Jenkins Jones, a 77-year-old male of unspecified ethnicity, was tragically killed on April 8, 1978, in Granville, Ohio. His death was part of a series of murders committed by Gary and Thaddeus Lewingdon, who were later dubbed the ".22 Caliber Killers" due to their use of .22 caliber pistols in their crimes. The Lewingdon brothers targeted victims for robbery, shooting them multiple times.
The investigation into Jenkins Jones' death was part of a larger effort to capture the .22 Caliber
Killers, who terrorized central Ohio from December 1977 to December 1978. The brothers were eventually apprehended on December 9, 1978, after a credit card stolen from one of their victims was used to make a purchase. Gary Lewingdon confessed to the murders, implicating his brother Thaddeus in all but the final killing.
Both Gary and Thaddeus Lewingdon were sentenced to life imprisonment for their crimes. Thaddeus Lewingdon died of lung cancer in 1989, while Gary Lewingdon passed away from heart failure in 2004.
The case of Jenkins Jones and the other victims of the .22 Caliber Killers remains a dark chapter in the history of Granville, Ohio, and serves as a reminder of the devastating impact of such violent crimes on communities.
