Man accused of murdering stepdaughter pleads guilty to drug possession in prison

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — A man accused of murdering his stepdaughter and hiding her body behind an abandoned home in 2019 recently pleaded guilty on drug charges.

Court documents show that Wesley Hadsell pleaded guilty to being a prisoner in possession of a schedule III drug on November 15. He was nolle prosequi on distributing a schedule III drug charge.

In March 2019, Wesley Hadsell was charged with distributing a schedule III drug and being a prisoner in possession of a schedule III drug after he allegedly gave one of his fellow inmates a piece of a suboxone strip, court documents state. 

Suboxone is a medication often prescribed to people battling opioid addiction. Schedule III drugs are abused less than schedule I and schedule II drugs. Abuse of a schedule III drug can lead to “moderate or low physical dependence or high psychological dependence,” according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. 

The inmate who Hadsell allegedly gave the suboxone to told jail deputies about the drug and gave a written statement. The deputies searched the cell block and found six other pieces of suboxone inside of a sock Hadsell was wearing, court documents state. 

Hadsell is charged with the murder of his stepdaughter Anjelica “A.J.” Hadsell. The 18-year-old went missing from her Norfolk home in 2015. Investigators used the GPS from Hadsell’s work van to find her body more than a month later in Southampton County, court documents state. 

The medical examiner determined she died from homicidal violence and acute heroin poisoning. 

His jury trial for the AJ Hadsell murder case is set for January 19, 2022.