Accused Cop Killer Steven Wiggins 'Weird,' Ex-Cellmate Says

CHARLOTTE, TN -- Accused cop killer Steven Wiggins is "weird" and talked constantly about girlfriends, a man who shared a cell with him told WKRN.

Charles Montes was in the Dickson County Jail last spring, held on a probation violation. During that time, he shared a cell with Steven Wiggins, the man accused of murdering Dickson County Sherrif's Sgt. Daniel Baker.

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"He was weird," Montes told the station. "He didn't say much but you know, all he kept talking about was girlfriends, girlfriends, girlfriends."

After serving a little more than three weeks, Montes was released and didn't give Wiggins much thought until the 48-hour manhunt after Baker's death.

"Oh my God, it freaked me out cause I was telling my wife, 'I did time with him, you know.' It kind of scared me because I would not think anyone would ever do that to a cop," Montes told WKRN.

According to an indictment handed down by a Special Grand Jury, Wiggins shot Baker after a traffic stop. The indictment says Baker's body camera captured extensive footage of the deadly encounter.

Wiggins reportedly gave Baker a false social security number and Baker ran the car Wiggins and his alleged accomplice Erika Castro-Miles were in. The car came back stolen, so Baker ordered the pair out of the car. Wiggins can be heard saying the driver's side door doesn't open, so Baker tells him to climb out of the passenger side, according to the indictment.

It was then that Wiggins turned and fired five shots from a .45-caliber handgun at the deputy. Baker fell as he tried to escape and Wiggins fired at him five more times, according to the complaint. He then stole Baker's service revolver and put his body in the car, driving it more than four miles, where he tried to light the car on fire with Baker's body in the backseat, according to the indictment.

He's also alleged to have answered a call on Baker's cell phone, pretending to be the slain sergeant, and responded to a call on the patrol car's radio.

Once Baker's body was discovered and his body camera recovered, Wiggins became the subject of a massive manhunt. He was arrested after a 48-hour search.

In an interview with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation after his arrest, Wiggins claimed he tried to perform CPR on Baker, but was then confronted with the body camera footage, according to an interview transcript. Wiggins then said he thought Baker was dead but "didn't want the man to suffer," so he shot him in the head several times to make sure.

"Like a dog, you know, man, it's suffering. You just make sure," he allegedly told the TBI agent.

Wiggins made his first court appearance in Dickson County Friday, charged with 12 crimes, including first-degree murder. He pleaded not guilty and is being held in the Davidson County Jail.

In a press conference following the court appearance, the Middle District of Tennessee's U.S. Attorney Don Cochran said that he plans to personally prosecute Wiggins at the federal level and will seek the death penalty. Ray Crouch, Dickson County's district attorney, already announced he intends to seek the death penalty on state charges.

Image via TBI