[*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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