The Cullman County Sheriff’s Office announced during a joint press conference with District Attorney Champ Crocker on Nov. 1, that Randall Hogan, 66, had been arrested and charged with the murder of Jeffery Glenn Wilhite, who was reported missing from the West Point area on April 3, 2020.

Court documents obtained by The Times have revealed new information surrounding Hogan’s arrest.

According to court records, Hogan has also been accused of discharging a firearm into an unoccupied 1997 Ford Ranger and placing Jeffery Dye “in fear of immediate serious physical injury” by brandishing a firearm on April 2, 2020, the day before Wilhite was reported missing.

The complaint for this incident was filed on March 4, 2021, by CCSO Captain Phillip Harris, who also serves as the lead investigator in Wilhite’s disappearance. CCSO director of communications Lieutenant Chad Whaley, was unable to find an incident report or 911 call placed at the time of the April 2, 2020, incident due to being “locked out” of the case file.

Hogan has argued that he is unable to receive a fair trial in the 2021 case due to all four Cullman County Judge’s having individually recused themselves from hearings, or transferring the case.

On Nov. 1, 2023, Hogan retained Johnny Berry and Brandon Little as representation in both the 2021 case as well as the most recent murder case. Messages left for Berry and Little at their office were not returned by press time.

A jury trial for these charges is currently docketed for Dec. 11, 2023.

The arrest, as well as Wilhite’s disappearance, was mentioned by Hogan’s ex-wife in April 2021 as part of her petition for protection from abuse submitted in Morgan County. The Cullman Times does not name victims of domestic or other abuse.

“Randall is a dangerous man. Currently he is the primary suspect in the disappearance of one his employees [Wilhite]. On March 21st, he was arrested for menacing, menacing assault and shooting into an [unoccupied] dwelling,” Hogan’s ex-wife’s written statement said.

According to her statement, Hogan was identified as the primary suspect in Wilhite’s disappearance by Captain Harris, who at the time held the rank of lieutenant.

“That afternoon I contacted the CCSO and spoke with Lt. Hamilton [corrected in the document to Harris]. I informed him of what had happened. He took my complaint over the phone. He also informed me that Randall Hogan was the prime suspect in the disappearance of one of his employees. I informed him that I suspected that he was, but had not been sure until now.”

Whaley told The Times on Thursday, Nov. 2 that he was not familiar with the exchange, but said it was not typical for an investigator to divulge the identity of a suspect in an ongoing investigation to anyone, much less an individual who has had a close relationship to the suspect.

“We are very cautious about what we release to anyone, just because it may effect the investigation one way or another. Typically speaking, that would not be relayed to anyone much less someone connected to a potential suspect,” Whaley said.

Hogan’s ex-wife also accused him of leaving a string of threatening voicemail messages on both her personal cell phone and with her employer at the time, as well as threatening to kill her, her attorney and the judge who presided over their divorce hearings.

After hearing the case, Morgan County courts issued a Protection from Abuse order, which was upheld by the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals. In March 2023, Hogan filed a slander lawsuit against his ex-wife stating her accusations that he was a “murderer” and “mentally ill” were knowingly untrue and damaged his business relationships as well as his good standing in his community.

A jury is currently scheduled to hear the slander suit in Morgan County on Feb. 12, 2024.

During Wednesday’s press conference, Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry declined to offer specifics on the evidence which led to Hogan’s arrest other than to say Wilhite’s body had not yet been recovered.

“Because this case is so unique, we have not yet recovered Mr. Wilhite,” Gentry said.

While murder convictions without an identified body are rare, they are not unheard of. As recently as April 2022, Derrill Ennis was convicted for murder in Auburn, Ala., 16 years after the disappearance Lori Slesinski, despite a body never having been recovered.

However, Alabama law requires a minimum of five years with no contact from an individual before they are to be presumed dead without a court ruling and a mandatory two-week public notice.

After searching probate records held in the Cullman County Courthouse and statewide court databases, The Times has been unable to locate any record of death or a petition to have Wilhite declared as deceased.

In an email sent to The Times Thursday, Nov. 2, Crocker declined to comment on the rareness of these circumstances or the challenges they present while prosecuting the case, due to the Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct.