminology, and he interviewed me a while back (The Murder In My Family Podcast 11/6/2021). To be honest he is the only person who has interviewed me and actually used it! He not only asked great questions but let me speak openly. Thank you, Mike!

I recently found out that a small unknown media production company is making a documentary about RDK and XCV, because as you know their story is much more important than Rhonda and Donnie’s injustice. Now I’ve only seen the trailers but I wasn’t surprised to discover it is all biased to make us all think RDK was unjustly targeted by those bad cops in the Simi Valley Police Department, or maybe it was just the one “bad” cop; who knows?

Another biased interview was a journalist from a well known Los Angeles newspaper. This journalist actually did a 2-hour phone interview with me back in 2018. She even made the effort to track me down to my place of employment. I found out later she had even interviewed OI as well, but as expected from a biased media nothing ever came of it. But when asked to be in a documentary she gladly accepted.

I never received any communication from the documentary maker so obviously he doesn’t want to know the truth of the crime and investigation from 1978. He is just as guilty of biased journalism as all the others.

Unfortunately there was some negative reporting back in 1978 too. A certain small newspaper that, in my opinion, was more tabloid trash than real news, decided to side 100% with RDK. At that time they were pinning the murder on a man that lived downstairs from Rhonda, the same man that first said he heard noises at 5:30 then changed it to 4:30, or visa versa. I knew even then it couldn’t be him because he was a small, frail man.

Today, or at least last I heard, they are trying to pin it on two other people who were friends of Rhonda’s. Both these men were investigated in 1978 and cleared.

Neither of these men had a towel with Rhonda’s blood on it or an old wet t-shirt belonging to Donnie found in their apartment. But RDK did! Back in 1978 he even had a story to explain how those items came to be in his apartment. Now I’m paraphrasing but he said Rhonda came over in the early morning hours the day before the murder to have sex, with Donnie in tow. She wanted to have sex with him because she was “confused.” She was on her period so they used a towel to clean up the blood. At some point Donnie was sick in some fashion I’m not sure of, and the t-shirt was used to clean that up.

All of a sudden in 2013, whenever RDK filed for clemency, he stated his reason for seeking clemency was because he was framed and those items were “planted” in his apartment. Believe it or not, that’s what he claimed. What happened to his original testimony?

How come not one journalist in the US has bothered to mention this discrepancy of his? It took a journalist outside the US to mention it.

What is it I want the public to know?

• The evidence that convinced a jury to determine beyond a shadow of a doubt that RDK was guilty of murdering Rhonda and Donnie. He murdered Rhonda for whatever reason he deemed necessary and then murdered Donnie because he could identify the killer.
• He had plenty of time. He has referred to his “air tight” alibi, but he actually had a good 20-30 minutes that are not accounted for where he was able to commit the crime.
• A towel with Rhonda’s blood and an old t-shirt of Donnie’s, still wet (believed to be saliva from being used to suffocate Donnie), found in RDK’s hamper of dirty clothes in his apartment the day of the murder. In 2016 DNA done on that t-shirt found semen of three different men, two unidentified but one identified as being from the other man Rhonda had been seeing.
• RDK’s testimony in 1978 as to how those items came to be in his apartment magically changed in 2015.
• The cop RDK accuses of “planting” the evidence was with the police department; it was the sheriff’s department that searched RDK’s apartment.

Another part that convinces me of his guilt is his psychological issues at the time of the murders, and there were a number of people who testified to that at the trial. I go into more detail in my blog post entitled RDK—Personality or Motive but here is a brief outline I noted from these testimonies, a sort of timeline of his emotions leading up to the murder:

• At some unknown time in their relationship he was angry enough to slap Rhonda (as testified by a neighbor of Rhonda’s).
• He was possessive of her and jealous of other men in her life (a friend testified).
• Nine days before the murder he was reported to be upset, disturbed, acutely depressed, crying, and giving hateful looks (RDK’s doctor testified).
• He was a failure at work (his boss said he never completed a shift).
• He was a failure at his relationship with Rhonda.
• Four days before the murder he was reported to be unhappy, needed psych treatment, was getting rejected from Rhonda and having problems with his parents (RDK’s therapist)
• Hours before the murder he was yet rejected by another woman (he had asked her out and she had refused because she already had a date).

