American Monster is examining the despicable crimes of Terry Todd Wedding, who butchered four members of his family in a crime that shocked the close-knit rural community of Depoy in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.
On June 26, 1999, Wedding asked his father, Manville Todd Wedding, to accompany him to a nearby cemetery to visit his grandmother’s grave. On the way, Wedding used a baseball bat to beat his 59-year-old father to death and dumped his body on an abandoned railroad bed.
The twisted killer then lured his mother, 56-year-old Beverly Wedding, to the same desolate spot where he shot her.
The following morning, Wedding attacked his cousin, Greenville police officer Joey Vincent, and his pregnant wife, Amy Vincent. Joey was Wedding’s cousin, and the couple lived next door to the Weddings.
Joey and Amy Vincent were getting into the car to take their 1-year-old daughter to the hospital when Wedding shot 29-year-old Joey with a high-powered rifle from about 100 yards.
The killer then rushed at Amy and struggled with her to wrestle the baby from her grasp. He shot 22-year-old Amy in the process and took the baby into his parents’ home.
The police arrested Terry Todd Wedding at his parents’ home
The police soon responded to the sounds of gunfire. They found the baby unharmed in the Wedding home and arrested the killer.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelThe reason for Wedding’s killing spree was revenge. Earlier that week, Wedding’s parents had committed him to the Western State Hospital, where he was confined on a 72-hour emergency protection warrant. Wedding suffered from bipolar disorder.
The warrant had been signed by Manville and Beverly Wedding, and Joey Vincent.
Terry Todd Wedding pleaded guilty to killing parents and Joey and Amy Vincent
In January 2001, Wedding pleaded guilty to all four murders. The prosecution had initially sought the death penalty, but it was eventually agreed that he would serve life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Joey Vincent’s mother, Jean Vincent, agreed with the sentence, stating, “Nothing is going to bring them back, no matter what they do.”
Joey and Amy’s daughter went to live with Jean Vincent, her grandmother.
Residents of the nearby town of Greenville, where Vincent had been a police officer, were horrified by the killings. One resident, Sandra Galyen, told the press, “I think everyone’s just in shock. You hear something like that about such good people, and you just don’t believe it. You know deep down it’s the truth, but your mind just won’t let you believe it.”
American Monster airs Sundays at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery.
Heart breaking. So glad their daughter was spared although he took her future memories with her parents.