True Crime All The Time - Meg Wellnitz-Appleton and Bill Meece

Episode Date: June 9, 2025

In 1993, Joseph Wellnitz, his wife Beth, and their 20-year-old son Dennis were murdered inside their Columbia, Kentucky home. Although the police had their suspicions early on, it took nearly a decade to catch the killer. Join Mike and Gibby as they discuss Meg Wellnitz-Appleton and Bill Meece. For years, their alibis stood up and prevented the authorities from moving forward against them. But when Bill got a divorce from his wife, his world turned upside down. Meg and Bill told differing stories, and it would be up to juries to decide who was telling the truth.You can help support the show at patreon.com/truecrimeallthetimeVisit the show's website at truecrimeallthetime.com for contact, merchandise, and donation informationAn Emash Digital productionSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

everyone and welcome to episode 438 of the true crime all the time podcast i'm mike ferguson and with me as always is my partner in true crime mike gibson give me how are you i'm doing good about you i'm doing great awesome you know we just uh got done recording our weekly patreon we did and we talked about how we now have our podcasts on youtube yeah it's awesome yeah both teacad and tecad unsolved you can listen through there um just like you would on you know any other podcast player. Yeah. So pretty cool.

We also talk about the righteous gemstones. We did. And penises. Yes, we did. And a little bit of updated news on Madeline McCann. Yeah. And the search for her. Let's go ahead and give our Patreon shoutouts.

We had Cassidy Falling. Hey, Cassidy. Mary Ann Gibbs, Mordes. Ah, Gibbs. Jodette Kitchens. Jodette? Mm-hmm. You heard that?

Jodette. Amy Goldstein. What's going on, Goldstein? Karen Rose. Hey, there's the. Rose. Paul Harbourn. Well, thanks, Paul. Camero Patch. I like Camaro. Chloe Vrogendeway. I think it's a Rögerendway. Okay. We'll go with yours. Yeah. And last but not least, Dar Wilhite. Hey, Willhite. And then if we go back into the vault, this week, we selected Chiquita Clark.

Hey, thanks, Chiquita. Yeah, I appreciate all the support. We also had a great PayPal donation from Rachel Coon. Look at Rachel. Yeah. Thanks to everyone. Love it. We have a brand new episode out right now on true crime all the time unsolved where we're talking about Father Alfred Coons. And this was a man of the cloth who was murdered inside a Catholic church in Wisconsin. So you have that, which is obviously horrible. Sure. But then what comes out is a lot of speculation about sexual misconduct, inappropriate relationships.

And so we go into all of this. Takes that investigation to a different level. Yeah. Definitely takes it down a number of different paths for sure. All right, buddy, are you ready to get into this episode of true crime all the time? I am. We're talking about Meg Wellnitz Appleton and Bill Meese. In 1993, Joseph Wellnitz, his wife, Beth, and their 20-year-old son Dennis were murdered inside their Columbia, Kentucky home.

Although the police had their suspicions, it took nearly a decade to catch the killer. Joe Wellnitz was described as an easygoing man who enjoyed life. He was born in 1942 and grew up in rural Jefferson County, Kentucky. He earned degrees from the University of Cincinnati and the veterinary school at Auburn University. He joined the Air Force after college and served in Vietnam, caring for American Sentry dogs and helping local farmers. Joe earned a Bronze Star for flying into an area with enemy soldiers nearby to treat sick farm animals.

Well, you got to like a person that's doing something like that, right? Yeah, I mean, obviously Vietnam was tough for, you know, everyone over there. But here's a guy who is kind of putting his veterinarian skills to work during the war. Yeah. Right? Helping sentry dogs, helping to treat sick farm animals. And you know we're big animal lovers. Yeah.

And most of the people that listen to this show are as well. Joe worked at private vet clinics in Versailles and Lexington throughout the 1970s. It was in Lexington that he met his wife, Beth. The two married in 1979. It was the second marriage for both of them. Beth had two children from her first marriage, Dennis and Meg, who changed their last names to wellness because of their close bond with Joe. The family moved to Columbia, Kentucky, and Joe and Beth opened their own vet clinic in January 1981. The clinic was inside a renovated bond on their property.

Beth worked as the office manager. Now, I don't know how many people work with their spouse. But there are some unique challenges to that. Yeah, I think it could cause some issues. Yeah, it can be very rewarding. That too. But it can also present some unique situations. I think as long as you have a clear understanding of how things are going to run when you're there.

Like, I know. You sound like a man who's saying, I'm going to lay down the law. That sounds very authoritative coming from you. my way or the higher. Yeah. Yeah. No, I just mean, you know, it's a business.

So you've got to treat it as such. And obviously, when you go home, it's different. But when you're there, you know, if she's running the show and you're supporting that or if you're running the show and she supports you, you know, unless you both are, you know, have the same. Unless you're both running the show and there's no support. Then you hire someone for the support. You got a number of different scenarios there.

Yeah. My thing was more. like, okay, you see each other, you know, pretty much the whole time you're at home. Right. And a lot of people need a bit of space. Down time. And some of that is work time, right? Right.

Most people don't work together. So they're apart. Once they get home, they're together. Oh, I haven't seen you for a while. But, you know, that seeing that person all the time was kind of what I was getting at can, I think, present some, some challenges for some people. I think it does, you know. I mean, my mom and dad worked together for a long time.

And I remember a few years there. I felt like maybe you shouldn't be. Maybe, Mom, you need to just, you know, not go in the office as much. Yeah. Yeah, I get it. Yeah. Joe and Beth were considered pillars of their community and were known for their compassion. Family friend Joyce Mulden told the Lexington Herald leader,

they're the type of people everybody loved. They'd do anything for you. Beth always said that if she won the lottery, she would open a house for terminally ill children on their farm so the kids could spend time with animals. She also talked about helping the elderly and buying new cars and houses for her employees. Sounds like an awesome person.

Well, who doesn't talk about what they would do if they won the lottery? Years ago, my wife used to say, well, she would continue teaching. And I would say, I don't get that at all. We just won the lottery. There's no need to work. Her stance on that has changed greatly over the years. You know, she's been teaching for 20-some years now.

