Wiseman indicted in 12-year-old stabbing death; Walker facing murder, firearm charges

Oct. 14—PRINCETON — A McDowell County man has been indicted for the 12-year-old stabbing death of his former sister-in-law, with whom he was having a relationship, according to court documents.

Michael Wiseman, 56, of Welch, is charged with the first-degree murder of Crystal Cantrell, 36, whose body was found Aug. 10, 2010, in the Bluestone River off Gardner Road in the Spanishburg area.

According to a criminal complaint filed by retired Corporal A.S. Reed, formerly with the Princeton detachment of the West Virginia State Police, Wiseman had a relationship with Cantrell and had been witnessed by numerous individuals stalking and harassing her.

"The victim had made statements to friends that she was breaking up with the accused on the date of the murder," Reed's complaint stated, and Wiseman and Cantrell were seen arguing along Gardner Road.

Witnesses stated they saw Cantrell attempting to walk away from Wiseman as he tried to "pull her back," according to the criminal complaint. They also stated that they saw Wiseman throw an unknown item over the guardrail, which was suspected to be the victim's keys.

"The victim's husband called the victim's phone this date and the accused answered her phone and stated, 'She is with me now,' and hung up the phone," the criminal complaint stated. "Her husband stated he could hear the victim in the background screaming for the accused to give her phone back."

Wiseman left the scene of the homicide and returned to McDowell County, according to the complaint. "The accused then fled the state to Ohio and Indiana. The accused also abandoned his Harley-Davidson motorcycle at their meeting point. The accused did not return to his full-time job never contacting his employer or fellow workers."

Cantrell's body was discovered several days later.

During a preliminary hearing, Reed was asked about Cantrell's cause of death. He said she had two gashes on her throat and a stab wound in her chest, and the cause of death was stabbing.

"The accused was later interviewed in Ohio where he admitted to being the last one to see the victim alive," according to Reed's complaint, and Wiseman admitted to fighting with Cantrell and smashing her cellphone.

"The accused denied killing the victim, stating he walked away almost to the I-77 interchange where he caught a ride with an unknown individual in an unknown make, color or style of vehicle," the complaint states.

Witnesses called during the preliminary hearing, including members of Cantrell's family, spoke about Wiseman being "very controlling," frequently stalking Cantrell and "wouldn't accept her breaking up with him," Reed said. Wiseman also called Cantrell "numerous times" until she died, and never called again afterward.

Reed said witnesses also told him how Wiseman would chase Cantrell down Route 52 on his motorcycle and get in front of her vehicle to slow her down. Witnesses stated that in one instance, he pulled her from her vehicle, "choked her and called her a bunch of names," and would throw her keys away to keep her from leaving.

In a previous interview, Reed said additional information has been gathered since the early days of the case.

"The original items have been resubmitted to the West Virginia State Police crime lab for retesting," he said, noting, "Testing procedures and DNA processing have improved over the years."

----In a separate and unrelated case, Steven A. Walker, 32, of Bluefield, was indicted by the grand jury for first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

Walker is charged with the Memorial Day murder of Tony Greene, 45, also of Bluefield.

Greene was shot once in the chest on the night of May 30 near the intersection of Pulaski Street and Peck Street in Bluefield, according to previous reports. Walker then left the scene.

Bluefield Police Department Patrolman R.L. Hamm was dispatched to the area to respond to a report of a male individual lying on the sidewalk with an apparent gunshot wound, according to the criminal complaint on the case.

Greene had "an apparent single gunshot wound with an entry wound to the left pectoral area and exit wound in the upper back. He was found lying on his back with his head facing east," according to the report. Thirteen 9-mm shell casings were found in the road in front of a Peck Street home.

While waiting for EMS and the fire department to arrive, Patrolman Hamm asked Greene who shot him, and he replied, "Steven," according to the criminal complaint.

In a previous interview, Bluefield Police Chief Dennis Dillow said that Walker had a prior encounter with Greene, who had tried to take his child from her yard and had threatened the mother's life.

— Contact Samantha Perry at sperry@bdtonline.com.

— Contact Samantha Perry at sperry@bdtonline.com.