6pm 2/9/12: Change of Venue Request
11pm 1/30/12: Lester Pleads Guilty in Another Case
6pm 1/30/12: Guilty Plea in Unrelated Case
6pm 9/16/11: Grand Jury to Hear Threat Case
6pm 9/9/11: Threat Suspect Remains Jailed
6pm 8/24/11: Trial Set for Sniper Suspect
11pm Monday 8/9/11: Sniper Witness Arrested
6pm Friday 8/5/11: Death Penalty Debated
UPDATE: Family Reacts to Indictment
6pm Thursday 8/4/11: Sniper Suspect Indicted
5pm Thursday 8/4/11: Indicted on Three Murders
Kanawha County Prosecutor Mark Plants on Lester
6pm 6/3/11: Lester Denied Bond
6pm 4/25/11: Grand Jury to Review Suspect
11pm 4/8/11: Link Between Sissonville Site and Shootings
11pm 4/7/11: Crime Scene Being Cleared
6 pm 4/7/11: Crime Scene Getting Cleared
11pm 4/6/11: Prosecution Getting Prepared
6pm 4/6/11: Digging Stopped, but Could Resume
6pm Friday: Victim's Family Reacts
6pm Friday: Investigators Discuss Case
6pm Thursday: Sniper Investigation Continues
RAW VIDEO: Sniper Shooting Arrest Arraignment
Change of Venue Denied Judge's Response
UPDATE 5/22/12 @ 11:20 a.m.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- The case against the man charged in the sniper style shootings in the Kanawha Valley in 2003 will go on trial later this summer.
Shawn Lester was back in court Tuesday for a hearing.
The judge held a status conference to make sure both the prosecutor and defense attorney will be ready for the trial set for July 30.
This week the state added several additional witnesses to testify during the trial. Lester's attorney, George Castelle told the judge he will have plenty of time to go through the new evidence for the trial to begin in July.
The judge also discussed the jury questionnaire to make sure both sides agreed on the jury selection process.
Pre-trial motions will get underway in the case on June 27.
Lester is charged in connection with the 2003 murders of Gary Carrier, Jr. Jeanie Patton and Okey Meadows Jr.
In an order from the Kanawha County Circuit Court, Judge Louis Bloom has granted Lester's defense counsel a continuance, pushing the trial back to Monday, July 30th. Prosecutors with the State of West Virginia did not object to the motion.
Pretrial motions will begin Wednesday, June 27 and will continue through July 29.
Lester is charged in connection with the 2003 murders of Gary Carrier, Jr. Jeanie Patton and Okey Meadows Jr.
During a hearing on February 9, Shawn Lester's attorney field a motion for a change of venue, meaning the trial would be moved out of Charleston.
The judge didn't make the decision to keep the trial in Charleston until Tuesday, February 21.
Lester's attorney, George Castelle asked for the case to be moved due to all of the media exposure surrounding the case. He believed it would be impossible to find unbiased jurors.
Castelle says 60,000 FBI flyers, hundreds of newspaper articles and 1,400 television news reports will taint the jury pool.
However, prosecutors argued Lester's name was never mentioned until he was arrested last year.
According to Kanawha County Circuit Judge Louis H. Bloom's response, "The Defendant failed to meet his burden to show that good cause presently exists warranting a change of venue."
"Although, the Defendant presented evidence of extensive media coverage spanning approximately eight years regarding the crimes of which the Defendant is now charged, such evidence alone does not satisfy the Defendant's burden to show a resent hostile sentiment extending throughout Kanawha County to warrant removing the case to another county." The Defendant presented no evidence, in the form of affidavits or testimony, to show that citizens comprising the jury pool of Kanawha County are presently hostile towards the Defendant or have such fixed opinions based on the media coverage of the case, such that he could not receive a fair trial in Kanawha County," Judge Bloom writes in response.
Lester is charged in connection with the murders of Gary Carrier, Jr. Jeanie Patton and Okey Meadows Jr.
