More than a week after Whitaker was reported missing, Pennington’s ex-girlfriend met with investigators on May 12 and told them, “You’re not going to find her, he murdered her.”
She also told investigators the two had been constantly arguing in the weeks before Whitaker vanished.
Investigators said Pennington had previously called his ex-girlfriend and told her he left work on April 17 to break up an argument between Whitaker and a family member, and that Whitaker had made threatening claims against him, according to WVNSTV.
He allegedly met his ex-girlfriend at a mall that same day and told her Whitaker had threatened to k!ll him — and that’s when he “snapped,” the complaint states.
The ex-girlfriend told investigators Pennington picked Whitaker up by her throat and choked her until she stopped breathing, then allegedly showed her a photo of Whitaker’s body taken from the victim’s phone.
Investigators also alleged Pennington disposed of Whitaker’s phones by soaking them in bleach and destroying their SIM cards.
The ex-girlfriend told investigators she later met Pennington at a Lowe’s in Bluefield, Va., where he purchased multiple bags of concrete before the two drove to Bastian, Va., about 18 miles away, where he allegedly buried Whitaker’s body.
She led investigators to the location, where Virginia State Police cadaver dogs were deployed, but failed to locate Whitaker’s remains. She also handed over her phone to investigators, admitting she had deleted messages from Pennington about the alleged murd£r, according to WVNSTV.
Pennington was arrested on May 13 and is being held at West Virginia Regional Jail & Correctional Facility Authority.
He has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murd£r and concealment of a body.
Whitaker leaves behind three children — 18-year-old son Braiden, 17-year-old daughter Daizy, and 12-year-old son Christopher