In the early morning hours of November 12, 2009, a horrific scene was discovered in the small community of Pearcy, Arkansas, when firefighters responded to a call about a mobile home engulfed in flames. Inside the charred remains of the home, authorities would find the bodies of 19-year-old Kristyn Warneke, a white female, her 24-year-old boyfriend Jeremy Gentry, and his parents, 56-year-old Edward Gentry Jr. and 52-year-old Pam Gentry.
A short time later, the body of Jeremy's 80-year-old grandfather, Edward Gentry Sr., was found in another building on the same property. The investigation quickly revealed this was not a tragic accident but a brutal mass murder.
Autopsies confirmed that all five victims had been shot to death before the fire was intentionally set to destroy evidence. Kristyn Warneke had sustained two gunshot wounds to her head. The motive for the shocking crime appeared to be a robbery, as investigators determined that several items, including flat-screen televisions, guns, and expensive custom rims and tires, had been stolen from the Gentry residences. The killers had also attempted to cover their tracks by burning one of the victim's trucks, which was found abandoned miles away from the murder scene.
The investigation rapidly pointed to three suspects: Samuel Conway, Jeremy Pickney, and Marvin Stringer. A tip from Conway's former girlfriend, who saw him with the stolen goods, and information from a police informant who attempted to buy the stolen items, led authorities to the men. Just a week after the murders, on November 19, police tracked the suspects to a hotel in nearby Hot Springs. As law enforcement moved in to make arrests, a shootout erupted. Marvin Stringer was killed in the exchange of gunfire, and a deputy was wounded. Samuel Conway and Jeremy Pickney were taken into custody.
In the subsequent legal proceedings, Jeremy Pickney reached a plea agreement in 2011, pleading guilty to lesser charges and receiving a 50-year prison sentence. Samuel Conway was convicted of capital murder in June 2011 and sentenced to life without parole. However, his conviction was later overturned by the Arkansas Supreme Court due to a judicial error during jury selection. In June 2016, to avoid a retrial on capital murder charges, Conway pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