"My family and I are happy that Judge Bloom has decided to keep the trial in Kanawha County," victim's father, Okey Meadows, Sr. said. "This is a small relief in an otherwise terrible experience in our lives. I believe an impartial jury can be found in this county."
Lester is scheduled to go on trial in May.
Shawn Lester was back in a Kanawha County Courtroom Thursday. Lester's attorney submitted a motion for a change of venue, meaning the trial would be moved out of Charleston.
During the hearing, there was lots of discussion over the amount of coverage this case has gotten over more than eight years.
Public Defender George Castelle told the judge there have been hundreds of articles, including 77 front page headlines since the sniper shootings in 2003. In addition, Castelle says there were billboards, 60,000 fliers from the FBI, and more than 1,400 television news reports on the case.
The defense even called a psychologist to the stand to testify about the amount of media coverage and exposure concluding it could taint the jury pool. Specifically, the fear many in the Kanawha Valley may have had following the so-called random shootings.
Prosecutors argued it's not about the act, but the suspect. They argue Lester's name had never been mentioned until late March when he was arrested.
The families of the three shooting victims say they want the case to stay in Kanawha County.
"Where he did it in this county, I don't see what another county has anything to do with it," Larry Patton, victim's father said.
"I'd be happy if they'd bring a jury here from the outside," Greg Carrier, victim's brother said. "You know, I'd just like for it to be here."
Both sides have until next Wednesday to respond to Thursday's hearing drawing on testimony and facts of the case to argue their point as to why or why not the case should be moved. The judge will then make a ruling.
Both sides say they're prepared and on track to have the trial begin this May.
Shawn Lester appeared in federal court Monday to plead guilty on the day his trial was set to begin. The charges stem back to September 2007, but Lester wasn't charged until last year.
During the plea hearing, Lester pleaded guilty to two charges including; being a felon in possession of a firearm and an habitual drug user in possession of a firearm.
"It gets rid of some of my anger, seeing that gradually he's going to get what he deserves," says Greg Carrier. His brother, Gary Carrier, was one of the victims in the sniper shootings.
Lester spoke in court about the two incidents that led up to the charges being filed against him.
Lester told the judge on two different occasions he was in possession of a firearm at a friend's house along Legg Fork Road in Sissonville.
These charges were filed against Lester last year after Charleston Police obtained photos of Lester with the guns. Police say Lester's friend had surveillance cameras inside the house that captured two photos of Lester handling the guns.
Lester says the first incident took place on September 3, 2007 when he unloaded a shotgun for a friend. Then, two days later he told the judge he got a shotgun out of a closet for a friend and then handed it to him.
Lester was convicted in November 1994 of grand larceny in West Virginia. Then, in July 2001 Lester was convicted in federal court of aiding abetting the trafficking of heroin.
The habitual drug use charge stems from an incident back in September 2005 when Lester says he was in possession of a shotgun while using or addicted to drugs.
Lester told the judge he had surgery in 2005 and 2006 and was prescribed painkillers. After the prescription ran out he obtained them illegally, mostly oxycontin. He continued to use painkillers until his arrest in 2011.
"For me, today, one minute it's like how can you put your family through this, let alone the victims' families? How selfish can you be? And you just want to say it to him," says Karen Mance. Her sister, Jeanie Patton, was one of the victims in the sniper shootings.
Lester faces up to 20 years in prison. He also faces up to a $500,000 fine. Then, after his prison sentence he could serve up to three years of federal supervision. He is set to be sentenced on May 1.
Meanwhile, Lester is also set to go on trial later this year in the 2003 murders of Gary Carrier Junior, Jeannie Patton and Okey Meadows Junior. Sources tell WSAZ.com Lester will be in court on these state charges on February 9. That's when a hearing will be held to determine if a change of venue is needed in this case.
The families of the victims say they wanted to attend Monday's hearing just to follow the latest developments regarding Lester.
Mance tells WSAZ.com she hopes now that Lester has pleaded guilty to these charges, he might go ahead and plead guilty in the sniper case before it goes to trial.
