Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 31, 1993 TAG: 9308310226
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARK MORRISON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BEDFORD LENGTH: Medium
"She said, `If he was here, I would kill that son-of-a-bitch all over again,' " said Gary Winters, who worked at the Botetourt County horse farm where Whitt also was employed.
He testified that Whitt told him she wanted to use the money from Thompson's insurance policy to buy some land, a house and horses for her children. She also discussed investing in a paving company and buying a bed-and-breakfast inn.
Whitt, 45, is accused of killing Thompson, by hitting him with his pickup truck, to collect on his $100,000 accidental death policy. She was never allowed to collect the insurance, however.
Whitt says Thompson's death was an accident.
In cross-examination, defense lawyer Harry Garrett tried to discredit Winters by asking about his relationship with Whitt's daughters and whether he was seeking revenge against Whitt for getting him fired.
Winters, who is 20 years younger than Whitt, said he dated two of her daughters and that Whitt was responsible for his break-up from one of them.
He also said he had a confrontation with the owner of the horse farm, over his relationship with Whitt, that ended with his being fired.
He denied vowing to get back at Whitt for causing him to lose his job or for breaking up his relationship with her daughter.
In other testimony Monday, the fourth day of Whitt's first-degree murder trial in Bedford County Circuit Court, Roy Thompson's wife, Patsy Thompson, read from a birthday card given to her by Whitt in September 1990. The card expressed Whitt's joy at their newfound friendship and thanked God for their closeness. The card was signed by Whitt and her children.
"We all love you more than we can say," Thompson read from the card.
A month later in Florida, Thompson's 26-year marriage to her husband ended when he became romantically involved with Whitt.
Patsy Thompson testified that she and her husband had met Whitt that summer when their children started seeing each other.
She said she and her husband went to meet Whitt at her home in Craig County. In turn, Whitt started visiting them at their home in Appomattox.
Roy and Patsy Thompson traveled to Florida by motorcyle in October with Whitt and her daughter, JoAnne. They went there to see the Thompsons' son, Jody, graduate from Navy boot camp.
When Thompson learned that her husband and Whitt were involved, Thompson testified, Whitt verbally and physically abused her. She flew home early.
"I came back with bruises on my left arm from her," Thompson said.
Whitt was convicted of assault and battery in April in Roanoke County for beating up the estranged wife of her current boyfriend, Michael Stanback, last fall.
Thompson was not pressed for details about the abuse or other details of the Florida trip by prosecutor Jim Updike or Garrett.
Nor was she asked about the status of her marriage before the Florida trip. A witness testified last week that Roy Thompson had told him the marriage was a mockery.
But Garrett said he may call her back to the witness stand when he presents his side of the case.
Other testimony Monday centered around Whitt's story of what happened when she hit Roy Thompson with his own pickup truck along an isolated road near Goode in July 1991.
She has said Thompson's death was an accident, that he was depressed, possibly suicidal, and had jumped off an embankment and into the path of the pickup.
But several witnesses who had been at the accident scene testified they had not seen any places along the embankment where the brush had been disturbed.
Whitt recounted her story in a taped interview with a state trooper conducted the day of Thompson's death. The 20-minute tape was played for the jury Monday.
Much of it included emotional outbursts and sobbing by Whitt.
At one point, she was asked if she deliberately killed Thompson.
"Oh Lord, God no. Lord no. God no. Lord no," she replied in tears.
Memo: ***CORRECTION***