If we won the lottery, I think she would stop. And you did say if you won that you get me a gift card at McDonald's. Absolutely. You know, there's that. For at least $100. Yeah, yeah. I mean, you said at least, you know. Depending on how many million I won.

20 Big Macs or something. Yeah. Yeah. Joe cared so deeply about animals that he would provide treatment, even if the owners owed him money. At the time of his death, he had been caring for a dog with broken legs for four months free of charge. I don't think it can be overstated, right? This is a guy who loved animals. I'm sure he loved being a veterinarian, but his love for animals was so great that he wasn't going to let an animal suffer. just because, let's say, you know, the owner didn't have the money or whatever.

Yeah, that's a pretty, again, amazing person. In 1992, Joe told the Adair Argus, we always wanted to live on a small farm to be an active part of a caring, close-knit community, where people are truly concerned for each other, a closeness that isn't as evident in a large city. By early 1993, Meg Wellnitz was attending the University of, of Kentucky in Lexington, Dennis lived at home and was attending Somerset Community College. His friends described him as reliable, a hard worker, and extremely intelligent.

Al Mulden, who lived in a cabin on the family's farm and helped care for the cattle, saw Joe around 7 p.m. on February 25, 1993, neighbor Roger Smith, who lived on a hill overlooking the house, said, Joe always pinned up his dogs before going to bed, but no one put the dogs up that night. It was reported that neighbors didn't see or hear anything unusual. But it is interesting, right, when you have neighbors talk about these types of things. You know, most people have a routine. And your neighbors might or might not know your routine, but it sounds like at least one person knew his. you know, he pinned up his dogs every night before he went to bed.

Yeah, I mean, you learn certain things about your neighbors, you know, when you've been around them long enough. Yeah. Most people do. Yeah, you learn who brings in their trash cans in a timely fashion, who leaves them out there for two days after the trashes come. Or that person. Stuff like that. That person that parks in front of your house instead of their house. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Around 8 a.m. on February 26th, clinic employees, Dan Lawhorn. and Cindy Yates showed up for work and noticed that Joe and Beth were not there. Lawhorn saw that a shot had been fired through a side door of the clinic. He went to the house to tell Joe and Beth about the damage. Knowing that they often left the house unlocked, he went in through the back door and found Joe lying face first in the downstairs den.

He had been shot to death. Joe was dressed in casual clothes, gray sweats and a white t-shirt. it looked as if he was shot as he came out of the bathroom. Employee Cindy Yates went into the house with the police a few minutes later. Beth was found upstairs in the bedroom lying on the ground near the bed. She appeared to have been standing when she was shot in the head and upper torso. Dennis was found in his bedroom with bullet wounds to his back, suggesting he was killed as he crawled on his hands and knees.

both Dennis and Beth were dressed in their pajamas. It's really sad. Yeah, it is sad. But, you know, as we're kind of going through some of the details, you know, the fact that Beth and Dennis were found in their pajamas, you know, Joe was in very casual clothes. It does kind of give you a sense of, you know, what time this was or, you know, what was going on, they weren't up and ready to leave the house. Yeah, it doesn't sound like they were expecting a visitor.

No. They were comfortable, you know, safe. I mean, they felt safe. They were in their own home, right? Wearing comfortable clothes, trying to relax. Several bullets went through the walls of the house. One of the stray bullets hit the door of the clinic, which is what the employees first noticed. There was no sign of a struggle.

no sign of forced entry. Robbery was ruled out as a motive, meaning that the three individuals were likely targeted. So you talk about no forced entry, well, there might have not been a need for forced entry because it sounded like they didn't lock their doors, which, you know, let's face it,

a lot of people in small towns, especially in the past, didn't lock their doors. That's true. Some still do die. Yeah. It just felt like there was no reason to. The medical examiner determined the family was killed around 4 a.m. They were likely taken by surprise.

The murder weapon was a 9mm handgun. But investigators learned that not everyone in town held the Wellnitz family in high regard. Joe and Beth were in a dispute with a couple who once lived in a cabin on their property. The couple agreed to complete some work in exchange for free rent. But there was a disagreement when the Wellnets is didn't believe they were holding up their end of the bargain. So they presented the couple with the bill. However, by the time of the murders, the couple had already moved off the property and they insisted the dispute had been worked out. It's always tough when you open up your property to something like that.

Like, you can stay at the cabin. I won't charge you rent, but you need to do X, X and X. sometimes your expectations and what their expectations are don't align. That's a pretty small dispute that want to kill somebody over. Well, you know, as we've learned, people kill over the strangest things. That's true. Sometimes very small, minor things. But at the very least, Gibbs, you know they have to be ruled out, right?

Oh, for sure. Once the police find out that they had any type of dispute with them, Soon after the murders, police learned that the only item missing from the home was a small safe that contained important paperwork. This led investigators to take a closer look at friends and family. Joe and best daughter, Meg, was at college in Lexington on the night of the murders. She said she spent the evening playing cards with her boyfriend and another couple. Investigators learned that Joe was estranged from his adopted son Eric, from his first marriage. According to Kentucky State Police Captain Jeff Hancock, it was a surprise to learn that there was another child involved that Joe had adopted at a young age.

We started receiving information, documentation, showing that Eric was actually still set to gain from the death of Joe. There was actually a will giving him so much money out of the estate to the tune of a quarter of a million dollars. Wow. Healthy amount. Well, we've seen people kill for a heck of a lot less. Yeah, we have. But it is, you know, kind of interesting that, you know, these two were estranged, but Joe still had him in his will for quite a significant amount of money. Eric was shocked by the murders.

He explained that he was estranged from Joe because he felt he had been replaced by Dennis after the new marriage. because of this big potential motive, investigators worked to confirm Eric's alibi. He was sleeping at a friend's house and he seemed genuinely surprised to learn he was included in the will. Eric later told oxygen, there's no way in the world. I ever could have done anything like that. Yes, I was angry as a child.