Sandra Shaffer also attended Monday's hearing. She is the woman who owned the Sissonville property where police spent days digging for evidence in the sniper case.
According to court records, Shawn Lester will be in federal court Monday morning for a plea hearing.
Lester was charged last year for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Prosecutors say Lester had a shotgun in 2007 after he was convicted of grand larceny and drug charges.
He faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
Lester is also set to go on trial later this year in the 2003 murders of Gary Carrier Junior, Jeannie Patton and Okey Meadows Junior.
We will have a crew at the hearing. Keep clicking on WSAZ.com for the latest information.
Shawn Lester pleaded not guilty to charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Prosecutors say Lester had a shotgun in 2007 after he was convicted of grand larceny and drug charges.
He faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
His trial has been set for January 30.
These federal charges come as he awaits trial for the 2003 murders of Gary Carrier, Jr., Jeannie Patton and Okey Meadows, Jr.
According to court documents, Shawn Lester has been indicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Lester is facing a two-count indictment in connection with the gun charges.
According to the indictment, on or about Sept. 3, 2007, Lester was in possession of a shotgun. He had previously been convicted of grand larceny in 1994 and aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute heroin in 2001.
Shawn Lester is also facing charges in connection with shooting and killing Gary Carrier, Jr., Jeanie Patton and Okey Meadows Jr.
Keep clicking on WSAZ.com for the latest information.
During a hearing Tuesday, the defense officially filed motions asking for a delay in the trial. Defense Attorney George Castelle says there is just so much evidence to consider and he just needs more time to prepare for the trial.
The judge granted the motion and delayed the trial until March 5, 2012.
Shawn Lester was set to begin October 26 in the murders of Gary Carrier Jr., Jeannie Patton and Okey Meadows Jr.
The defense is calling for a delay, citing so much evidence to consider.
Suspect Shawn Lester’s trial is set to begin Oct. 26 in the murders of Gary Carrier Jr., Jeannie Patton and Okey Meadows Jr.
But defense attorney George Castelle is asking for a delay. The case is massive – with more than 75,000 pages of documents to go through. Castelle said he and his defense team simply need more time.
A hearing is set at 10 a.m. Tuesday before Judge Louis Bloom. Castelle will ask for a motion for continuance and a motion to allow use of a juror questionnaire.
Castelle says there are 75,116 pages of documents related to the case.
Paul Woolwine Jr. is accused of going to the home of a witness, calling him a "rat" and reaching into his waistband, as if he had a gun.
That witness, Craig Hughes, says he was scared and felt threatened.
"He said, 'I heard you was a rat.' " Hughes said. "I was scared for my life."
The defense argued both men left on good terms, and Woolwine never threatened him.
Woolwine's attorney argued that Hughes never knew he had a gun at all, but Hughes showed Woolwine he was armed.
"I think it's counter intuitive to think that this guy who came in this driveway admittedly by Mr. Hughes, acting very friendly, sees a gun and then somehow wants to intimidate him," Woolwine's attorney Mark McMillion said. "By gestures, he has a gun when in full view that Mr. Hughes has a gun doesn't make sense."
Prosecutors say Hughes has had several threats against him since he's a witness in the sniper case, involving one of Hughes former neighbors, Tito Lopez, who lived down the street in 2003.
Police say Woolwine knew Lopez.
"He also admitted to being a drug runner for the Lopez brothers," Charleston Police Lt. S.A. Cooper said. "He had gone to Indiana, between Indiana and West Virginia transporting cocaine."
Police say after the incident, Woolwine told detectives he did approach Hughes but was so intoxicated he couldn't remember what he said.
Prosecutors say they take any threat against a witness seriously.
Still, the judge couldn't make a decision on the intimidation charge with the case now headed to the grand jury.
Woolwine remains in jail on a $250,000 cash-only bond.
A technical error in the criminal complaint forced police to re-arrest Paul Woolwine, Jr.
Lots of details were listed in the new criminal complaint filed Friday morning in magistrate court.
