In the quiet, rural landscape of Osage County, near Sand Springs, Oklahoma, a grim discovery was made on a Sunday night in late February of 2015, shattering the peace of the community. Inside a house engulfed in flames in the 9600 block of Pond Drive, firefighters uncovered the body of 58-year-old Steven Willey. It was immediately apparent that the fire was not the cause of his death; Mr.
Willey, a male, had been shot multiple times in the head, transforming a house fire investigation into a homicide case. The shocking nature of the crime sent ripples of concern through the area as authorities began their search for the person responsible for this violent act.
The investigation into Steven Willey's death moved swiftly as Osage County Sheriff's deputies began to piece together the events leading up to the fire. Their efforts quickly led them to a person of interest who was known to the victim. The inquiry revealed that Willey and a man named Jimmy Allen Moser were acquaintances. According to the owner of the home where Willey's body was found, Moser had been at the residence earlier, and at one point, a gun had fallen from his pocket. This detail provided a crucial link for investigators, pointing them in the direction of the 28-year-old as the primary suspect in the brutal slaying and subsequent arson.
Within a short period, Jimmy Allen Moser was taken into custody by the Osage County Sheriff's Office, bringing a swift, albeit somber, resolution to the initial phase of the investigation. Moser was formally charged with the murder of Steven Willey, a crime compounded by the charge of first-degree arson for the fire that was set in an apparent attempt to conceal the homicide. Additionally, as a convicted felon, he faced a charge for the possession of a firearm, the very instrument that was used to end Mr. Willey’s life. The arrest brought a sense of relief to the community, though it could not erase the tragedy of a life cut short in such a violent manner.