You know, having your dad disappearing out of your life, you know, kind of in a snap of a finger. It was hard and I was angry. but not that kind of anger where I wished anything bad. And I get it, right? You know, your adoptive dad is no longer in your life. And then he has a new family, new kids. That could be tough, real tough.

Yeah, I can see how somebody could be angry with that. Investigators took another look at Meg. She said she had a good relationship with her parents, but admitted there was some tension with her mother about her boyfriend Randy Appleton. Investigators considered Randy a viable person of interest because of his interest in guns. They became even more suspicious when trying to confirm Megan Randy's alibi

that they were playing cards with another couple, Bill and Regina Meets. Are you surprised that there's some tension between the mom and the boyfriend? No, I think that can happen. You know, let's face it, parents don't always like who their son or daughter is dating. That's very true. Bill attended the University of Kentucky,

which is how he met Meg. He worked as a cab driver and landscaper in Lexington at the time of the murders. Bill Meese corroborated Randy's alibi. He agreed to take a polygraph but got upset and abruptly ended the session when investigators asked if he knew anything about the murder. Okay. So you're going to agree to take a polygraph. to take a polygraph, but you're surprised and then upset when they ask you about the murder.

When the hell did you think they were going to ask you about it? Exactly. Just the alibi or just the fact of whether or not you were playing cards? And if you got upset over that, probably doesn't look good. No, it doesn't look good at all. But with no concrete evidence, they had to let him go. Within a year of the murders, Meg was involved in a legal battle, over more than half a million dollars in insurance money. According to the Lexington Herald leader, Joe's will left his estate to his wife unless she died with him. In that case, the estate would go to Beth's mother, Mary Preston, with instructions to provide for Dennis and Meg. Doesn't seem like a bad thing unless you were hoping to get that money directly.

You mean as one of the kids? Yeah. Yeah. But I get it. She's an adult. She's in college. But who knows when this will was made out. And, you know, maybe they didn't feel as though the two were ready for that type of money.

That's a lot of money we're talking about. Maybe you want somebody a little older, a little wiser to help out with the decision making. So you don't blow through it really quick. Yeah. which a lot of kids would. Meg sued the life insurance company and the company responded that she was a suspect in the murders. Joe's adopted son Eric also sued to get his share of the money.

The case was settled in April 1994. $518,000. Went to a law firm to disperse to Meg and Eric. Eric later said he only received a small amount. The Herald leader reported that Meg received around $300,000. Okay, I'm assuming it sounds like a bunch of it went to the law firm. That's what I'm guessing too.

For handling it. But that's still a lot of money. It's $300,000. We're talking about 1994 here. Yeah, it's a good chunk of change. I think it tells you how well they were doing in life. They obviously had accumulated over the years a good amount of money. they also did well in establishing life insurance policies.

Meg married her college boyfriend, Randy Appleton in 1995. They had a son together before they divorced in 1997. According to the Herald leader, after the murderers, Meg briefly attended the University of Kentucky and studied ceramics at Transylvania University. She once operated a bar in Lexington, but it closed in mid-2000. two.

What do you think you're going to do with a ceramics degree? I didn't even know you could get a degree in ceramics. I'm assuming you're going to make ceramics. I don't know. I do know that Transylvania University is in Lexington. It's very close to the University of Kentucky within walking distance because they played them a couple of years ago and they made a big deal about how they just walked down the street to play the game.

Oh, yeah. I'm guessing your UK team probably took it to them. Yeah, I mean, Transylvania is a pretty small school, but on February 27, 2003, Meg, Wellnitz, Appleton, and Bill Meese were indicted with plotting to Rob and kill her family. The indictment indicated Bill was the shooter, while Meg solicitated, commanded, or engaged in a conspiracy with him. So we're talking about, you know, nine years here since the murder. Clearly, the authorities feel strong about their case now to move forward with this. Yeah, I would agree with you. It's just strange that it took that many years, right, to put it together. Meg was charged with three counts of complicity to commit murder and one count each of

complicity to commit robbery and burglary. Bill was indicted on three counts of murder, three counts of complicity to commit murder, one count each of first degree robbery and first degree burglary, and one count each of complicity and robbery and burglary. Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty. And it's always hard for me, Gibbs, to read out the charges. You know, it's strange because so many of them sound so similar. Yeah, exactly.

It's almost like they sound. sound like the same thing, but they're separate charges. Police wouldn't discuss details of the case after the indictment was made public, but they did say they received new information within the past few months. And that's obviously what must have broken this case wide open. The police tried several times in the months prior to interview Meg, but she avoided talking to them and refused to return their calls. when she did answer, she said she needed to talk to a lawyer first.

Meg had denied any involvement with the murder for years. And this kind of goes back to Bill getting upset about the polygraph. Okay. She's avoiding talking to the police. She doesn't return their calls. If she does happen to talk to them, she says, you know what? I need to talk to my lawyer. Now, you could look at that a couple of different ways.

Yeah. My first thought is, you know, if your parents were murdered and the police called you, you would think you'd want to talk to them because it's been a number of years since the murders took place. And all that time, you would think a person would be like, hey, what's going on? Where are you at? Why is this thing not solved yet? So I think that's a red flag. I think so. Whether or not, you know, someone wants to consult with their lawyer, people, I'm sure, have differing opinions on that about whether that's a red flag. Bill Meese was already in jail on a charge of conspiracy to commit murder. He was arrested in November 2002 after agreeing to kill a man for $2,000 in accepting a $500 down payment. During a sting operation, he was caught before the killing took place.

And these, you know, these things when they're caught on camera, or on audio, they're always fascinating, right? You have a law enforcement officer usually who is playing the role of a hit man. Yeah. And it's like, okay, you got to explain to me what you really want done. And hey, once you tell me to go, there's no turning back. They kind of all play out somewhat similarly. But you are going to kill a man for $2,000.

