In the summer of 2021, the community of Dadeville, Alabama, was unsettled by the violent death of one of its residents, 70-year-old Michael Johnson Sr. His life was abruptly ended on Friday, July 23, 2021, leaving behind a legacy cherished by his two children, six siblings, and four grandchildren.
The circumstances of Johnson's death were grim. He was discovered in a wooded area near Highway 40, having suffered multiple blows to the head with a blunt object.
The investigation into his death quickly pointed to a suspect, Willie Frank Wyckoff, 49, who was apprehended the following Monday afternoon near Dadeville and charged with murder.
Further investigation revealed that at the time of the alleged murder, Wyckoff was already out on a $5,000 bond for a 2019 second-degree assault charge. Court records indicated a history of criminal proceedings against Wyckoff spanning three decades, including guilty pleas for second-degree assault in 2006 and third-degree assault in 1994. In light of the new and severe charges against him, the District Attorney's office filed a motion to revoke his bond from the prior assault case.