It says Woolwine admitted to being a drug runner for a Mexican national closely connected to the triple murder case, and police say that relationship is tying him to the case, as well.
A rural road in Kanawha County is the place that through the years has seen its fair share of drug traffic, according to neighbors.
"It was a little hectic with cars coming in and out all of the time back then," one neighbor said. "That's been quite a few years back."
Back then, Tito Lopez, accused by police of being a Mexican drug supplier, lived along that road.
Also down the street was a man with prime information on Lopez and sniper suspect, Shawn Lester.
Police claim the three sniper-style murders were drug related.
Investigators say that witness provided information to get Lester indicted for murder and both men for meth charges.
Woolwine told detectives he was a drug runner for Lopez in 2003.
The story the witness told police didn't settle well with Woolwine, and police say in late August, Woolwine took matters into his own hands early one morning and went to the witnesses home, called him a "rat" and threatened to hurt him.
Detectives say Woolwine even reached toward his waistband and acted like he had a gun.
Woolwine's attorney says the incident is being blown out of proportion.
"I've spoken to the state's alleged victim who in essence disavows the facts the police attributed in the complaint," attorney Mark McMillian said. "That said, your honor, that says to the facet that he enjoys the presumption of innocence."
Woolwine told police he was too drunk to even remember what he said.
Police say the witness has told officers he's received death threats, from other so this confrontation isn't easy for him to forget.
Detectives don't believe that Woolwine knows their prime suspect, Shawn Lester.
Friends of Woolwine say he never showed any gun in the incident with the witness, and the two actually left on good terms.
Police say they've received repeated calls from the witness, saying neighbors are harassing him.
Woolwine will be back in court for his preliminary hearing on Sept. 16.
Charleston Police say a witness in the case was confronted Saturday by Paul Woolwine at his home in Charleston.
According to a criminal complaint, Woolwine said he had a gun and threatened to physically hurt the witness. Police also say he called the man a "rat" for giving police information about the triple murder case.
Shawn Lester is charged with shooting and killing Gary Carrier, Jr., Jeanie Patton and Okey Meadows Jr.
Investigators tell WSAZ.com they don't believe that Woolwine knows Lester, but he is an associate of Gilberto " Tito" Lopez-Reyna. The Mexican national is believed to have supplied drugs to Lester. Some of those drugs were stored in a motor that belong to Lester that was later stolen.
Woolwine is charged with witness retaliation. His bond is set at $250,000 cash.
Shawn Lester appeared in a Kanawha County Circuit Courtroom Wednesday for his arraignment.
During the hearing, Lester was arraigned on three counts of first degree murder, as well as two drug charges.
Lester was indicted earlier this month in the deaths of Jeannie Patton, Okey Meadows Jr. and Gary Carrier Jr. All three victims were gunned down at gas stations in August 2003.
The cases have gone unsolved until April of this year. That's when Lester was originally arrested and charged in Patton's murder. Then, just months later the grand jury indicted Lester in connection with all three sniper-style shootings.
During Wednesday's hearing Lester pleaded not guilty to the charges. His trial was set for October 26.
Lester also waived his right to a speedy trial. If Lester would not have done this, his trial would have started Monday.
WSAZ.com reported on Tuesday that Lester's attorney was "seriously considering" a motion that would call for a change of venue.
If this motion is filed, it would ask the judge to move the case "outside the Charleston media market area so that potential jurors hearing the evidence would be hearing what's presented in court, rather than what was presented out of court, so that they can actually focus on the actual evidence in the case," Kanawha County Public Defender George Castelle said.
"It's a high profile case, with a lot of publicity," Castelle said.
If the motion is filed, Castelle tells WSAZ.com it wouldn't happen for a couple of weeks.
Castelle is currently going through nearly 30,000 pages of documents and discovery in regards to this case and Castelle says he expects to receive much more.
Kanawha County Prosecutor Mark Plants says they've already racked up a $10,000 copying bill that the County Commission has agreed to pay.