I get it. $2,000 is a, a chunk of change, but not in comparison to a person's life. You're willing to do that so easily, right? Yeah. I know your rate is much, much higher. I mean, you wouldn't even entertain the thought for $2,000. But it just, it always floors me that, you know, people are willing to do the most heinous

things for such a small amount of money. but also I'm going to need a $500 down payment. Yeah. Before I get started. That's a good way to pull him into this thing. Well, normally that's a part of it, right? There's got to be an exchange of money. Normally, I believe, before the arrests can be made,

Meg and Bill pleaded not guilty later that month. I think the other thing gives we have to talk about is how bad does it make it look when you've been charged with essentially, carrying out a hit for someone when you're already incarcerated for getting caught up in a sting operation about putting out a hit on someone. It doesn't make you look good. No, it doesn't make you look good at all. At a hearing on April 30th, a detective testified that Bill's divorce led to a break in the case. Detective Sergeant Dennis Benningfield said that he was following up on the case and October 2002 and learned Bill Meese and his wife, Regina, were divorced.

The divorce was finalized around 2000. Regina reported that Bill raped her on December 24, 1999, but the charge was later dismissed. Detective Bennington met Regina for a new interview. She told him that Bill and Meg admitted they killed the wellnesses. Regina also produced a small fireproof safe, allegedly, stolen from the house. Inside that safe was a single hair. Lab testing showed it was similar to that of Joe Wellman. Sounds like she's really talking a lot. Well, you know, and this is something that has come up before in many cases. And when your relationship is solid, okay, maybe your partner

is going to keep your secrets. They're going to look the other way. They're not going to snitch on you. But when that relationship goes bad, and it sounds like this one went really bad, I mean, she accused him of rape, then I think all bets are wrong. And if you're the one with the big secret, I think you've got to be a little worried. Oh, for sure. I think you also have to be worried if you're Regina because you know what this person is capable of. But let's not forget that Regina was part of the alibi, right?

the original alibi of them all playing cards together that night. Regina said that on the night of the murders, she, Bill, Meg, and Meg's then-boyfriend Randy Appleton stayed up late playing cards. Randy laughed around 1.30 a.m. Meg and Bill said they were going out for coffee and left together. Authorities knew that Meg purchased gas at a BP station at 228 a.m. On February 26, 1993, between 6.30 and 7 a.m., Regina was awakened by Bill and Meg returning. Bill had a small safe and later had a key made for it.

Two months later, Bill and Meg told her about killing three people and dumping the gun in bloody clothes. In a McDonald's dumpster, the gun used in the murders was never found. I hate to say it, but obviously they did something right with that. Nobody can find the weapon. Yeah, but you know, when you think about it, how hard is it really or how hard would it be to hide a 9mm gun? I mean, they're not that big, most of them. Yeah, it really shouldn't be that difficult, but it seems like these criminals aren't good.

Sometimes I just think they're not smart. Yeah. You know, but find an old well. put it in a body of water. Those things are hard to find. But I want to keep talking about Regina here because, you know, she's kind of laying it all out, right? For the authorities, to me,

it was also very strange that, okay, Meg's boyfriend goes home. And then her and Bill say they want to go out for coffee at like 1.30 in a morning. Yeah, that's bizarre. And then they don't return until 6.30. What are you thinking? if you're Regina. And then later on, you don't have to guess because they,

they tell her, right? We killed three people. So she has to make a decision at that point. I'm married to this guy. So I'm either going to keep his secret or I'm going to blow the whole thing up and tell the authorities. And we know which one she chose. And then ultimately, once the relationship fizzled, she decided to come forward. So she was trying to stick at the bill. Yeah, I think maybe that was part of it. I just wonder what it's like to, you know, carry around this type of secret for almost a decade that you know about this murder. I think for a lot of people that would eat at you.

I think it'd have to eat at you. Also, the fact that your husband is a murderer. Well, add that to it. You think you might think about that while you're laying in bed next to him on some night? more than you realize. In June 2003, Bill was on trial for the 2002 murder for hire plot. This guy's in all kinds of trouble. He's got multiple murder for hire things going on.

Georgia Rhodes testified that she met Bill on October 28th, 2002, outside her daughter's house, just a few doors down from Bill's home. She was crying because of her abusive boyfriend. Bill asked her what was wrong and offered to, quote, take care of the problem for her for $2,000. Okay. This, despite the fact that they had just met, he didn't know this woman at all and says, you know what, I'll take care of that guy for you for $2,000. Rhodes called state police detective Dennis Benningfield because a friend had given her his name.

And as we mentioned, Benningfield was working the triple murder case. And he recognized Bill Meese's name. Benningfield convinced Georgia to wear recording equipment during her next meeting with Bill. Did you wear a recording device? Could I or am I? Or do I on a routine basis? No. Yeah, I think I could for the right reasons, right, to catch some I do.

something, but I imagine it would be very nerve-wracking. You know, what if this person discovers me? They've already said they would kill somebody for $2,000. Are they going to, you know, bat an eye about taking care of me because they find out that I'm wearing a wire? Bill met Rhodes again on November 3rd. He accepted a $500 down payment for the murder and said, on a practical level, I need the money and you need a problem solved.

Okay, I don't know that that was an incorrect statement. I'm sure he needed the money. She probably did have a problem, but I don't think, you know, she was wanting to go to the level of having the person killed. And I don't know how many people think that way. And I'm always surprised, right, that like in this situation,

he doesn't know this lady. He essentially, to a stranger. offers up a murder-for-hire plot. Man, you are putting a lot of trust in someone that you don't know from Adam. A whole lot of trust. And obviously it was misplaced because she went, as she should have done, directly to the police. But should you be shocked that happened if you were them?

