A 16 year old boy is shot and killed while working as a gas station attendant On the cold evening of December 15, 1961, 16-year-old John Raymond Sutton was working his shift as an attendant at Clark's Esso Service Station on Route 104 in the town of Ontario, New York. It was a Friday, and the young man was alone at the gas station when a robbery turned violent. The station owner discovered John unconscious in a back room shortly after 7:00 p.m. He had been brutally attacked, struck on the head and shot once.
John Raymond Sutton, a male, was rushed to a hospital in Rochester, where he later succumbed to his injuries. The cash register had been emptied, and two pay envelopes were also missing.
The investigation into the homicide of the Ontario teenager has spanned decades, yet the case remains unsolved. Law enforcement officials have continued to seek answers and have periodically asked for the public's help in bringing closure to the Sutton family. Over the years, the New York State Police have highlighted the case, hoping that new leads will emerge. No arrests have ever been made in connection with the murder, and the assailant or assailants have never been brought to justice.
Investigators have long been interested in identifying a man who was seen at the gas station that fateful night and is considered a person of interest. Eyewitnesses described a white male, approximately 35 to 40 years old, standing between 5'10' and 6' tall and weighing around 175 pounds. He had a thin face and was dressed in a white shirt, dark trousers, a dark fedora, and black gloves. The man was reportedly driving a dark-colored, late-1950s model vehicle, possibly a Plymouth, with distinctive fin-style rear fenders. The car was believed to have a dark green license plate, possibly from Ohio, with white numerals. Despite the detailed description, the identity of this individual and his involvement in the crime remains a mystery. The case of John Raymond Sutton is a poignant example of a cold case that continues to await a resolution, with law enforcement still hopeful that someone with information will come forward.
