DATE: Friday, August 1, 1997                TAG: 9708010723

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B6   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JON FRANK, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   44 lines

JURY CONVICTS MAN OF KILLING TWO, RECOMMENDS 138-YEAR SENTENCE

A jury recommended a virtual life sentence for a 43-year-old man Thursday after convicting him of first-degree murder for fatally shooting two men and seriously wounding a third outside a residence that served illegal liquor.

Clyde L. Caffee of the 400 block of Rudder Road in Virginia Beach will be sentenced by Judge Alan E. Rosenblatt in September. The jury recommended that Caffee serve 138 years in prison.

Caffee was convicted of fatally shooting Willie Montrel Wiggins, 22, of the 1400 block of Old Oak Arch and Derrick Wiggins, 17, of the 3500 block of Terrazzo Trail on July 6, 1996, in the parking lot of a residence in the 1400 block of Virginia Beach Blvd. The two men, who were cousins, were pronounced dead at the scene.

The jury also convicted Caffee of three weapons violations and of malicious wounding for shooting Willie Wiggins' brother, Gregory Wiggins, 26, of the 1400 block of Old Oak Arch. Despite serious wounds, Gregory Wiggins survived.

According to testimony during the four-day trial, Caffee and the Wigginses were involved in a protracted dispute that began at a Virginia Beach nightclub on June 16. It ended with the fatal shootings three weeks later at the Virginia Beach Boulevard nip joint.

On June 16, according to testimony, Caffee fought with Greg Wiggins at the Looney Tunes nightclub, which was located on Laskin Road. That club is now out of business.

The fight expanded into a bar brawl before order was restored, according to witnesses.

Early in the morning of July 6 Caffee went to the parking lot of a residence at 1436 Virginia Beach Blvd. He began talking about taking revenge against the Wigginses, who were inside the residence, witnesses said.

Witnesses said all three Wigginses came out of the residence and stood apart from Caffee for several minutes. When Derrick Wiggins approached Caffee, the two men had a brief confrontation before Caffee pulled out his gun and shot Wiggins in the chest.

As Greg and Willie Wiggins attempted to run away, Caffee shot both in the back, witnesses testified.

Caffee was arrested later that morning outside his residence, which was a short distance from the nip joint. KEYWORDS: CONVICTION MURDER SHOOTING

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