But they went to the police. Oh, you mean if you're the person that is offering to be the hit man? Yeah. Yeah, I don't know why you don't think about it. about it in the first place. I mean, you're so hard up for money that you're going to take a chance like that. Bill was arrested the following day. At trial, Bill testified that this was just taught that he picked up from police shows and crime novels. He wanted to scam Georgia roads and never intended to kill her boyfriend. Bill figured the woman would never go to the police

and say she was robbed by a man. She hired to kill her boyfriend. Well, I think, he's kind of on to something there. Yeah. I mean, most people don't go to the police when they're involved in the commission of a crime. I guess what he didn't think about is her going to police before. You know, this all started to go down. But it's not a bad defense if you think about it. You know, I was never going to kill someone. Now, I was going to scam her out of the money. Sure. So he, He's admitting to, you know, some form of illegality. Yeah. But it's a, it's a far cry from murder or, you know, conspiracy to commit murder.

Yeah, if anything, you got me on some financial crime. Yeah. And I'll be glad to admit to it. Bill's defense argued the charges should be dismissed because he was told he was killing a man named Danny Baker, who never existed. The real boyfriend's name was Robert Riley. And I don't know if that is as good of a defense. Just because they used a fake name, you still said you were going to kill this person.

True. Whether they existed or not, and you accepted a down payment on it. You like me saying, Rex West is going to do this. Or me saying I'm going to kill Rex Webb. Easy. Rex West is my buddy.

and your meal ticket. That's where you get all your disposable income from. Exactly. And there would be a lot of people at a lot of nursing homes around the area who were very, very upset if Rex went missing. They would be. Rex West and the Broncos. That's the other guys. They're known as the Broncos.

There's just two. Just two Broncos? Yeah. Chippendell. Yeah, I'm getting a real magic mic. vibe here. Yeah. No,

not really. Like a low budget, very, very low budget, magic mic. We do try to keep our cost down. On June 3rd,

2003, Bill was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder. The jury recommended a 12-year sentence. Okay.

It's not too stiff. No, actually. Seems kind of light, doesn't it? Yeah, that's what exactly always thinking, light.

Bill was set to go to trial on November 15, 2004. Earlier that fall, he wrote a letter to the Herald leader, saying the case against him was based on lies. However, on the day of his trial, Bill made a deal to avoid the death penalty, he admitted that he shot and killed Joe, Beth, and Dennis Wellnitz, and also pleaded guilty to robbery and burglary. He also agreed to testify against Meg at her upcoming.

truck. Ah, there you go. And that's huge. It is. Obviously for the prosecution. I think what this also shows you, and we see it time and time again, is what a big deal the death penalty is for some people and what they will do in order to avoid that. I mean, I'm already on record here with the local police sheriff and the state attorney's

office that I will turn over anything they need or want if for whatever reason one day you do something wrong. Pick me is what I said. Yeah. Not many people say that in advance of a crime being committed, but that's the links you're willing to go to. You know, when you have the MENSA capabilities as somebody like me does, you think ahead. Yeah, I think you're using this word MENSA in the wrong way.

very often. Minsa capabilities? I don't know if that's right or not. I guess only somebody who's really in MENSA would know that. What are my brothers or sisters? The prosecutor recommended a sentence of life without parole for at least 25 years and a total of 40 years for the other charges. So, okay, life without parole.

You're going to do at least 25 years. And you got 40 years for all these. these other charges. I mean, that's some serious time. Yeah, that's healthy right there. Yeah, it's very healthy. It's not the death penalty, but he's going to be in prison for a long time. But at the same time, prosecutors were happy with the deal because it gave them valuable

testimony against May that they didn't have before. And obviously needed. Yeah. Or they wouldn't have made the deal, right? It was something they needed to probably ensure the conviction. against her, or at least have, you know, the best chance possible, Bill wrote a statement to the herald leader that said, I did what I have to do and take responsibility for what I have done.

After pleading guilty, Bill gave a detailed recording statement about the murders that implicated May. And this is where things get very interesting, right? Once you kind of lock down the plea agreement, well, then you're free to say, whatever. Sure, yeah. It's not going to incriminate you any further because you're safe. Well, you're not safe. You're going to prison for a very long time. Yeah, but you know, I know what you mean. Yeah. But it's also time for you to hold up your part of the bargain. Yeah, which is you have to implicate May. So either you have the goods on her because she was really

involved or you're making some stuff up to get out of the death penalty. Yeah. One of the other, weeks later on December 28th, Bill's lawyers filed a motion to withdraw his guilty plea. Bill wanted his hearing and trial to take place before January 4th when Meg was scheduled for trial. In the filing, Bill argued he only pleaded guilty because of the ineffective representation of one of his attorneys. You hear that now and then. Yeah, normally on appeal, right? You hear that a lot on appeal. Bill alleged that one of his attorneys did not properly investigate his case or prepare for trial and that she withheld information from him, which denied him the right to participate in his defense.

He claimed he was forced into an involuntary plea before trial to preserve his rights. Bill wrote to the herald leader that he did not commit the crime, even though he admitted to it in court. he said there still exists nothing to this case. When the smoke clears and the mirrors are taken away, there still is no fire, only a lot of hot air. Unfortunately, some of it my own. I still maintain my innocence, but this is chess. It ain't checkers.

Okay, the man has a way with words. Quite a few of them don't make a ton of sense to me, but... But I get the whole chess checkers thing. I get that part. Yeah. But there's a lot of cliches here. The smoke clears. The mirrors are taken away.

But is it just me, Gibbs, or is this guy taking like a really big chance here? No, he's taking a big chance. Because what's going to stop them from putting the death penalty back on the table? You know, if he withdraws his guilty plea, the plea deal goes away and he has to go to trial. They're probably going to go after the death penalty. For sure. You don't want that. that this is your opportunity now.

But on January 4th, 2005, Meg, Wellnitz, Appleton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder, complicity to commit burglary, and complicity to commit robbery. In exchange, the prosecution recommended a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years. According to the prosecution, Meg discussed the inheritance. she would get if her parents were dead before the murders in a December 2004 statement. Meg told authorities that a few months before the murders, her friend's parents were going to Africa.