You see, if there still existed real journalists who cared about victims of crimes instead of their own recognition they would have dug deeper into the story, the trial and testimony from 1978 and found these discrepancies to RDK’s claims. They would see that maybe he isn’t this innocent human being that endured 38 years in prison, that maybe he did actually commit this crime.

I recently read the book Unmasked by Paul Holes. He shares his thoughts about dealing with reporters and it really hit home for me. He said his experience with them was, “Often a one-way street. What can you do for me? What can you do for me again? What have you done for me lately?” I think that sums up my experience as well.

The bottom line is they can get as many people as they possibly can to say all the reasons why RDK is not guilty but the evidence from 1978 showed otherwise. I challenge one honest, caring journalist to research the actual evidence. Go back and read old newspapers or old court documents. There is plenty online to find. I would even be willing to share what I have.

If you would like to know real names for the acronyms just email me, or just have any questions I will be more than happy to respond: RandDjustice@gmail.com

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In my post The Crime I mention the fact that I believe RDK (see acronyms below) getting pardoned was a political move.

In 2017, right about the time of RDK’s release from prison, there was a lot of media coverage. In the many interviews with the Police Chief (PC) I noticed inconsistent statements as to what brought about the reopening of Rhonda and Donnie’s (already solved) murder in 2016.

In 2013 RDK had petitioned the governor of California (Jerry Brown) for clemency on the grounds that he was innocent and that the evidence found in his apartment with Rhonda’s blood in 1978 was planted and he was framed. Clemency had been denied. The PC (who was acting PC at the time before becoming the new PC) tasked his cold case detectives to do some investigating. His reasons why he made that decision are inconsistent and something about those inconsistencies seem strange to me. The result of that investigation somehow changed the governor’s mind and he pardoned RDK. I recently found out politics were involved but much deeper than I originally believed

With that said, the rest of this post will be left up to the reader to draw their own conclusion.

The following are some of the statements PC made in reference to why he decided to reopen the case:

• In one interview PC (when he was acting PC) claimed he had been going through old news clippings about his department and came across some from the Wicht murders and he reached out to XCV who had expressed concerns in the past about whether RDK was guilty. [Simi Valley Acorn 11/24/2017]
• In a different interview he stated XCV approached him about the case when PC started at the SVPD nearly 30 years ago telling him he ought to take a look at this if he’s to be a police officer. [Ventura County Star 11/24/2017]
• In another interview PC told reporters he had begun reviewing RDK’s case in 2016 after a retired detective (XCV) expressed concerns about the conviction. [Ventura County Star 11/21/2017]

But before all this happened with PC a bigger move was made. In 2013 XCV helped RDK draft the petition for clemency and actually submitted it to Tom Hayden, a high-profile political activist and California politician.

I did a little research on Tom Hayden and found that in his life as a political activist, he had very radical left political views, was a well-known communist sympathizer, and had close connections and alignment with the Communist Party USA. He co-wrote an article where he states, “We refuse to be anti-communist.” [1] He also said, “Communism is one of the options that can improve people’s lives.” [2] One article describes him as a communist, radical left-wing, American hating activist. And what I found most interesting, in the 1970s he formed a close alliance (both personal and political) with then California Governor Jerry Brown (FYI, Jerry Brown served as governor of California in two separate terms: 1975-1983 and 2011-2019). In his political career, he served as a California State Assemblyman (1982-1992) and State Senator (1992-2000).

I have my own thoughts and have drawn my own conclusion from this information but as I said before, I will let the reader form their own opinion.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I hope one day to have answers to all my questions.

I welcome any comments, feedback or questions. Just email me:

If you would like to know real names for the acronyms just email me and I will be happy to share that with you: RandDjustice@gmail.com

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Any time there is a story to tell there will always be as many false reports as well as truths. I want to clear up as many of those untruths (that I’m aware of) as possible.

