‘I’M Guilty,’ Defendant Tells Family But Wickenhagen’s Attorney Entered Plea Of Innocent

Moments after pleading not guilty, accused child-killer Jason Wickenhagen contradicted himself in a big way.

As he was led from a Spokane County courtroom Thursday by sheriff’s deputies, Wickenhagen leaned toward relatives of the 9-year-old victim, Rachel Carver.

“I’m guilty,” he said. “So don’t worry, I’ll hang for it.”

That’s what some family members hope.

“I want him to get what’s coming to him,” said a tearful Bobbie Metlow, Rachel’s grandmother.

“I want him to suffer like he made my granddaughter suffer.”

Wickenhagen’s outburst came following his unusual arraignment on an aggravated murder charge.

The 23-year-old car wash attendant refused to speak to Superior Court Judge Richard Schroeder, forcing defense attorney Jim Sheehan to enter the plea.

“Jason has chosen not to make any comments,” Sheehan told the judge.

Sheehan told reporters later that Wickenhagen is under tremendous stress and not thinking clearly.

“This kid is so distraught and so upset and so depressed, it’s incredibly difficult,” he said.

“We feel horrible for the victim, and we should, but remember that when the background of Jason Wickenhagen comes out - it’s horrible.”

Wickenhagen had an “incredibly abusive” childhood, Sheehan said, refusing to elaborate.

But Rachel’s great-aunt, Diana Pollin, said a tragic upbringing does not justify a brutal killing.

“That’s just a cop-out,” she said.

If convicted of bludgeoning Rachel to death, Wickenhagen faces a minimum of life imprisonment without parole. Prosecutors have not decided whether to seek the death penalty.

An Oct. 2 trial is scheduled, but Sheehan said it probably will be delayed until sometime next year to allow additional preparation time.

Authorities believe Wickenhagen, the girl’s uncle and guardian, choked her in their North Ash home and then crushed her head with a hammer to finish the job.

After initially denying responsibility for Rachel’s death and failing a lie-detector test, Wickenhagen twice told detectives he killed her and dumped the body in Riverside State Park, according to court documents.

When Rachel failed to show up for the last day of school on June 14, hundreds of residents joined police in a citywide search. The third-grader’s body was found the next day in a cardboard box hidden in bushes along Aubrey L. White Parkway.

The box, police quickly discovered, was used by Jason and Rene Wickenhagen when they moved into their North Side home. The couple, now in the midst of a divorce, had cared for their niece since last fall.

Wickenhagen is being held without bail in the Spokane County Jail.

He was sentenced earlier this year to nearly six years in prison for an unrelated gunpoint rape attempt. At the time of Rachel’s murder, he was out of jail awaiting sentencing.

, DataTimes