TAZEWELL, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A grieving Tazewell County family can rest at least marginally easier following the issuing of a life sentence for the man convicted of murdering and subsequently concealing the body of Kaitlyn Ann Toler.
According to Tazewell County Commonwealth Attorney Chris Plaster, Michael Wayne Pennington Jr – 46 years old of Bluefield, VA – has been sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Richard Patterson to a lifelong prison sentence for the 2017 murder of Kaitlyn Ann Toler, and to an addition 115 years in prison for the concealment of a dead body as well as multiple property crimes.
Pennington was convicted for these crimes by a Tazewell County Jury in May of 2023, a mere eight days following the presenting of evidence by the prosecution.
Evidence was presented at the sentencing hearing by Plaster by way of the Presentence Investigation Report, as well as four written Victim IMpact Statements which had been prepared by members of Toler’s family and were introduced during the hearing.
During the sentencing hearing, these four family members, including Toler’s mother Mary, took to the witness stand to recite their Victim Impact Statements into evidence.
“Kaitlyn was my only child, my best friend and the love of my life,” said Mary Toler from the witness stand. “I got to spend 21 years with Kaitlyn, but her son got one year. He will only ever know his mommy through a picture book. He has no memory of how much she loved him and was trying her best to give him the best life she could.
This tragedy has controlled my life for a very long time and the pain will last forever. I feel [Pennington] should spend the rest of his life in prison for this horrible crime and what he has done to me and my family.”
The defense presented evidence based on the testimony of the defendant, who denied having committed the crimes in question despite having been convicted for said crimes prior to the hearing. Plaster rebuked the testimony of the defendant, stating in closing arguments,
“[T]here was absolutely no need to harm a single hair on the head of Kaitlyn Toler. No need to take from her. No need to steal. No need to perpetrate the level of violence that Michael Pennington did against a helpless 21 year old girl. But that speaks perfectly to his selfishness, selfishness that he has demonstrated over and over again, only caring about himself. That speaks to the evil in Michael Pennington’s heart.”
Circuit Court Judge Richard Patterson asserted the overwhelming nature of the evidence against Pennington, and declared that “there was absolutely no doubt in the Court’s mind that the right man was sitting in the seat of the defendant.”
Judge Patterson then issued then maximum sentence of life in prison for the charge of First Degree Murder, as well as the maximum available sentence for all additional charges for which Pennington had been convicted.
“I sincerely hope that the Toler family can now find some kind of closure, some level of relief,” Plaster said following the hearing. “While I know that no sentence, no matter how high, could ever bring Kaitlyn back or provide complete healing to this family, I hope that they can now move forward, move beyond this tragedy that Michael Pennington has perpetrated against them.”
Detective Sergeant Chris McCroskey of the Bluefield, Virginia Police Department led the investigation into these crimes with assistance from the Virginia State Police. The case was prosecuted by Tazewell County Commonwealth Attorney Chris Plaster with assistance by Chief Deputy Brandon Goins and Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Melanie Menefee.