Over the years, since RDK was released from prison, I have found a few things on the internet regarding Rhonda and Donnie’s murder. Their case really came into public view after the Golden State Killer (Joseph Deangelo) was captured using genetic DNA. The DNA found in Rhonda and Donnie’s case was compared to that of Joseph Deangelo’s because his time in Ventura County, California coincided closely with the time of their murder. I wasn’t surprised when his DNA didn’t match but I’m glad they took the time to check.

The majority of the posts I found on the internet were at Reddit. There was a thread regarding the Golden State Killer and Rhonda and Donnie are talked about in that thread as well. Some of the posts were spot on but others were completely false. I don’t know where some of these people got their information from but a few of them were flat out lies and wildly untrue.

Please note that again I will be replacing certain names with their acronyms*.

Also note the italicized text is copied and pasted directly from the threads where they originated so any misspelled words or bad grammar belongs to the poster. I italicized the pasted text to distinguish the posters’ words from mine.

In 2018 this is a Reddit post from a user who posted the following:
JJD (Joseph J. Deangelo) did not commit these murders (Rhonda and Donnie’s murder). The DNA has been entered in CODIS and didn’t match anyone, let alone JJD. The main reason for this is that the DNA is likely from consensual sexual partners of Ms Wicht. RDK almost certainly DID commit these murders.
1.) She had recently broken up with him and he was depressed
2.) He went out drinking all night, his alibi ends at 4.30am when he FINALLY stopped drinking.
3.) Shortly after 4.30am someone arrives at Ms Wicht’s place, a lot of noise ensues, waking up the neighbors etc…
4.) At 5.30am witnesses see a man who looks very like RDK leave in a truck that looks very like RDK’s truck, which they know well as he had lived there until recently.
5.) When police go to his house that day they first a blood soaked t-shirt and towel (his attempt to clean up the crime scene and clean himself up before attempting to drive home)
6.) The ONLY evidence that supposedly ‘clears’ him is that DNA from other males was found. Ms Wicht was no longer with him and free to engage in a consensual relationship with whoever she chose to. The fact that she had completely moved on from him and was sleeping with someone else is probably what drove an insanely jealous and massively intoxicated RDK to kill his ex. The poor boy was killed simply for being a witness who could identify RDK.

I will address these one at a time.
1.) True, she had recently broke up with RDK and he was depressed.
2.) False. RDK had not been drinking all night. In fact I’m not sure if he was even a drinker. As for his alibi, he gave a ride to a busboy around 4:30 a.m. which couldn’t have taken more than 15 or 20 minutes. After that there are no witnesses as to his whereabouts.
3.) Somewhat true as to the noise waking up the neighbors but I believe the time was closer to 5 a.m. than 4:30 a.m.
4.) Partially true. A witness heard Rhonda’s apartment door close and by the time the witness got to her window she saw a truck resembling RDK’s but was unable to identify the driver. However untrue as to RDK living with Rhonda.
5.) False. There was no blood-soaked t-shirt but there was a towel with Rhonda’s blood on it.
6.) True as to DNA of another male (however only one male, not more). Although there was DNA from semen of three different men on a t-shirt belonging to Donnie, one was positively identified as a man the 1978 investigation already knew of, but the other two were unidentified males. It was explained to me that these could be castoff from in the lab. Also I should note that Rhonda had not “moved on” from RDK, she told me they had decided to see other people and that it was consensual; however she did say he was having a hard time with it and was seeing a “psychiatrist” (her word). And once again RDK was not “massively intoxicated.”
The last sentence is the truest and saddest thing the poster states.