And it became a running joke among her friends about how much money that friend would get if her parents died on the trip. Seems like a strange running joke. Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. But does it seem likely this is where she also gets? got the idea, though. You know, how much would she benefit if her parents died? They could have got the ball rolling. Yeah, because we already talked about it, right? The family had sizable life insurance policies and she ended up with more than $300,000. She said she and Bill began

discussing the murders in November 1992. Bill talked about wanting to start a commune and the idea came up that the wellness farm would be a good place for it. In her statement, Meg indicated that the plan came from Bill's idea and her bitching and moaning about disagreements with her mother. She said it was really kind of a game at first. A game. I like games. But that doesn't seem like a game to me.

Does not. She claimed that she kept wavering. But Bill and his ex-wife pushed her to go through a thing. Regina Mead said in her own statement that she was not involved in the conspiracy. So there's a couple of things here, right? Does it shock you that, you know, Meg, even after pleading guilty, is trying to minimize her role. You know, we see that so often from defendants.

I mean, that's kind of like defendant 101, right? Yeah, I might have done this or that, but I didn't do this, this and this. I didn't do the bad stuff. Sure, deny, deny, deny. Or it was somebody else's idea. You know, I didn't want to do it. In early February 1993, Meg used a fake ID to buy a browning 9mm pistol that Bill identified as the one she should purchase. Bill later practiced shooting it at a firing range.

On February 24th, Meg, her boyfriend, Bill, and one other person, not. not named, traveled from Lexington to the Wellnitz home. It was Bill's first trip to Columbia. He met Meg's family and went through the house. Okay. So what most likely seemed to the family is just, you know, some college kids coming home. Really was more like a trial run slash, what, stake out of the house, you know, getting the layout. How are we going to do this?

Before the murders, Meg admitted she was. sleeping with Bill. So her mother disliked him as a result, but she hadn't met him. So before the murders, Meg took him to her parents home to show her he was not some evil character. Okay, so the mom wasn't real keen on Randy, right? But now Meg sleeping with Bill, she tells her mom that. So her mom doesn't like Bill either. Well, I don't think most moms out there are going to a lot like the guy that your daughter is cheating with. No, even if she doesn't like the one she's cheating on. That's true, right?

You're like, okay, well, I didn't like that, son of a bitch, but I don't like this one anymore. I just think it's, it's so strange that she's trying to show her parents that this bill guy's not an evil character all while they're planning the murder. Yeah. of them, which makes him the definition of an evil character. For sure. Early on February 26, Bill and Meg decided to carry out the murder plot and drove from Lexington

to Columbia in Meg's car. Bill either at Meg's direction or with her agreement, went into the house and killed the family. They lied to the police and then gave alibis for each other. after Meg received her insurance payout, Bill was promised to get to have his little dream commune there. And he was going to get some of the monies if there was money. Bill never established the commune because the family property had to be sold to pay the debts of the estate. Meg told the police that Bill was a gun enthusiast who claimed he was a Navy seal and CIA operative involved in a failed plot.

to kill Saddam Hussein. He's just tossing that out there. That sounds like some crazy shit that you would come in saying. My crazy shit's real. Well, yeah, you've said many times Navy SEAL, CIA operative, I could tell you, but I'd have to kill you. I don't think you've ever said you were directly involved in a plot to kill Saddam back in the day, but I wouldn't put it past you.

You never come out and say directly. Devulge. You can't divulge. One court record stated that. Bill received an other than honorable discharge from the Navy after testing positive for cocaine. Bill denied ever using cocaine, but admitted he had trouble with alcohol at times. Well, they frown on the cocaine use. As a lot of people do.

Yeah. Employers. You know, it's a little different than weed, right? Marijuana has become legal in many places. And still, I don't. know that employers can't test for it. I'm not sure what the legality is around that in every state, but cocaine for sure, not legal.

No. It's not going to go over well. Yeah, I'm going to just sit here and do a few lines while we tell this story in this podcast. That all right? You're good with that, you know? I don't know that it would hurt your performance in any way. You're actually. It might actually.

help. It might help. But you know why I know you would never do cocaine? Because it costs money. I'd be like, excuse me? How much is that? You mean it's not a dollar? On January 25th, Meg was formally sentenced to life without parole for at least 25 years. On February 2nd, a judge delayed ruling on bill's request to withdraw his plea in order to Mendel evaluation at the Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center. On May 31st, 2005, a judge granted Bill's request to void the plea and stand trial. Wow. Okay. I feel like he's really taking a chance here. I'm going to roll the dice. Bill testified that leading up to his November 2004 trial, he had an overwhelming conflict with one of his attorneys. He claimed she wouldn't allow him to access material, turned over by the police and

prosecutors and wouldn't call some witnesses he wanted for his defense. He tried to get her removed from the case but failed. He failed his only options were to risk being convicted and sentenced to death and then try to get that overturned or to plead guilty but asked to withdraw so he could get a new attorney. Sounds like a bad strategy. Yeah, I don't know how clearly this guy was thinking at any point in time. In a short interview after the hearing, Bill said,

he was not concerned by the prospect of facing the death penalty, saying as quoted by the herald leader, I'm very pleased with the outcome of the hearing, this is what I've been working for. So back to your point, Gibbs, he's more than willing to roll the dice, even if it means he could possibly get the death penalty. In a July 2006 hearing, Meg recanted important details of her testimony. She testified she had no knowledge of the murders until after they occurred. She noted that she was on

medication when she pleaded guilty although in court she claimed the medication did not affect her ability to admit guilt voluntarily and knowledgeable. She said what she needed to in order to get the plea deal, to

avoid the death penalty. What of conflicting things going on here. Well, hey, this is chess, not checkers. remember? It's true. So there are a lot of chess pieces being moved all around the board. Opening statements in Bill Meese's murder trial started on August 30th, 2006. Prosecutor Brian Wright told the jury that Bill spent months planning the murder. He and Meg started discussing the possibility of killing her parents in late 1992. Bill agreed to do it if the money was right. Meg estimated that the estate was worth about $1 million. And Bill indicated he'd be willing to do it

for a 10% cut. One of that $100,000, huh? So he wants $100,000. But we know later on he's going to offer to kill a man for $2,000. He's got a variable price range. Depending on what's going on in his life, maybe. Yeah. Megan, Bill, went shopping for a 9mm pistol and ammo at the store. And Meg used a fake name to buy the gun. Bill purchased federal hydroshock hollow point bullets in human silhouette targets and practiced shooting at a range. Bill called his February 24th visit to the Wellnitz Farm advance work so he could get familiar with the house and the family. And that's kind of what we talked about, right? It seemed as though whether you want to call it advance work or casing or whatever, it's a part in the lead up. Right. To planning the murders.

