Jena Donell Houchin Covey, a 19-year-old white female from Mesquite, Texas, was tragically murdered on October 17, 1971. She and her husband, Forrest Covey, age 24, were abducted late at night from a grocery store in Mesquite where Jena worked. Their bodies were discovered several days later in an abandoned barn near Quinlan, Texas. The couple had been kidnapped and killed in what would later be linked to a series of violent crimes committed by a transient family known for their cross-country
spree of robberies and murders.
The perpetrators were members of the McCrary family, a group that included Sherman McCrary, his son-in-law Carl Taylor, and Sherman’s teenage son, Danny McCrary. According to testimony and investigative reports, the Coveys were taken by the McCrarys and driven to a remote location. Forrest Covey was reportedly killed first while Jena was forced to witness the act. She was then murdered shortly afterward. The brutality of the crime deeply affected the Covey family and the Mesquite community.
In the aftermath, law enforcement launched a multi-state investigation that eventually led to the arrest of several McCrary family members. Danny McCrary, a 19-year-old male, was charged with the murder of Jena Covey. His trial began in 1973 in Greenville, Texas, where prosecutors presented evidence including a statement he allegedly gave to Mesquite detectives. Danny’s father, Sherman McCrary, and Carl Taylor were also implicated in the murders and faced charges in other states for similar crimes. The McCrary family’s criminal activities spanned from Texas to the West Coast, and their spree included multiple murders, often targeting young women working late-night shifts.
The case became part of a broader investigation into what was later dubbed the “Donut Shop Murders,” a reference to one of the McCrary family’s other crimes involving the murder of a donut shop employee. The killings shocked communities across several states and highlighted the dangers posed by transient criminal groups operating under the radar. Jena Covey’s death remains one of the most harrowing examples of the McCrary family’s violent legacy.