During Wednesday's hearing, the judge said he wanted to bring in a special jury panel for the case.
Castelle said during Wednesday's hearing he expects to have pre-trial motions that would include a possible change of venue.
Prosecutor Plants says if a motion is filed to move the case, he wouldn't be against it.
"I want a fair trial for the people of Kanawha County," Plants said. "I want the defendant to have a fair trial."
Lester has declined requests for an on camera interview, but his attorney says he maintains his innocence.
"We are working on this case diligently and Mr. Lester has always maintained his innocence and he continues to do so and we will continue to make every effort on his behalf," Castelle said. "It will be a demanding case, but that is what we are here for."
The courthouse was packed during Lester's arraignment hearing.
"I just hope this is it, Karen Mance, Jeanie Patton's sister said. "It's been a long, hard eight years and it's never going to get really easy, but to see that justice done I hope this is it."
The victims' families attended the hearing as well as Sandra Shafer. Shafer is the woman who owns the Sissonville property where police spent days digging, trying to locate evidence in the sniper investigation.
Shafer has since filed a lawsuit against the city of Charleston and Kanawha County, claiming her property was destroyed during the investigation when investigators were digging on the property.
Mike Clifford is her attorney, but a judge is expected to decide Wednesday afternoon if he can actually represent Shafer in the lawsuit because of a possible conflict of interest.
Clifford was the Kanawha County Prosecutor when the sniper shootings happened.
That hearing is set for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.
If convicted, Lester would spend the rest of his life in prison.
Keep clicking on WSAZ.com for the very latest information.
Shawn Lester is scheduled to be arraigned on three counts of first degree murder in the deaths of Jeannie Patton, Okey Meadows Jr. and Gary Carrier Jr. All three victims were gunned down at gas stations in August 2003.
His hearing was scheduled for 9:00 a.m., but as of 10:30 a.m. it still hasn't started.
The cases have gone unsolved until April of this year. That’s when Lester was originally arrested and charged in Patton’s murder. Then, just weeks later a grand jury indicted Lester in connection with all three sniper-style shootings.
Lester’s attorney tells WSAZ.com due to the extensive media coverage since 2003, he is “seriously considering” a motion that would call for a change of venue.
If this motion is filed, it would ask the judge to move the case “outside the Charleston media market area so that potential jurors hearing the evidence would be hearing what’s presented in court, rather than what was presented out of court, so that they can actually focus on the actual evidence in the case,” Kanawha County Public Defender George Castelle said.
“It’s a high profile case, with a lot of publicity,” Castelle said.
The motion is something Castelle tells WSAZ.com he is carefully studying.
“In the event that we do feel it is necessary, we would file the motion sometime in the coming weeks,” Castelle said. “It wouldn’t be tomorrow (Wednesday), it wouldn’t be in the next week or so, in part because there is such a massive record in this case of paperwork.”
His office just received nearly 30,000 pages of documents and discovery in regards to this case and Castelle says he expects to receive much more.
“The police investigation began in 2003 and it was intense with a large team assembled and that generates lots of paperwork, lots of interviews of potential suspects, lots of interviews with witnesses, and it’s thousands and thousands of material for review because some of that will be very critical to the defense,” Castelle said.
Castelle tells WSAZ.com his client is eager for the legal process to take its course.
“He (Shawn Lester) is disappointed that the judge denied bond, but that is a decision made by the judge and it’s subject to review as the case progresses so we may very well renew the motion for bond in the future,” Castelle said.
During Lester’s arraignment Wednesday, he will be formally arraigned on the charges and he will be asked to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty. The judge will also set his trial date.
“The actual trial date will be up to the judge and we won’t be asking for an immediate trial date simply because we haven’t yet received all the information from the prosecution that we need to review in preparation for that,” Castelle said. “The case needs to proceed promptly. All cases need to be proceeded promptly and this case in that respect is not any different.”
Lester has declined requests for an on camera interview, but his attorney says he maintains his innocence.