Bill drove to the home on February 25th and walked up to the door, but backed out at the last minute. He went back the following night and fired 17 shots inside the house. So that's kind of an interesting disclosure. You know, he went the night before, but chickened out. Yet he goes, back the next night and kills all these people. Must have found the, I don't want to even say courage. Yeah, I don't think that's the right word, but I know what you're getting at. It just seems like, you know, backing out was the correct idea, the correct course of action, and he should have just stuck with that.

But he didn't. The prosecution also disclosed that bill was the target of an undercover operation in which a state police detective worked with him at a lawn care company and heard him talk about the murders. Bill worked alongside Detective Catherine Fleece. During that time, he talked about Meg, who he said had her family wasted. He also talked about how federal hydroshock bullets were his favorite ammunition. There were two incidents where Bill dry fired a gun into the detective's face. Wow. Now, all of this occurred in 1994, but there was no physical evidence to link Bill to the crime until his ex-wife Regina came forward. So think about that, right? Just within a year after

the murders, they really, it seems, knew who did this. Also, it's pretty interesting that, you know, they put this woman undercover working next to Bill. And he's so comfortable. He's so comfortable. He's talking about the murders. He's talking about his favorite ammunition, which we know happened to be the type of ammunition used in the murders. Yeah, for whatever reason he really liked those hydroshocks. Well, they are very dangerous. Anytime you're talking about those type of kind of hollow point bullets,

which I believe is of what the hydro shocks are, the way they're designed, it's just to create maximum damage. You know, they enter, they expand. They're much different than like what we all think of as a regular bullet. They're going to make a bigger opening. And they just create havoc with inside the body, organs and all kinds of stuff, where, you know, a regular jacketed bullet could pass right through you.

It could miss vital organs. But the hollow points, they're not designed to do that. They are designed to create maximum damage. It's why they make a very good self-defense bullet, but they're very lethal. Meg Wellnitz Appleton testified for the prosecution and the defense at trial. She told the jury that the gun she purchased was actually for an unidentified friend of bills who could not buy a gun. She testified that she lied in her December 2004 statement,

where she acknowledged participation in the murder plot saying, I would have told you I was married to Hitler in that statement. Okay. So basically she's saying, I would have said whatever I had to say to escape the death penalty. Yeah. In the defense's opening statement, Bill's attorney Vincent Eustace told the jury that Bill lied to avoid the death penalty.

He called the prosecution's theory a house of cards. It's not a good thing to be, if it's true. A house of cards? Yeah. No, because a house of cards is not built on a solid foundation. Bill got on the stand and told the jury, his two confessions were fabricated. He talked about his conflict with his attorney and said he only confessed to get a new trial.

He testified that he and Meg were in Lexington, studying for an exam on the night of the murders and had nothing to do with the crime. Bill based his false confessions on information that police and prosecutors turned over to the defense and on details from crime novels. He said, I have a lot of experience making up false stories. I've lied a lot in my life. Kind of proud about that, it sounds like. Yeah. He's basically saying, hey, I'm good at this. But, you know, what is really getting to me here is that you're saying you had nothing to do with the murders.

But you were so worried about the death pill. you agreed to plead guilty. Why do that? Yeah, if you didn't do it, wouldn't you think it would be harder for the prosecution to prove that you did? He said the habit of lying was a defense mechanism.

He was bullied as a child. And when he moved to Lexington at age 14, he started making up stories to push people away. One of his lies was his claim that he was in the CIA and Navy Seals. He also talked about guns, and killing people, but his familiarity with guns was all book knowledge.

He noted that some details of his 2004 confessions were wrong. For example, his statement about where he was standing when he shot Joe Wellman's, did not match the evidence of bullet paths and shell casings at the scene. The prosecution noted that Bill modified his statement in 2004 and said he must have continued firing as Joe went down. The prosecution played Bill's 2004 confession and trial. In it, he described how he moved through the house and shot the family. He backtracked to shoot Dennis three more times because the first shots didn't kill him.

Sounds believable to me. Well, and as we talk about a lot, you would think it would be very damaging from the perspective of the jury. Right? When they hear the defendant in their own work. say how they shot and killed three people. That's going to be hard, you know, to get out of your mind. In closing arguments, the defense questioned why if Bill is a killer, he didn't kill Meg when she didn't pay him.

Eustas said, she's alive because he's not a killer. The physical evidence also didn't add up. Joe and Dennis had undigested food in their stomachs, which meant the murders didn't have. happened at the time the prosecution theorized. But earlier, when evidence showed Meg and Bill were still in Lexington. So this is all, you know, being put forth by the defense. I do want to go back for a minute, you know, as to why Bill wouldn't have killed Meg. If Bill is the killer and Meg is the catalyst for the killing, wouldn't Meg getting killed put a lot of people and

and probably especially him in the spotlight. In the wake of the murder of three of her family members, now all of a sudden she's murdered? Yeah, it would. Seems like a reason maybe not to kill her. The defense characterized Regina Me as a bitter ex-wife who lied to get revenge. However, the prosecution pointed out that Regina did not approach the police herself and argued Bill didn't kill May.

because if she was dead, he had no chance of getting the money, he did write her an extortion letter years after the murders. There's another reason, right, not to kill her. Once you kill her, you eliminate any chance of getting the money. Yeah, it's going to dry up on you. Where as long as she's still alive, maybe there is a chance you're going to get something out of her. Possibility.

