{"id":3399,"date":"2026-05-25T14:03:55","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T14:03:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/mum-of-three-lured-to-death-by-man-who-offered-her-job-more-than-100-miles-away\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T14:03:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T14:03:55","slug":"mum-of-three-lured-to-death-by-man-who-offered-her-job-more-than-100-miles-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/mum-of-three-lured-to-death-by-man-who-offered-her-job-more-than-100-miles-away\/","title":{"rendered":"Mum-of-three &#8216;lured to death by man who offered her job more than 100 miles away&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_1c1e1b\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">Mother-of-three Angel Whitaker, 37, moved more than 100 miles to take up a managerial position with Donald Pennington, 59, who she was romantically involved with<\/h2>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37202908\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Angel Whitaker, 37, right, and two of her children\" loading=\"eager\" sizes=\"(max-width: 508px) 508px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37202908.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_Screenshot-2026-05-25-at-104921JPG.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37202908.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s508\/0_Screenshot-2026-05-25-at-104921JPG.jpg 508w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37202908.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615\/0_Screenshot-2026-05-25-at-104921JPG.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37202908.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_Screenshot-2026-05-25-at-104921JPG.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Angel Whitaker, 37, right, left home in January to start a new job over 100 miles away but by April her family had lost contact with her\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Angel Whitaker, 37, right, left home in January to start a new job over 100 miles away but by April her family had lost contact with her<cite aria-label=\"Image: GoFundMe\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: GoFundMe)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">A mum-of-three was allegedly lured to her <a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/crime\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">death <\/a>by a man who convinced her to uproot her life by offering her a job more than 100 miles away from her home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Angel Whitaker, 37, left her home in Bristol, <a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/news\/us-news\/\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">Virginia<\/a>, in January this year for a new job in Bluefield, West Virginia, some 100 miles away, after her ex-colleague Donald Pennington, 59, allegedly offered an assistant manager role at a car parts company. Angel previously met Pennington at an auto shop in Bristol back in 2018 and began a relationship with him before ultimately moving in with him after relocating to West Virginia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">But Angel&#8217;s family <a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/missing-persons\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">lost contact <\/a>with her in April this year and her sister Angela reported her as missing on May 4. Investigators alleged the relationship between Angel and Pennington had broken down after she moved in with him.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-37202396\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37202396\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.76\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A photo of Angel and her children \" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37202396.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Screenshot-2026-05-25-at-104929JPG.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37202396.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_Screenshot-2026-05-25-at-104929JPG.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37202396.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_Screenshot-2026-05-25-at-104929JPG.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37202396.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Screenshot-2026-05-25-at-104929JPG.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Angel Whitaker, pictured with her children, has been missing since April \" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Angel Whitaker, pictured with her children, has been missing since April <cite aria-label=\"Image: GoFundMe\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: GoFundMe)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p><span data-testid=\"readmore\" class=\"ReadMore_readmore-prefix__xS44r __className_9d2dcd\">READ MORE<!-- -->: <span class=\"ReadMore_readmore-link__eF9pN\"><a target=\"_blank\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" data-tmdatatrack=\"read-more\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37201095\" data-tmdatatrack-source=\"editorial\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/news\/uk-news\/woman-arrested-after-murder-investigation-37201095\" tabindex=\"0\">Woman arrested after murder investigation into death of man found with &#8216;serious injuries&#8217;<\/a><\/span><\/span><span data-testid=\"readmore\" class=\"ReadMore_readmore-prefix__xS44r __className_9d2dcd\">READ MORE<!-- -->: <span class=\"ReadMore_readmore-link__eF9pN\"><a target=\"_blank\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" data-tmdatatrack=\"read-more\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37200833\" data-tmdatatrack-source=\"editorial\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/news\/world-news\/body-found-near-vilaine-river-37200833\" tabindex=\"0\">Mystery as boy, 12, found strangled to death on banks of Vilaine river<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Angela told police her sister had moved into a hotel in Princeton a few weeks before she vanished. She claimed she did so to put some distance between her and Pennington amid the strains they were facing. <!-- -->Angel was last seen on April 17 after she reportedly showed up to work while intoxicated. Pennington is alleged to have told police he drove her home but that she was gone when he returned from work later the same day.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">More than a week after Angel was reported missing, Pennington&#8217;s former partner spoke with police and told them: &#8220;You&#8217;re not going to find her, he murdered her.&#8221; She also told police the two had argued constantly in the weeks before she vanished. <!-- -->Investigators claimed Pennington had called his ex to tell her he left work on April 17 in order to break up an argument between Angel and a family member. He later claimed Angel had made threats to kill him, reports WVNSTV.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-37202393\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37202393\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A photo of Donald Pennington\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37202393.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Screenshot-2026-05-25-at-104950JPG.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37202393.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_Screenshot-2026-05-25-at-104950JPG.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37202393.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_Screenshot-2026-05-25-at-104950JPG.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37202393.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Screenshot-2026-05-25-at-104950JPG.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Donald Pennington has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and concealment of a body\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Donald Pennington has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and concealment of a body<cite aria-label=\"Image: Bland County Sheriff's Office\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Bland County Sheriff&#8217;s Office)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Pennington then allegedly met his ex at a shopping centre that day and claimed Angel threatened to kill him and that was when he &#8220;snapped.&#8221; His ex-partner claimed Pennington picked Angel up by her throat and choked her until she stopped breathing and allegedly showed the ex a photo of Angel&#8217;s body taken with the victim&#8217;s phone.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Investigators alleged Pennington disposed of Angel&#8217;s phones via soaking them in bleach and going on to destroy their sim cards. The ex-girlfriend told police she later met Pennington at a Lowe&#8217;s in Bluefield where he bought multiple bags of concrete before the two drove around 18 miles to Bastian, where he allegedly buried Angel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">She took investigators to the area, where Virginia State Police cadaver <a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/teamdogs\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">dogs<\/a> were sent out to search, but ultimately failed to find Angel&#8217;s remains. The ex also handed over her phone to investigators, admitting she had deleted messages from Pennington about the alleged murder.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Pennington was arrested on May 13 and is now being held at West Virginia Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority. <!-- -->He has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and concealment of a body. Angel leaves behind her children Braiden, 18, Daizy, 17 and Christopher, 12.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Braiden has<a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/help-us-lay-angel-whitaker-to-rest\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\"> set up a GoFundMe<\/a> to help the family cover the cost of his mum&#8217;s funeral. In a heartbreaking post he wrote: &#8220;Our mother, Angel Whitaker, had been missing for a month until we recently received heartbreaking news about her case&#8230; We are devastated and struggling to process this loss.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;My siblings and I are all very young and we simply cannot afford the funeral expenses on our own. We are setting up this GoFundMe to help with funeral arrangements and to give our mother the proper goodbye she deserves, surrounded by her loved ones.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/news\/us-news\/angel-whitaker-virginia-death-crime-37201761\" target=\"_blank\">Source link<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mother-of-three Angel Whitaker, 37, moved more than 100 miles to take up a managerial position<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3400,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0_Screenshot-2026-05-25-at-104921JPG.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3399"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3399\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}