May 21, 2006
 
Holmes Indicted as Accessory Before the Fact in Wendy Morgan Case; No Indictments a Year Later for Murder of 4 Teens on Charleston Avenue
 
By Tony Rutherford
Huntington News Network Writer
 
Huntington, WV (HNN) -- When Cabell County Prosecutor Chris Chiles released a list of the grand jury indictments, the previously “hinted” alleged involvement of Cherylyethia “Bunny” Holmes in the killing of former Marshall student, Wendy Morgan, swayed the jurors to indict her as an accessory before the fact. Morgan, a drug user and prostitute, had apparently stolen money and/or drugs.
 
Chiles told a news conference that it’s likely Holmes was not present at the time of the murder, but Holmes allegedly “set it up and ordered” the hit. Chiles had indicated after the conviction of Cedeal Harper for the July 28, 2004 murder of Morgan that additional indictments would be forthcoming. Holmes, who is currently serving an eight- year sentence on federal drug trafficking charges, has also been the most commonly mentioned link to the killing of four teenagers on Charleston Avenue in 2005.
 
Donte Ward, one of those killed, had previously been shot at. Rumors persisted that he had some involvement in the drug world. With the killings still unsolved nearly a year later, one of the initial theories related to one of the four stealing from someone in the drug dealing chain.
 
As early as June 6, 2005, FBI Special Agent Paul Sorce testified in U.S. District Court in Detroit that three confidential informants told investigators that Ward “ripped off” money or marijuana from Holmes. “She was then going to arrange to bring people up from Detroit to take care of this,” Sorce said.
 
Huntington detectives had gone to Detroit to arrest Ms. Holmes who had previously been charged with drug distribution and possession of an automatic weapon in February. Those charges were dropped and federal charges instituted against the 23-year-old unemployed mother. At the time of her February arrest, she gave a South Point, Ohio, address, but this has been determined to be a falsehood on her part.
 
Federal Magistrate Judge R. Steven Whalen in June 2005 reluctantly granted her bond after admitting “this isn’t a mother of the year candidate.” Agent Sorce strongly objected to the $25,000 bond asking how a woman receiving $550 a month in public assistance could afford a cash bond and fund to hire her own attorney.
 
The judge imposed strict conditions on the woman’s release and ordered her to return to West Virginia for arraignment.
 
At that time, neither the FBI nor Huntington authorities had enough information to charge her with the teen killings. Agent Sorce, according to the Detroit News article, acknowledged under cross-examination by Holmes’ attorney that West Virginia police had received other tips on the murders and were not prepared to charge her in the prom night slaughter.
 
To read the 2005 Detroit News article:
 
http://www.detnews.com/2005/metro/0506/07/B01-206416.htm
 
During the April 2006 trial of Cedeal Harper, the jury heard testimony from co-defendant Rafelle Harris that Morgan stole drugs from a crack house and that Holmes and Harper plotted retribution for her theft. Harris earlier entered into a deal with prosecutors in which he plead guilty to Second Degree Murder in the Morgan murder in exchange for his testimony against Harper and testimony in other non specified cases.
 
Harris received a 40-year sentence, making him eligible for parole in ten years. The defense criticized the prosecution for relying upon “crack heads and prostitutes” for testimony against Harper, who claimed he was present at the Morgan murder scene as a bystander who had been seeking sexual favors.
 
Although Holmes, Harris and Harper are serving their sentences, the Huntington community still seeks resolution of the deaths of Michael Dillon, Megan Poston, Edrick Clark and Dante Ward on May 21, 2005 at 1410 Charleston Avenue.
 
Captain Steve Hall told area media May 22, 2005, “There’s still a killer at large.” A news release indicated that police agencies had a “strong theory” that subjects from Detroit were responsible for the killings. Law enforcement agencies theorized that Ward was the target and that the three young people who had been at a prom happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
 
Nearly a year later, the police have made good on Hall’s statement that “the public has had enough of these [Detroit] individuals.” Hardly a week passes in which one or more Michigan subjects are arrested for possession or distribution of crack cocaine.
 
But, the killer or killers of Dante, Megan, Michael and Edrick have still not been found, or, more specifically, law enforcements does not yet have enough evidence to obtain warrants for “probable cause” in the killings.
 
The closest hint to resolution of the quadruple teen killing remains crouched in a paraphrased law enforcement comment that if you knew what we know you would feel confident that the case will be solved.
 
Meanwhile, the families of Dante, Megan, Michael and Edrick are waiting.