Last Wednesday, Michael Frazier resigned from the Oak Ridger. He is living with his parents in Kingsport, a town in the northeast corner of the state, assisting his attorney in the preparation of his defense.
"He had been a good, loyal employee," said Oak Ridger Publisher Peter Esser. "Obviously, we didn't want to lose him." The paper, Esser said, has "left the door open" to the possibility of Frazier doing some work, on a special assignment basis.
Lisa Whedbee was released from the hospital Monday, her attorney said, after a stay of 11 days.
Not being able to see her children, Dillard said, "is absolutely devastating. She hopes she will be allowed to have contact as part of the divorce proceedings," he said.
A court hearing has been scheduled in the case for July 7, when prosecutors will try to show there is enough evidence to bring the pair to trial, which could be as far off as a year and a half. If they are convicted, Frazier and Whedbee could face sentences of life in prison.
Hutchison said his office is investigating motives for the attack. Lately, speculation in the press has centered on the amount of life insurance carried by Rob Whedbee, reported to be as much as $1.5 million--although it is hardly surprising, as Frazier's attorney points out, that a man in the insurance business is well insured.
Reams of questions remain unanswered.
Lisa Whedbee's statement to investigators apparently provides some clues to the crime that shocked Oak Ridge.
The rest of the story, however, is still Michael Frazier's secret.
