911 call: Johnston County dad tells dispatcher he killed his 4 kids

The Johnston County Sheriff's Office released Wellington Dickens III's call to 911. Dickens told a 911 dispatcher he killed his four children.
Posted 10/29/2025, 7:44:15 PM Updated 10/29/2025, 8:00:06 PM

OK so what's going on I'm I was I I

killed my children

It's it's a lot to explain but in a nutshell

it's all my fault

I'm not even gonna

It's my fault

It's bad

I didn't like hurt him like on some like when

I say just kill like I didn't like use knives

or nothing to cut nobody or shoot nobody and then

I just started out as me overdisciplining

That's it and leaving them out to eat leave the

stuff out to eat a lot of stuff

OK and so how did you do it You

Sir Yes ma'am

OK how did you do it I did

I beat on them sometimes

Uh they didn't wanna eat

I didn't force to eat

I told them that it was a punishment not to

eat

I I did a bunch of different little things that

thought I was trying to it's a lot of things

and

I'm trying to Just do the right thing because

Uh last time I tried to call a lawyer earlier

but I could have made call a lot more lawyers

I just did one

I should have just started calling all of them and

uh

Just trying to like trying to basically turn I was

basically trying to turn myself in without it being extra

but like I said if y'all wanna be wanna do

extra that's fine

I didn't know your procedures

And I'm not trying to tell you what not to

do uh

How old were the children Mhm

Sir Yes ma'am

How old are the children 10 well the oldest is

uh my stepson

He's uh

Is it uh 18

OK and the other one

The other one is 10

Yes that's my oldest son

Then I have a 9 year old daughter

That And uh I got a 5 year old

Do And I have a son here now on my

bed and uh I'm not even gonna try to make

it look

Well I want to bring this up

OK and so who is there with you now It

OK

Sure

Yes ma'am

Who is there with you now Just me and my

son

OK

And do you have any weapons on you No weapons

on me

I do have some knives here but not on me

Like like I said if you want me to I'll

come outside

It's in my underwear

I don't know what y'all need me to be

I don't I'm willing to do whatever you need me

to do

I never had this in my life you know just

me right So drinking or doing any drugs

I did smoke and I had like a sip of

um champagne

good

Mhm

OK

OK and sir what is you said your name was

Wellington correct Yes ma'am

OK

And what made you want to do this It's really

not it wasn't up to me like I had God

just influenced me

Like that's it

It wasn't me because I got nervous and I didn't

do it when I was supposed to and I was

being a child and I just was letting trying to

let my children you know what I'm saying when that

was me I was supposed to make those decisions and

it just spiraled you know it just got worse and

worse and worse

Just it

And I just can't take it no more

I never did this before and this stuff is crazy

I got my son

I just feel guilty guilty as that

OK there's a deputy outside OK They outside right now

Yes we have a deputy outside

OK

OK sir go speak with the deputy