In the quiet community of Eubank, Kentucky, the life of 79-year-old Jack E. Roerink, Sr. came to a violent and tragic end in January 2010. A retired General Motors welder, Roerink was found deceased in his home, the victim of a brutal stabbing. The initial discovery of his body pointed to a violent crime, launching an investigation that would unravel a series of cold case murders.
The investigation into Roerink's death quickly led authorities to Michael Andrew Abner, a man who lived less
than a mile from the victim. Evidence left at the scene, including a vehicle Abner had driven to Roerink's home, tied him to the crime. Authorities later located Roerink's stolen truck. After his apprehension, Abner, who was found hiding under a mobile home, confessed to the murder of Jack Roerink. He revealed that he had broken into Roerink's residence during the night by shattering a window, stabbed him multiple times with a kitchen knife, and then stole several items, including a rifle and his truck. The motive for this heinous act was determined to be robbery.
During his confession for the murder of Roerink, Michael Abner shocked investigators by admitting his culpability in two other unsolved murders from the 1980s. He confessed to strangling 80-year-old Mamie Mercer in her home in October 1983 and 87-year-old Mae Stringer in her residence in December 1988, setting a fire to cover up the latter crime. Abner's confessions brought a long-awaited resolution to these cold cases. In April 2010, Michael Andrew Abner pleaded guilty to the three murders and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