“We are working on this case diligently and Mr. Lester has always maintained his innocence and he continues to do so and we will continue to make every effort on his behalf,” Castelle said. “It will be a demanding case, but that is what we are here for.”
During Wednesday’s hearing, Lester will also be arraigned on drug charges, in addition to the murder charges.
If convicted, Lester would spend the rest of his life in prison.
WSAZ will be at the hearing and provide complete coverage of the arraignment. Keep clicking on WSAZ.com for the very latest information.
Eight years have passed since the sniper-style shootings terrorized the Kanawha Valley.
Gary Carrier Junior was the first victim shot on August 10, 2003 while using a pay phone at the Go-Mart on Bigley Avenue in Charleston.
Jeanie Patton was shot and killed while pumping gas at the Speedway in Campbells Creek on August 14, 2003.
About 90 minutes later, Okey Meadows Junior was shot and killed at the Go-Mart on Route 60 in Cedar Grove.
"Three innocent people were taken away, three precious lives," Meadows' father, Okey Meadows said. "I mean it just has to be some kind of a monster -- a modern day monster in my opinion."
Families and friends gathered outside the Speedway gas station Sunday night, the site of the second shooting that took Jeanie Patton's life.
It's been the meeting spot for eight years now, but this year was different now that a suspect is behind bars.
"It's real tough to look at a person that could have possibly done that," Meadows said. "You go through a lot of emotions when you're in that court room."
Shawn Lester was recently indicted on all three murders.
Prosecutors say the bullets found at all three crime scenes match one gun, however, that weapon has never been found.
Prosecutors also say Shawn Lester knew all of the victims and the victims knew him.
"It don't bring no closure to her," Jeanie Patton's father, Larry Patton said. "There's no way that door's going to close because he got caught."
Patton added, "She's not here...she'll never be here."
It's a devastating fact that could be seen by the light of the candles resembling honor, love and hope.
"I always had hope that maybe she'd still be alive," Jeanie Patton's sister, Karen Mance said. "But the day of his hearing she didn't walk out, so it made it real for me."
It's a reality that's brought anger, tears and sadness.
"They need the closure, they need answers," Mance said. "We need to see justice for Jeanie, Okey and Gary."
The families say having a vigil helps them to lean on one another, especially with a suspect now in jail.
The Patton and Carrier families would both like to see the death penalty imposed on anyone found guilty of the three murders.
Dive teams spent Thursday searching a pond in a rural part of Kanawha County just outside Charleston along Hunter Road.
Many believe there is a connection between the sniper investigation and the search but police are staying tight lipped.
The pond is below a home owned by Shawn Lester's family.
Shawn Lester's father spoke exclusively with WSAZ.com for the first time since his son's arrest and says Shawn is innocent.
He says he speaks with his son regularly from jail and seems to be doing okay.
The Lester family, including Shawn, just wants the trial to get underway.
Shawn's father says his son didn't even know the three victims -- Gary Carrier Junior, Jeannie Patton or Okey Meadows Junior.
However, he did say his son knew Patton's boyfriend, Marty Walker.
According to the criminal complaint, Marty Walker is the one who Lester accused of stealing the truck motor stuffed with meth back in 2003.
Lester claims it was stolen from a garage off Rutledge Road, not far from where Shawn Lester's parents lived.
Lester's dad says his son filed a police report for the stolen motor and that's what he says explains Shawn's innocence mainly because he says his some didn't know who stole it.
WSAZ.com tried to verify with police that a report was filed but we were not able to obtain it due to the ongoing investigation.
At the time of the shootings, Lester's dad told us he lived at the family home along Hunter Road, not far from where the motor packed with drugs was said to have been stolen.
He's also quick to point out that Lester served time for drug offenses in federal prison.
Lester was out of prison at the time of the sniper shootings, according to court records.
His father says Shawn was questioned a year after the three murders and let go.
Lester will be back in court later this month.
On his way to magistrate court and during his hearing, he opened up about the sniper case and talked about his fears of being killed in jail.
Police charged Sam Ranson with four breaking and entering charges, saying he broke into several storage units.
