Meg Wellnitz-Appleton and Bill Meece

·1 hr 10 min·5 clips

Employees found Joe shot in the den, Beth upstairs, and Dennis crawling when killed—all in their pajamas.

Hosts Mike Ferguson and Mike Gibson of True Crime All The Time detail the 1993 murders of veterinarian Joseph Wellnitz, his wife Beth, and their 20-year-old son Dennis in Columbia, Kentucky. The episode traces the decade-long investigation that ultimately implicated the couple's daughter, Meg Wellnitz-Appleton, and her friend Bill Meece. Joe Wellnitz was a Bronze Star recipient who ran a veterinary clinic with his wife from their farm property, and the family was considered pillars of their community. Employees discovered the victims on February 26, 1993, with Joe shot in a den and Beth and Dennis killed in their bedrooms, all apparently taken by surprise with a 9mm handgun. Initial suspects included a couple in a rent dispute with the Wellnitzes and Joe's estranged adopted son, Eric, who stood to inherit $250,000. Investigators focused on Meg's then-boyfriend, Randy Appleton, and Bill Meece after learning Meg had tension with her mother over the relationship. A break came nearly ten years later when Bill's ex-wife, Regina, provided a small safe stolen from the home and stated Bill and Meg had confessed the murders to her. Regina's statement revealed Meg and Bill left for "coffee" around 1:30 a.m. on the murder night and returned around 6:30 a.m., with Meg having purchased gas at 2:28 a.m. Bill was already jailed in 2002 for conspiring to kill a man for $2,000 in a police sting, which detectives connected to the Wellnitz case. Bill initially claimed his murder-for-hire talk was a scam inspired by crime shows, but he later pleaded guilty to the Wellnitz murders to avoid the death penalty. In his plea deal, Bill agreed to testify that Meg solicited the killings, discussing her inheritance and using a fake ID to buy the murder weapon. Meg ultimately pleaded guilty, stating the plan stemmed from Bill's idea and her "bitching and moaning" about her mother, framing it initially as a "game." The hosts note the peculiarity of a "running joke" among Meg's friends about a peer inheriting money if her parents died, which may have planted the idea. Bill's attempt to withdraw his guilty plea, alleging ineffective counsel, and his poetic claim of innocence add a layer of legal drama to the resolution. The tone is conversational and analytical, with the hosts frequently interjecting personal reactions and hypotheticals about the evidence and motives. Listeners who enjoy detailed reconstructions of cold cases broken by familial testimony and legal maneuvering will find this episode compelling. Those seeking fast-paced action or definitive answers about the murder weapon's location may find the procedural details slow.

As heard by us

A marriage breakdown and a careful timeline turn this case into slow-burn true crime.

This episode builds its case around a marriage breakdown, an old card-game alibi, a late-night gas stop, and Regina's later interview, where her account shifts the shape of what happened.

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Why you'd press play

Press play if you want a breakup, an alibi, and a case that starts to buckle.

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