Former AEW Producer B.J. Whitmer was arrested on June 4, 2023, by the Boone County Sheriff’s Department in Boone County, Kentucky. He faced charges of first-degree strangulation and second-degree burglary. Jaime Hawn, the alleged victim, shared her account with Fox 19 Cincinnati, stating, “I was literally fighting for my life” during the incident.
This week, a GoFundMe account was established by Hawn, which included allegations directed at Chris Peck, a member of AEW’s legal counsel. Hawn wrote:
“With a heavy and humbled heart, this plea of help comes from a now homeless mother of three, as a result of careless, egotistical and inhumane actions of AEW (All Elite Wrestling) and Chris Peck, a member of AEW’s inside legal counsel. I will do my best to explain the pure catastrophic destruction Chris Peck’s behavior has had on my life since September 2023. I pray that anyone reading this, will do so with compassion and an open mind, as this journey that started out positively has been anything but fair or kind. I pray for your empathy and grace as I explain my family’s desperate needs to heal from and survive this horrific experience.
Funding received will be used for the following:
1. Obtaining immediate shelter
2. Covering transportation costs to get my children to and from school, and scheduled doctor appointments
3. Living costs for food and winter items
4. Groundwork for rebuilding a happy, healthy, and loving home as we lost all of our belongings that were in storage
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My name is Jaime Hawn. I am a mother of three young children and an IT professional. My plea for help and everything I am fighting for is for them. I became homeless this fall due to the uphill battles I have faced after being physically assaulted by a monster who re-entered my life disguised as someone I thought I knew and trusted. The mental and physical strain through the criminal and now civil court process has been crippling since it began.
After losing my home, I resorted to staying in my car as I sought any and all available shelter resources. Unfortunately, local resources are scarce in my area and I have yet to successfully secure shelter. Survival has been challenging for quite some time. Things took a turn for the worse two weeks ago when the engine in my car blew. Without financial means to have it towed or repaired, it was left on the side of the highway and removed by the county a couple days later. My car was not just means for transportation; though not ideal, it was a safe warm place that allowed my children and I to be together as much as possible.
To provide some background, you may be familiar with the June 2023 criminal case against BJ Whitmer, former ROH wrestler and Talent Coach / Producer for AEW, for First Degree Strangulation and Second Degree Burglary. What people do not know is the direct impact that Chris Peck single handedly had on the outcome of the criminal case against my abuser, his sentencing, and my ability to properly recover financially, mentally, and physically. The trauma and hell of such a cruel and sinister experience is unspeakable. It is an evil that no person can prepare themselves for. I was brutally assaulted, and then robbed of any chance of justice when Chris Peck breached the terms of the very NDA he forced me to sign at one of my most desperate moments. Without being subpoenaed, or having any legal obligation whatsoever, and despite the date / time stamped documentation of my every interaction with AEW, Chris Peck wrongfully provided an inaccurate description of my intentions and false context of my engagement with AEW (Megha Parekh), dating back to June 2023. Peck blatantly lied to the Defense attorney and the Prosecution team. AEW has been made aware of Peck’s actions, the impact his actions had on the outcome of my case, and the devastating effect it has had on my life since March 2024. AEW has had ample opportunity and time to address and take responsibility for Peck’s actions, yet they have done nothing, putting me in the most vulnerable position imaginable. My intentions were never to jeopardize or harm AEW; my initial outreach to AEW was to inform them that BJ had been arrested and was in jail. My first outreach to AEW was to Megha Parekh; I had known from BJ she had expertise in mental health and crisis management, and BJ mentioned she had helped him at times.
From the beginning, I made it clear to Megha reaching out to AEW was my last resort. Local law enforcement hadn’t responded to prior events of abuse. I had nowhere else to turn, and so I emailed Megha on June 10, 2023. When Megha was my primary contact I told her, and she seemed to understand, that I simply wanted policy change and a committed plan to address domestic violence in the wrestling industry in effort to prevent future abuse. Not only was I failed by AEW after the glimmer of hope they provided after my initial outreach and throughout the summer of 2023, I was failed by a broken lazy legal system. And I am being failed by a billion dollar company who knows of their errors and has watched a mother of three lose everything.
