In the late summer of 2016, a 19-year-old female named Robin West, originally from Philadelphia, was in Union Township, New Jersey, with plans to celebrate her upcoming birthday. Her life was tragically cut short on September 1, 2016, in the city of Orange. On that day, firefighters responded to a blaze at a vacant house and discovered her body inside.
The investigation into her death would unravel a series of horrific crimes and lead to the capture of a serial killer.
The man responsible for Robin West's death was identified as Khalil Wheeler-Weaver, a resident of Orange. It was discovered that he had connected with West and lured her to her death. In an attempt to conceal his crime, Wheeler-Weaver set her body and the vacant house on fire. For nearly two weeks, the remains were unidentified until dental records confirmed they belonged to Robin West. Her death was the beginning of a violent spree by Wheeler-Weaver, who would go on to murder two other women, Joanne Brown and Sarah Butler, and brutally attack and attempt to kill a fourth woman who managed to survive.
The investigation into these connected crimes led to the arrest of Khalil Wheeler-Weaver. In December 2019, a jury found him guilty on multiple counts, including three counts of murder for the deaths of Robin West, Joanne Brown, and Sarah Butler. He was also convicted of kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault, attempted murder, desecration of human remains, and aggravated arson. In October 2021, Khalil Wheeler-Weaver was sentenced to 160 years in state prison for his crimes.