In another Reddit post in 2019 under the topic specifically about why the City of Simi Valley paid RDK $21 Million and was there something unethical or illegal done during the investigation, a poster commented the following:

On the surface, the case seemed pretty straightforward. During the night of November 11, 1978, someone entered the apartment of Rhonda Wicht and stabbed her to death and strangled her 4 year old son. There was no sign of forced entry. A neighbor reported that he saw RDK, the former boyfriend of Rhonda, driving out of the apartment parking lot in his red pickup at approximately 5:30am. RDK denied any involvement and claimed that he was driving home from his late night restaurant job with a co-worker at 5:30am. The co-worker initially supported the alibi then wavered and said it may have been 4:30am, he wasn’t sure. The coroner gave a very broad time of death estimate that didn’t settle the issue. RDK was convicted.

Apparently there was at least one Simi Valley who had serious problems with the case and eventually brought his opinions to a legal group supporting convicts who have strong claims to wrongful convictions.
Eventually the evidence was tracked down and a a rag, covered with Rhonda’s blood, had spermatozoon on it that, based on DNA analysis did not belong to RDK. The doner is still unknown. Apparently additional investigation determined that the neighbor may have been able to see a red truck drive out but in the light conditions that occurred at the time, he would not have been able to identify the driver.

Based on the new DNA evidence, the state of California determined that he was factually innocent and was eligible for a $1.2 million settlement (that did not require evidence that the investigation or prosecution was improper). I don’t see how the DNA evidence is absolutely exonerating since the sperm on the rag could have occurred during a sexual encounter that occurred before the murder.

RDK then filed a civil suit against Simi Valley. In order to get a settlement he would have to establish that there was either misfeasance or malfeasance. Just because He was innocent wouldn’t be enough. The city made an out of court settlement of $21 million. So, what is the story? I suspect something pretty serious went down but the story has not come out.

Somewhere I read where someone had talked about a teardrop necklace being found in Rhonda’s mouth. I had never heard that, and knew it was untrue, but I did find an article from the Mirror in 78 or 79 where Glen Watkins had told someone that story.

I know this is a very lengthy post so I’ll try to address it one paragraph at a time.

The readers of this blog know without a doubt that Rhonda was not stabbed and Donnie was not strangled. Another odd point this poster makes is the color of RDK’s truck; it was not red. I vaguely remember his truck was a Ford Courier and the shell was white with blue trim. I’m not positive of that but it certainly wasn’t red. As for the person RDK gave a ride home, investigators knew in 1978 what time this worker left work because they had his time card, which was 4:30 a.m. Oh and he wasn’t a co-worker, just a busboy at the restaurant RDK was hanging out at and offered him a ride home.

In the second paragraph the poster says that eventually the evidence was tracked down. Let me clarify that the evidence was not “eventually” tracked down, it was found right after the murder when they searched RDK’s apartment. Also there was no “rag covered with Rhonda’s blood.” However there was a towel with Rhonda’s blood on it. To say it was “covered” in blood is a little dramatic and incorrect. I don’t know if the towel had spermatozoon on it because it was destroyed with all the other trial evidence back in the 1980’s. They certainly didn’t have it to test for DNA when the case was reopened in 2016.

I’m going to jump down to the last paragraph where the poster does address something that was correct and I don’t think I’ve addressed this in my blog. It’s really irrelevant to the crime but it was a far-fetched story that was printed in a local paper. This is the paragraph where the poster talks about where they read that a teardrop necklace was found in Rhonda’s mouth.

First let me say that no necklace was found in Rhonda’s mouth. However the story did come from Glen Watkins and was printed in a local tabloid trash-type newspaper at the time that was trying to pin the murder on Rhonda’s downstairs neighbor (Watkins), which is why they printed the story. The story came secondhand since he told one person and that person told the trashy newspaper. He claimed just what the poster stated, that a teardrop necklace was found in Rhonda’s mouth.

Interestingly though Rhonda did have that necklace. It was an opal necklace with a small diamond in it. RDK gave it to her for her birthday along with either a matching ring or earrings, (but I believe it was a ring). Strangely enough that necklace went missing before she was murdered. She told our mother that she thinks RDK had taken it. She said the last time she saw it was on her coffee table and realized later it was gone, and RDK had been the only person at her house. It was never found.

