Wells finished her off by hitting her in the head with a hammer and throwing her body down a well, prosecutors said. Her body was found 10 months later. The prosecution's star witness was Keith Ledford, Wells' best friend, who said Wells confessed to killing the widow and showed him where he'd dumped the body. But the defense said Wells was at work at the time of the slaying and claimed three of McAbee's children conspired to kill her for the thousands of dollars she had stashed in her house. No physical evidence tied Wells to the crime scene.
Wells also faces charges of first-degree kidnapping and felony assault.
Photographs of the inside of Wells' trailer. The letter Wells wrote to McAbee's youngest son, James. In the 1998 letter, Wells denied he killed the woman and pointed blame at Ledford. A written statement Ledford gave police. Copies of statements given by three of Wells' relatives, who testified for the defense.