Aside from losing our home, car, and belongings, I may lose my children in response to a CPS investigation due to being homeless with no available resources for shelter.
My children and I need someone to care about what has happened and what is right, with a personal interest to get involved and show that there is awareness of these situations and that NONE of it is ok. My entire nervous system has been stuck in fight or flight mode for too long and I need help so that I do not lose the most meaningful pieces of my existence. It is very difficult to ask for help, but I have hit rock bottom in this fight to simply survive and we cannot survive in this current state of desperation.
By seeking financial help I feel that it is important that you know some of the key points of my story. I pray that this provides relief to my family for an opportunity to heal and rebuild, but also insight to a much bigger problem that needs to be exposed.
Something I learned while saturated in the public facing industry of wrestling, as a then significant other to a former wrestler (then Talent Coach / Producer) is that wrestling is undeniably a world of its own. And unlike any other professional sport, has an increasingly widespread fan base; one could argue, the most loyal within the sporting entertainment industry. When wrestling becomes a part of your life, you realize the phenomenon of dedicated followers that once amazed you with their electric energy, are often the same people who are quick to cast assumptions and cruelty in even the most private situations without context or fact checking. Let me be clear. I am a human being and this is my life. This is not some storyline or work, so please understand, this is not the place for trolling or hateful comments. My goal is not to appease or win over wrestling fans. My goal is to bring light to an issue to prevent others from being manipulated by a billion dollar company at their most vulnerable state. I hope to seek the compassion, support, and humanity of a community closest to the realities of what I, and so many others, have experienced with hope that you see the value in your generosity and how it will go far beyond my urgent hardship.
Overview:
June 2023
Attacked by BJ Whitmer on June 4, 2023 after he broke into my home, waited for me to return, and strangled me after I refused to delete messages from him on my phone
Abuser (Former wrestler, then Talent Coach / Producer) arrested for First Degree Strangulation and Second Degree Burglary. The officer who arrested him is the only person in law enforcement who really seemed to care about my situation and I am grateful to him to this day.
EPO filed, granted by judge with no contest by Defendant, criminal charges filed.
Contacted AEW’s then Chief Legal Officer, Megha Parekh (Date/Time stamped calls, emails, and text messages). Informed Megha of arrest, background of domestic violence abuse, and illegal drug use throughout his AEW employment on Sunday, June 11, 2023. Provided adequate and supplementary evidence of all accusations and statements. Megha listened and asked me to send over any information I had to support what I was saying. We spoke for about an hour. I told her I had been hesitant to reach out, but reaching out to AEW was my last plea that BJ be held accountable in some way for his behavior.
Megha swiftly took action after reviewing the information I provided overnight, and AEW terminated BJ’s employment the morning of his arraignment. He had not told anyone at AEW he had been arrested and jailed since June 4.
June 2023 – September 2023
Based off of evidence and findings, Megha extended / offered the following support options:
Domestic Violence Trauma therapy resources
Home security system for my, and my children’s, safety after abuser was released on bail
Security detail to EPO court hearing where abuser was present to ensure I was not alone
Detailed / Itemized financial support for specialized therapy and basic living expenses that could not be met due to severe medical condition(s) following attack
Emotional support for PTSD, anxiety, depression, and fear that I was experiencing
Professional guidance and mentorship for job interviewing practice. My confidence had been shattered, and I wanted to rebuild my confidence so I could seek employment.
Discussed partnering with AEW to strategically create and raise awareness of Domestic Violence, as well as target policy changes to prevent people from going through similar situations and to show how companies can support victims of domestic violence.