The next comment I am addressing was one I just recently heard. I received an email from someone who wanted to reach out to me to do an updated story on RDK since it has been five years since his release. They asked me this bizarre question: Is it true that your family supported clemency for RDK in 2009 if he would admit to the crime and tell you what happened but he declined?

Where do people come up with these things? I went on to explain to them that my family never supported clemency and that we in fact never heard about any request for clemency until the DA’s office reached out to us in 2016.

If you have heard or read any stories and are curious about the truth of that story, please drop me an email or add a comment. I would be glad to share what I know. I won’t share anything without your permission and you certainly would remain anonymous.

I hope this post was of interest to you, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to share this story so near and dear to my heart. I wish all of you who read this could have known Rhonda and met our precious Donnie. I love them and miss them every single day of my life.

If you would like to know real names for the acronyms just email me, or just have any questions I will be more than happy to respond: RandDjustice@gmail.com

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I recently contacted an organization called Project: Cold Case (https://projectcoldcase.org/). On August 18, 2023 they highlighted Rhonda and Donnie’s (now) cold case on social media and on their website. They did an excellent job describing the crime in a completely unbiased manner.

Thank you, Project: Cold Case for bringing awareness to Rhonda and Donnie’s murder!

If you are familiar with any unsolved crime I encourage you to check out their website. Their database is huge and you just never know, you may be able to help solve a cold case.

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If you are reading or have read my blog, I would love to hear how you heard about Rhonda and Donnie’s story!

This blog gets readers from all over the world and I’m curious as to how you found it. I am humbled by the number of people who have check it out. Anyone who has ventured into digging deep into old memories you thought were behind you understands how hard this has been for me. I never thought I would have to relive this tragic time in mine and my family’s past, but unfortunately my hand was forced.

In some ways this blog has also been therapy for me, but I have to admit mostly it’s very frustrating. Events over the past few years should have never happened but yet it has!

Seeing not just the number of visitors that come here, but to see the different countries around the world just amazes me.

I would love it if you to drop me an email (see below) or leave a comment as to how you found this blog. If you email me I won’t share it publicly but comments are public. Either way I hope to hear from you.

Thank you so much for reading this blog that is so close to my heart. Rhonda and Donnie are two very precious human beings who deserve justice and deserve to never be forgotten.

Aging is a funny thing. I can sometimes feel like it was just yesterday I was 18 but it’s been decades since then. A song or a smell can take me back to a specific moment in life: standing at my locker in the 7^th grade or roller skating at the roller rink. And in the same way I find milestones fascinating.

I’m always doing numbers and dates in my head, that such as such-and-such years ago today I was doing this or going there or with so-and-so. I remember birthdates even after all these years, even of people I haven’t been in touch with for decades. Today is one of those such days but with much more importance.

Today is October 12, 2024. Fifty years ago today (actually late in the evening, closer to midnight of October 13) Donald Alan Wicht II (aka Donnie) was born. Yes, today would have been his 50^th birthday. I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand we would have had him with us through all the memorable events in our lives, growing up with his cousins, holidays, birthdays, and always being the first grandchild of my parents’. We would have had him with us to share his milestones and maybe bringing children into the world (oh how his mother would have loved being a grandma).

But maybe I’m being selfish in my reminiscing of what could have been because on the other hand he would have had to experience sadness, losing his grandparents and his two uncles, and any other tragedies that has happened in our lives.

On the same note, Rhonda would have been turning 70 on October 13, 2024. Donnie was born just an hour or so before Rhonda’s 20^th birthday.

As the story goes, the way my mother told it (she was there in Austin for Donnie’s birth), Rhonda wasn’t dilating and the doctor decided to do a C-section. The doctor said something to the effect that if we wait just an hour (or so) the baby could be born on his mother’s birthday but my mother, who by this time was extremely agitated that Rhonda had been in labor for too long, looked at the doctor and said, “This baby is going to have its own birthday.” Yes, that’s how my mother was, an outspoken mother hen. So Donnie got his own birthday.

