2022 is coming to an end!
Many cases featured on this page were finally resolved during this year. I've created a two-part list of these cases - below is part one. Links to the full case write-ups are provided. Stay tuned for part 2!
Jennifer Rothwell.
Anjelica 'AJ' Hadsell
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In April 2022, a Missouri jury convicted Beau Rothwell (right) of the first-degree murder of his pregnant wife, Jennifer (left). Jennifer vanished back in November of 2019, after making some troubling Google searches such as "what to do if your husband is upset you are pregnant." Beau was reportedly upset over the pregnancy because he was having an affair with another woman, and he wanted to end his marriage to Jennifer so he could be with his new love interest.
After Jennifer was reported missing, the physical evidence quickly pointed to Beau as a suspect. Blood was found in his truck and in their home, which was later positively linked to Jennifer. Beau eventually led police to Jennifer's remains and was subsequently charged with her murder.
During his trial, Beau claimed that Jennifer's murder was an accident. He said that he " saw red" after Jennifer claimed that he was not the father of their child. However, the prosecution said that he knew he was the father, and he had told his mistress that he was going to leave Jennifer if she had a miscarriage. A paternity test later confirmed that Beau was, in fact, the father.
The jury ultimately sided with the prosecution and found Beau guilty. In July of 2022, he was sentenced to life in prison.
Kaytlynn Cargill
Kaytlynn Cargill was only 14 years-old when she was brutally beaten to death in June of 2017. The town of Bedford, Texas was shocked by the young girl's killing - and they were even more shocked when a 16-year-old named Jordin Roache was arrested and charged with her murder.
Kaytlynn and Jordin reportedly made plans to meet up on the afternoon of June 19th, 2017, so Kaytlynn could buy marijuana from Jordin to make dabs. The two teens met near Jordin's family's apartment complex before entering the building together. While inside, Jordin reportedly beat Kaytlynn to death with a hammer. He then disposed of her body in a dumpster. Kaytlynn's remains were later found in a local landfill.
An exact motive for Kaytlynn's murder remains unclear to this day, but it is believed that their planned marijuana exchange played a role. After Jordin was charged as an adult with Kaytlynn's murder, he underwent several mental health evaluations. Finally, in 2022, he accepted a plea deal and pleaded guilty to Kaytlynn's murder. As part of his plea deal, Jordin was sentenced to 10 years and prison and will receive credit for time already served. At this time, there is not an explanation for what lead to the seemingly short sentence for first degree murder.
Sherri Papini
Sherri Papini first made headlines back in November 2016, when she seemingly vanished from her family's home in Redding, California. The then-34-year-old was reported missing by her husband, Keith Papini, after he returned home on the afternoon of November 2nd and noticed his wife was not home - nor had she picked up their two children from daycare. Sherri's cell phone was found on a trail near their home, leading many to fear that she had been abducted while jogging.
Over the following weeks, many searches for Sherri were conducted - but no clues where found. Then, around 4:30 AM on November 24th, the California Highway Patrol received several 911 reporting that a disheveled woman was seen running alongside Interstate 5 in Yolo County--located approximately 145 miles away from the Papini home in Redding. An officer located the woman with a truck driver who had stopped to help her. The woman identified herself as Sherri Papini. She had bindings around both her ankles and one of her arms. Additionally, Sherri was covered in cuts and bruises, a large amount of her hair had been cut, and had lost a considerable amount of weight.
Sherri told police that she was abducted by two Hispanic women and held captive in a bedroom in an unknown location. She said that the women physically abused her and at one point, they held her down to a coffee table and branded her. Police were able to confirm that Sherri did, in fact, have a brand on her body that was not there before she vanished. The brand had an indistinguishable symbol.
Many had their questions about Sherri's story, but the police maintained that they believed her. Then, in 2020, the case unraveled when they matched DNA found on Sherri's clothing to an ex-boyfriend who lived in Costa Mesa. Police spoke to the ex, who confirmed that Sherri had actually been staying with him during the time she claimed to have been kidnapped.
In March 2022, Sherri was arrested and charged with of making false statements to federal law enforcement officers and for mail fraud. She initially fought the charges, but in April 2022 she decided to plead guilty to all charges. Sherri was subsequently sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Anjelica 'AJ' Hadsell
The loved ones of Anjelica 'AJ' Hadsell were finally able to close a painful chapter in their lives during 2022 when Wesley Hadsell was finally convicted for AJ's murder. Wesley was AJ's adoptive father; both he and AJ's mother raised AJ in Norfolk, Virginia. After AJ left for college during the fall of 2014, her relationship with Wesley fell apart. AJ's mother had split from him, and AJ herself had decided to cut ties after learning Wesley was abusing drugs.
AJ vanished while home on spring break during March of 2015. Wesley quickly became a suspect, as he abruptly left work on the day of AJ's disappearance after telling coworkers that he was going to meet up with his daughter. After AJ was reported missing, Wesley engaged in many odd behaviors in an effort to deflect suspicion.
In April 2015, investigators received an analysis report on Wesley's van’s GPS, which revealed that it had been driven to an abandoned home close to the North Carolina border on the day AJ vanished. The report states that the van remained on the property for about 20 minutes. On April 9th, 2015 detectives went to the property and found AJ’s body buried in a ditch behind the abandoned home. An autopsy later determined that she died from acute heroin poisoning and homicidal violence. Wesley was the prime suspect and he was finally charged with murder during 2018.
Wesley initially went to trial in February of 2020, however on the second day in court a mistrial was declared. The judge overseeing the case declared a mistrial after Wesley reportedly decided he did not want to keep an agreement that his defense team had made with the prosecution prior to the trial. His retrial began in January of 2022. This time around, the trial made it to the jury deliberations and Wesley was found guilty. He was sentenced to life plus 15 years in prison.
....part two of "Resolved in 2022" will be coming later this week.
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