September 2023 – October 2023
In late September, I received an email from Chris Peck stating that he was responding to my last email to Megha and that she would no longer be involved. Peck stated that he would be my direct contact going forward and that he would give me a call after reviewing the notes provided to him. I received a call from Peck the following day. He sounded scattered and began the conversation by stating he was completely unaware of my situation and that he did not have any insight or record of anything previously discussed with Megha. He asked that I start from the beginning and explain what happened. Generally, a natural and reasonable question when a transition of support occurs. There is nothing natural or reasonable about that general question when you are asking a domestic violence victim to relive and explain the trauma they barely survived. It is even more unreasonable considering all files (emails, text messages, call notes) were forwarded to Peck by Megha upon her shift away from AEW, as she explained when we connected briefly in October. In October, she apologized the transition had not been more smooth and explained that she had communicated with Peck, and was surprised to hear how our conversations over the summer of 2023 were being characterized. Peck was not compassionate, and showed no empathy during that or the following exchanges. He said that in order for him to follow up on the conversations previously discussed with Megha, I would need to forward him all evidence of the documented abuse I had experienced over the prior two years. Another cold and invasive request given the degree of abuse and the amount that was documented. And again, all of which had already been provided to Peck by Megha.
Peck made it seem like I was looking to take advantage of the situation, as opposed to asking for help.
When speaking about an additional financial support payment to help with rent, Peck changed the tone of engagement entirely and asked what is needed to make “this” go away as a final amount for us to go our separate ways. I was completely blindsided by his comments and approach given my prior experiences with Megha. Until that moment, I did not feel that “this” was a me against AEW thing. Rather, I felt it was a supportive partnership/resource, and a relationship that had progressed with a goal to create and drive positive change in a much needed way. Peck made it clear that none of that was going to happen.
My next conversation with Peck included outside legal counsel as representation for AEW. Aside from the shift in tone, I was flat out bullied by the Latham attorney with accusations that I was attempting to threaten AEW with intentions for financial gain. I was dumbfounded and offended by Latham’s comments and made it clear that I would never attend another call with that attorney.
Soon after, I received an email from Peck stating that I would need to sign an agreement in order to receive the financial support payment. I was entirely confused and had no idea how things went from one end of the spectrum to the other quickly.
While reviewing the NDA Peck provided, before signing, I reached out to Peck to verify that he was not in contact with Whitmer’s defense attorney. Peck stated that Whitmer’s attorney requested an itemized list of any form of financial assistance provided to me by AEW. I confirmed that this information was not subpoenaed or provided to Prosecution for transparency and fair review. I specifically requested that Peck inform me and Prosecution with any information provided to Whitmer’s defense. I provided contact information for the entire Prosecution team and also requested for the Prosecution to review the emails between Megha and myself which provided full context and outlined needs / purpose for funds, as well as, itemized allocation of funds. There was no attempt by Prosecution or Defense at any point to verify information provided by Peck or contact Megha Parekh to fact check with the only person able to do so.
The NDA specifically stated confidentiality for all parties, forbidding the share of any details of engagement between AEW and myself. NDA states, unless otherwise court ordered or subpoenaed, neither party is to release details of the engagement between AEW and myself, and that any shared information provided by either party without such court orders would be a breach of contract.
After the agreement was fully executed, Peck engaged with Whitmer’s Defense attorney again stating that my intentions for my engagement with AEW was purely for financial gain. Once again, Defense did not fact check or verify before forwarding Peck’s statements to Prosecution.
Megha reached out to the prosecution and defense in March 2024 at my request to clarify the nature of our conversations in the summer of 2023; neither replied to her.
I, from the beginning, was not looking for anything but empathy and someone to help me out of the most challenging situation I’ve ever been in. Megha lifted me up; Chris Peck painted me as a hysterical woman. The initial crime was painful enough; Peck made all my worst fears as a victim come true.
Please consider providing some support. I am strong, and I will get back on my feet. But I could use some help and the kindness of strangers to help me get through this. Thank you for reading this.