So to Donnie (and Rhonda, tomorrow) I want to wish a happy heavenly birthday. I know they know how much they are missed and certainly how much they were and are loved, and that I do look forward to the day I get to see them, and the rest of my family, again.

Even though the years go on for those of us left behind, you will always be forever four.

Email: randdjustice@gmail.com

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I now have a title for my upcoming book about the murder of Rhonda and Donnie: 

This title perfectly captures why I feel their story needs to be told—it reflects how Rhonda and Donnie have been largely forgotten and neglected by both the media and the public, overshadowed by the sensational focus on RDK and XCV.

I’m excited to share that the book is coming together beautifully! Alicia Doyle’s skill in weaving all the information into a skilled storyline has truly impressed me. I provided her with everything I possessed—documents, newspaper articles, Rhonda’s journal, XCV’s vengeance packet, pictures, trial transcripts, and my memories. What felt like an overwhelming heap of material has been expertly organized by Alicia, and I’m genuinely in awe of how well she has accomplished this.

Beyond my contribution, OI has joined our team and provided invaluable input. His involvement has been crucial, and we’re all deeply grateful to have him on board.

Putting this book together has truly been a team effort. We call ourselves The Justice Team, which includes Alicia Doyle (author), Flo Trapani (former Simi Valley Police Officer, XCV’s ex-wife, and the subject of the book The Oath), OI (aka Lieutenant if you’ve read The Oath), Sam Perry, and myself. This collaboration has been essential for telling the story accurately and thoroughly. Having lived with this story for over 40 years, I sometimes overlook small details, but as we discuss topics, memories resurface that I hadn’t thought of in years. Receiving my team’s feedback is priceless—what I might consider unimportant often turns out to be significant to someone else. I’m truly grateful to all these people for their help in bringing this book to life.

You can expect the book to include nearly everything covered in my blog but with much more depth and crucial information, with the added detail of using some actual names but due to legal restraints some pseudonyms will be necessary. The primary focus will be to introduce you to Rhonda and Donnie, giving you an opportunity to understand who they truly were. We walk through what led up to the murder, the day itself—with crime scene photos—and everything that followed, including how RDK was ultimately pardoned in 2017. The details will astound you!

To make things clearer, we’ve included timelines and maps to help you visualize when and where events happened. One timeline, in particular, traces the complicated journey XCV took in his pursuit of revenge, from beginning to end.

Writing this book has been a deeply personal and emotional process for me. Re-examining these events has brought back feelings and memories I hadn’t faced in years. It’s been both an emotional challenge and a profound learning experience.

Alicia is presenting this story in an unbiased manner, showing both sides—the before and after—so you can come to your own conclusions. Although I continue to believe RDK is responsible, I also recognize I could be wrong. There has been a lot of misinformation and falsehoods stated by the media through RDK and XCV. With this book, my goal is to set the record straight by revealing the truth. If RDK is indeed innocent, I want the proof.

I may be right or I may be wrong, but I won’t be quiet.

I sincerely hope you look as forward to this book being published as I am to share it. I believe a reader of any genre will find it enthralling as well as emotional. I can guarantee the writing is exceptional and it will be hard to put down. Alicia has left nothing to question, which is an important goal for me. You will know this case inside and out as well as some of the people involved. I can honestly tell you, you will not be disappointed with this book.

I have also started a Facebook group called The Forsaken: Justice For Rhonda and Donnie. I hope you check it out and join us.
THE FORSAKEN: Justin for Rhonda and Donnie

Stay tuned! I will be sharing more updates with you!!

Hello Justice For Rhonda and Donnie readers,

As you know I am co-author my upcoming book, The Forsaken, and I’m trying to reconnect with Andrew from the UK. We corresponded by email back in 2022 after he read my blog. We had some great conversations that I’d love to include in my book (with your permission), but I haven’t heard back from my follow-up emails to your last known email address. I will know it’s you if you can answer one question for me.

If you’re that Andrew, please email me at randdjustice@gmail.com. This is just to get your okay for using our exchanges—no pressure otherwise!

I hope to hear from you soon.

Shelley Hamilton