In the quiet community of Pearcy, Arkansas, a horrific scene unfolded on November 12, 2009, forever marking a day of tragedy for the Gentry family. Edward Earl Gentry Jr., a 56-year-old male, was found dead, a victim of a brutal crime that claimed the lives of four of his family members. The initial discovery was made by firefighters who were responding to a blaze at Gentry Jr.'s mobile home. Inside the charred remains of the residence, they found the bodies of Edward Jr., his 52-year-old wife Pam, their 24-year-old son Jeremy, and Jeremy's 19-year-old girlfriend, Kristyn Warneke. It was soon determined that all four had been shot before the fire was intentionally set to conceal the crime. The devastation for the family was not yet complete, as authorities later found the body of 80-year-old Edward Gentry Sr. in a nearby home on the same property. He had been bound and shot twice in the head.
The investigation into the quintuple homicide quickly led law enforcement to three young men from the area: 23-year-old Samuel Conway, 23-year-old Jeremy Pickney, and 22-year-old Marvin Stringer. A crucial tip came from Conway's former girlfriend, who reported seeing him with items that had been stolen from the Gentry residence, including flat-screen televisions and custom wheel rims. This information was corroborated by a confidential informant who told police that Conway had tried to sell him the stolen goods, referring to the acquisition as a 'lick,' a slang term for a robbery. The informant also saw Conway in possession of two handguns that were later ballistically matched to the weapons used in the murders. Furthermore, the informant purchased a. 40-caliber pistol from Stringer, which was confirmed to have belonged to Edward Gentry Sr.
With this information, law enforcement tracked the three suspects to a motel in Hot Springs on November 19, 2009. A raid was conducted to apprehend the men. Samuel Conway and Jeremy Pickney were taken into custody without incident. However, Marvin Stringer opened fire on the officers, leading to a shootout in which he was fatally wounded. During the exchange of gunfire, a Garland County Sheriff's Deputy was injured but survived.
The subsequent legal proceedings brought a measure of justice for the Gentry family. In June 2011, Samuel Conway was convicted on multiple counts of capital murder and burglary and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. However, his conviction was later overturned by the Arkansas Supreme Court due to a judicial error during the trial. In June 2016, Conway opted to plead guilty to five counts of first-degree murder and received a 40-year prison sentence. Jeremy Pickney reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in October 2011. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit aggravated residential burglary and theft by receiving, resulting in a 50-year prison sentence for his role in the heinous crime that took the lives of five innocent people.
