In the quiet cold of a January winter in Scottsville, Kentucky, the life of 38-year-old Wendell Omer Jackson Jr., a male, came to a violent and tragic end. His body was discovered in the garage of his Hade Bell Road home on January 7, 2017, days after he was fatally shot. The grim discovery by a friend and Jackson's stepfather would unravel a story of jealousy and betrayal that lingered in the community for years before an arrest was made.
For more than two years, the investigation into
Jackson's death continued, with few public leads. The turning point came in April 2019, when a man named Steven Miller, facing his own legal troubles, decided to unburden his conscience. Miller, the son-in-law of a local man named Jackie Mutter, approached law enforcement with a story that implicated his own family in the long-unsolved murder.
Miller's testimony painted a dark picture of the night Jackson was killed. He recounted how his estranged wife, Jamie Miller, brought him a bag containing a pair of cowboy boots and a t-shirt, instructing him to burn them because they were from the scene of the shooting. Later that evening, Miller alleged he saw his 65-year-old father-in-law, Jackie Mutter, who appeared agitated and had a gunshot wound to his left arm. According to Miller, Mutter confessed to the killing, stating he had 'took care of Wendell.' The motive, as it would later be suggested, was a romantic entanglement involving a woman who had been involved with both Mutter and Jackson.
An autopsy would later confirm that Wendell Omer Jackson Jr. died from multiple gunshot wounds. The medical examiner determined that the fatal shot entered his back, striking his lungs and aorta. He also suffered gunshot wounds to his leg and his hand, the latter of which was described as a possible defensive wound. A handgun was found under his foot at the scene. Based on the crucial information provided by Steven Miller, Jackie Mutter was arrested and charged with the murder of Wendell Omer Jackson Jr., finally bringing a suspect to justice in a case that had haunted Allen County.