They say he's also tied to a copper theft ring that's plagued Kanawha City during the last two weeks.
“Copper thefts? I don't know what you're talking about," Ranson said.
But, that didn't seem to be his biggest concern.
"All this right here is going to sign my death warrant in the jail," Ranson said.
Magistrate Carol Fouty asked "Why? Sign your death warrant in the jail? Why?"
Ranson responded, "Because of the sniper case."
Shawn Lester was arrested earlier this year and eventually charged in all three sniper shootings that rocked the Kanawha Valley.
In the criminal complaint, Ranson was named as a witness. "Lester told Ranson that Patton was shot because of the theft of the drugs," officers wrote in the complaint.
They add, "Ranson stated that Lester admitted he had killed Jeanie Patton."
During the Tuesday hearing over the breaking and entering charges, Ranson kept hinting to the magistrate that he was tied to another high-profile case.
Fouty asked, "Is there something else to tell me that we should be more leery of something? No?"
Kanawha County Assistant Prosecutor Maryclaire Akers said, "No. He has a history of doing this and now he has new charges." Akers asked that Ranson’s bond be set at $25,000.
Fouty set it at $100,000.
Ranson repeatedly said even if he was put in protective custody, he still feared for his life.
Then, he turned to WSAZ.com’s cameras and said, "I am no longer a witness in the sniper case."
The prosecutor says with these types of cases, a situation involving an arrest isn't totally uncommon.
He says he's not shocked and will move forward with the case.
Because of Ranson's concern for his safety in jail, officials were looking to place him in protective custody.
Shawn Lester was indicted Thursday on all three of the 2003 sniper shootings, and as the law stands now, if Lester's found guilty and convicted he'll do jail time.
"Hopefully they find him guilty and then if he's put in jail for the rest of his life, that's good enough for me," father of one of the sniper victims, Okey Meadows said.
No doubt, it's a tough time for families as relief, sadness and anger are felt over the most recent developments with all family members hoping for the maximum sentence.
For first-degree murder in West Virginia, that's life in prison but some want Shawn Lester to face a harsher sentence -- the death penalty.
Prosecutors say they work closely with members of the federal court system on potential cases, but the evidence has Lester's case staying at the county level.
Pressure could soon mount on Kanawha County delegates in an attempt to introduce capital punishment here.
For Gary Carrier's brother, he says the sniper case should serve as an example and set a precedent for the death penalty in West Virginia.
Bills have been introduced to the Legislature before, but they've never gained enough traction to pass.
"I do support the death penalty in cases of murder and perhaps even other more serious crimes," Republican Delegate Tim Armstead said. "There's some Supreme Court cases that place some safeguards in when you impose death penalty that I think would help to ensure that no one innocent would be subject to that."
It's been a toss up, and ethical issue and a difficult challenge for years.
"If you don't have good representation and you can't afford the good, top lawyer and you can't afford the best counsel, then we have put people on death row who are innocent," Democratic Delegate Bobbi Hatfield said. "Until we can perfect the system, I wouldn't support it."
Shawn Lester will be arraigned Aug. 24 on the three murder charges.
Prosecutors are continually working on this case, preparing it for trial.
This case has been full of uncertainty for eight years, and even with Thursday's news, there's still some frustration that it took as long as it did to charge someone.
Until Thursday, Lester had only been charged with Jeannie Patton's murder.
WSAZ.com sat down with Okey Meadows' father, who says he was surprised to find out Lester's charged with his son's death.
"To my surprise, they had indicted him for all three murders, which we really didn't expect," says Okey Meadows Sr. "We're just happy that they'll get this guy off the street for good, if he did this."
The indictments cap eight years of bad leads and dead ends.
"We were pretty frustrated, telling us one guy did it. And, nobody thought they did. And, even some law enforcement, the guys on the street were telling us that they didn't think it was," says Meadows.
Brian Caldwell was never formally charged with the killings, but the victims' families say early on, the investigation was focused on him, even though Lester's name had been out there since the very start.