On September 15, 2006, Bill Meese was found guilty of all charges against it. On September 18th, the jury voted for the death penalty. Roll the dice. Snake eyes. That's right. Attorneys presented testimony about Bill's childhood. During the penalty phase, his mother, Jan Meese, testified that she left Bill's father because he was violent.

Jan left Bill when he was less than a year old. She eventually signed papers for his grandmother to adopt him. Bill's grandmother died when he was 12. And his mother moved with him from. Florida to Lexington, but she assumed her sister's identity for 15 years. She kept Bill out of school for a time and discouraged him from talking to people. Years later, she was diagnosed with the mental illness. Jan testified that she has heard voices for most of her life, sometimes urging her to kill people. She believed Bill also heard voices, but he wouldn't admit it. Okay, that's some very,

intriguing information. Well, at the very least, you'd have to say his childhood was a little jacked up. Yeah. Doesn't excuse what he did, but yeah, he had some stuff going on. And it sounds like she had some things going on. Well, I think he had stuff going on because of her in the large part. On October 20, 2006, a judge formally sentenced Bill Meese to death. Bill read a five-page statement denying his guilt and claiming he was railroaded

by lies. He finished with a prayer and asked God to have mercy on the police, prosecutor, the court, and the witnesses against him. Think that's real or an act? There's no way to know for sure, but it's awful strange that you just sentenced me to death, but, you know, I'm going to ask God to have mercy on all these people who put me away. Yeah. The Kentucky Supreme Court rejected Bill's appeal in June 2011. On February 12, 2014, Meg Wellnitz-Appleton was found dead in her jail cell. Her death was investigated as a suicide. It's hard to do jail time. It is. I have been completely honest about it. I don't think I could make it in jail. Especially if you know, it's going to be a really long time. I don't think I could make it for 60 days. I think. I'd

you're going to say a night. I don't know if, yeah, I think I could make it for one night, but, uh, whew, I mean, but you're right. You know, when you go in knowing that at a bare minimum, it's 25 years. Gibbs 25 years is a long time. It is. And then there's no guarantee you're getting out in 25 years. You'll come up for parole, but how many people get out on their first chance at parole?

Very rare. And I just think there's a lot of people who just make the decision that they can't handle that type of time. As of 2025, Bill Meese is still on Kentucky's death row, despite his appeals. And we know, right, it does take a very long time to execute people. There are some states now who are not executing anyone and haven't for a very long time. Yeah. California's one. I can think of right out of the top of my head. head, Texas doesn't seem to have a problem with it. And other states don't either. But,

you know, it varies state by state. Yeah. But I think as we wrap this one up, there's a couple of things that jump out of me. One is this role of the dice, right, that we talked about on the part of Bill Meese. He had this plea agreement that, you know, it would have been life, but chance at parole in 25 years. And he chose, like you said, to roll the dice. He did. And it did not work out well for him at all. Because now he's sitting on death row.

Yeah, I'm guessing he wishes that he could say, wait, wait, wait. I know, I tried it. It didn't work out. So let's go back to that original deal. You know, I mean, come on. I mean, you can't blame me for trying. Well, maybe he should stick with checkers.

I don't think the man's a very good chess player. No. But here's another case, right, that revolves around. Greek. Meg is willing to kill or have her family kill in order to inherit money. Now, it's a large chunk of money. I get that. $300,000, though, versus three people's lives and not strangers, mind you, your family. Yeah, it's messed up. It is so messed up. And then you have another person who, says, you know what, I understand what you're thinking about doing. I'm in for X amount of dollars. Right. I will carry this out for you. I will kill your family. I'll do it. And in, you know,

in the one instance in 2002, I'll kill a guy for $2,000. How you could just go out and do some Ubering and make $2,000. You don't have to kill nobody. Yeah, not worry about being locked up for rest of your life. I just don't get it. I mean, I understand it from the standpoint of, you know, people want that easy money. Of course. The fast money. Some people don't want to have to work for it. So they're willing to steal. They're willing to rob. They're also willing to kill. But that's a, that's a tougher thing to understand. The killing for money. Greed is as they see, say the root of all evil. There you go. But that's it for our episode on Meg, Wellnitz, Appleton, and Bill Meets. We got a voicemail Gibbs. You want to check that out? Let's hear it. Hi, Mike and Gibby.

This is Veronica. I'm from Wisconsin. I just finished listening to your episode, your T-Cat episode about Melanie McGuire. And the movie title you're looking for is A Time to Kill. I also want to let you know that I love your podcast. I discovered around March, just a couple of months ago. and I'm all cut up with T-Kit, and I'm about up to 2021 with Unsolved, so I'm getting there. And I also want to let you know that a thing that I really love about your podcast is references because we're all about the same age. I was born in 1970s, so I'm right between you guys. I'm younger than Gibby, but older than Mike.

So when you give the references from the 70s and the 80s, I love it because I totally get them, and I work with a lot of young people who don't get my references. So when you do it, I'm like, yay, I get it. You know, because I'm darky. And so I have to admit that I am team givey, though I love you both. I completely love all of this gibberish. I know people will say gibbysms, but I like to call it gibberish. But that's with all the love in my heart.

And I just want to say keep doing what you're doing. You guys are amazing and keep your own time ticking. Oh, by the way, there might be an old commercial from the 70s. If you remember it, it went something like take a licking and keep on ticking. So name that product. Bye. Yeah, how you doing? I think that was Timex.

Take a licking and keep on ticking. I'm going to go with Timex. The watch. Yeah. Yeah. I believe so. Do you even have a Timex? I do have one.

Do you? Yeah. It's a University of Kentucky. Is it? Timex, yeah. That does definitely take a licking. And keep on ticking. Yeah.

So we appreciate the voicemail very much. We do. We had one thing in the mailbag this week, Gibbs. Andrea Papa George, our good friend. Yeah, Papa George. Always brings me a coffee at CrimeCon. Yes. Send us in some of those serial killer maps.

Well, that's cool. Which are really cool. So we appreciate that. I'm sure we'll see her soon. All right, buddy, that is it for another episode of true crime all the time. So for Mike and Gibby, stay safe and keep your own time ticking.