By Mrs. Eileen Hunter — about the author. Posted August 11, 2026.
Christopher Wiggins was the only one of the three jailhouse informants who claimed Tony Hunter confessed to him directly — and the only one who, years later, repeatedly told defense investigators that no confession ever happened. This is his evidence file.
He did not come forward
Unlike the other two informants, Wiggins never contacted investigators — they sought him out. Captain Harris testified that investigators approached Wiggins on August 2, 2001, after he had shared a two-man isolation cell with Mr. Hunter for about two months. Days earlier, on July 23, 2001, Wiggins had pled guilty to forgery and received ten years; with five prior felony convictions — including attempted robbery, manslaughter, simple robbery and simple burglary — he faced a life sentence if the State filed a multiple-offender bill. It never did. (R. 2134–2135; Declaration of Robert M. Bloom ¶ 17.)
“I ain’t testifying”
Called by the State at trial, Wiggins refused to be sworn: “I ain’t testifying. I ain’t testifying.” The court told him he had no Fifth Amendment right to refuse, admonished him — “Don’t act so stupid. You knew exactly where to go. You’ve been in the witness stand before” — and ordered him held. He testified the following day. On the stand, he said Mr. Hunter told him he kicked in a door, committed a robbery that “lead to three people being killed,” and killed the children because they had seen his face. He testified the weapons were “a .38 and a 9 millimeter.” The murder weapon in evidence was a .22. He admitted that after being taken out of court he asked the District Attorney’s Office for leniency — and testified he was promised nothing. (Trial transcript, R. 2086–2087, 2130–2139.)
What he said before — and after
| Date | What Wiggins said |
|---|---|
| 2002-02-10/11 | Tells a defense investigator that the only talk he heard came through the food doors, and that “Tony Hunter never discussed his business with me or his activities.” (Defense closing, trial transcript.) |
| 2004 | Testifies for the State: direct confession, .38 and 9 millimeter. |
| 2014-03-29 | Tells defense investigator Jack Pierce that Mr. Hunter never confessed to him; says he was promised a sentence reduction that was not honored; says he would testify to this at a hearing, but would not sign an affidavit for fear of perjury exposure. (Exhibit I-3 to the 2022 application.) |
| 2022-07 | Tells a defense investigator that in 2001 officers asked him to wear a wire to entrap Mr. Hunter; he refused; they then asked him to say he heard a confession, and he agreed — and that he “has carried guilt about lying in his testimony against Tony Hunter” ever since. (Recounted in the Declaration of Robert M. Bloom ¶ 17, filed with the 2022 application.) |
The recantations are reported statements to defense investigators, presented in court filings; Wiggins has not testified to them under oath, and no court has held a hearing on them. We report them with their sources, as the filings do.
The other half
The jury heard Wiggins’s record and his cross-examination, including his request for leniency, and convicted. The Second Circuit affirmed. Every application presenting the recantations has been denied without an evidentiary hearing; a supervisory writ application filed July 9, 2026 is pending. (Procedural history.)
Related: the three informants compared · Clarence Kennedy · Vaccara Comanche · Glen Dale Nelson · case timeline.