Jean, Victoria and Elizabeth Wholaver
Ernest R. Wholaver, Jr.
Summary of Offense:
Wholaver was estranged from his wife Jean, and she had a protective order against him. His two daughters (Victoria, age 20, and Elizabeth, age 15) had accused him of sexually abusing them for many years, and were within weeks of the trial where they would testify against him. On December 24, 2002, Wholaver had his brother drive him to his wife’s house (his brother pleaded guilty to three counts of third-degree murder for his role in the crime, and testified against Ernest). Ernest burglarized the home, shooting and killing Jean, Victoria, and Elizabeth. He killed Victoria while she was holding her infant daughter. The police found the infant alive by her mother’s body the next day. Wholaver was also convicted of attempting to hire a hit man from jail to kill Victoria’s ex-boyfriend and frame him for the crime by leaving a suicide note confessing to the crime.
Wholaver was sentenced to death in Dauphin County on August 31, 2004.
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