"I think they kind of took off in the wrong direction to begin with. And then, years flew by. And, finally some things broke loose recently," says Meadows.
Kanawha County Prosecutor Mark Plants says the case has been an ongoing investigation since 2003. Recently, many more witnesses have come forward.
"We've got numerous witnesses that Shawn Lester has admitted it to, shooting not only Jeannie Patton but the other victims as well," says Plants.
Meadows says he simply hopes "it's not all hearsay to where it just doesn't happen, they can't prove it or something, because we feel (Lester) probably did it."
Plants confirmed Thursday that Lester was an acquaintance of all three victims.
Meadows says he still doesn't know how Lester and his son knew each other.
Officials say Patton's death was over drugs.
Meadows says he understands he may learn things he doesn't like over the course of the trial, but he still wants to know why his son was killed.
Public Defender George Castelle says Lester maintains his innocence.
Shawn Lester, the man originally charged in the death of Jeannie Patton, was indicted by a grand jury in connection with all three sniper-style shootings that terrorized the Kanawha Valley.
Jeannie Patton, Okey Meadows Jr. and Gary Carrier Jr. were all gunned down at gas stations in August 2003.
The name Shawn Lester is one, Gary Carrier’s brother Greg, has known for all eight years.
"A week or so after the shootings I heard his name and had a picture," said Carrier.
Now, word that he has been indicted on all three shootings is bringing some sense of peace.
"It's going to be my relief being at the courts just seeing him being prosecuted and hopefully sentenced to life," said Carrier.
Okey Meadows' father says the waiting isn't over. He's still hoping for clear answers and some hard evidence.
"We're just sitting back trying to figure out how our son was tied into this or not tied into this," said Meadows.
Lester's indictment brings relief to the Patton family, but Mrs. Patton believes closure is something that will never come.
"It's partly closure, but you're not going to get her back. She's gone and you've got to accept that, but it helps to know that whoever done it is caught and now he's going to be punished," said Patton.
Time and a firm suspect are all that divide those awful days back in 2003.
"We would get leads. We go this way. Boom. We hit a wall," said Carrier.
Still, eight years later there are three families who continue to grieve and wonder why.
"Now, the wall is finally crumbling. That's one thing I like. The wall is finally coming down," said Carrier.
Shawn Lester, the man originally charged in the death of Jeannie Patton, has now been indicted by a grand jury in connection with all three murders.
According to Kanawha County Prosecutor Mark Plants, Lester was indicted in connection with the death of Patton, Okey Meadows, Jr. and Gary Carrier.
All three of the victims were shot and killed during the series of sniper shootings at gas stations in 2003. The case has gone unsolved until March of this year when Lester was charged in Patton's murder.
"The gun that was used to kill all of the victims, the bullet that was used came from the same gun, Plants said. "There's a link between all of the victims and Shawn Lester, they were all acquaintances, Shawn Lester knew the victims, the victims knew him so those are two basic links right there."
Lester was never formally charged in the other two murders, until Thursday when the grand jury found enough evidence to indict him in all three cases.
Plants says Lester was the gunman in all three murders.
"At this point, we haven't located a murder weapon, but again according to public record and the preliminary hearing, we've got numerous witnesses that Shawn Lester has admitted to shooting not only Jeannie Patton but the other victims as well," Plants said.
During his preliminary hearing back in April, investigators testified Lester confessed to his cellmate that a Mexican drug supplier ordered him to shoot Patton for stealing a truck engine filled with meth.
Before Lester was charged in Patton’s murder, investigators spent nearly a week digging for more evidence on some property near Sissonville where Lester allegedly asked to hide out just prior to the sniper shootings.
Investigators still have not released what, if anything, was found on the property.
"There's never been a case like this in West Virginia and I hope there's never another one," Plants said.
Sean Lester was in court Friday afternoon where testimony shed new light on the sniper case.
Lester was arrested in late March and charged with the murder of Jeanie Patton -- one of three victims killed in 2003 by a sniper.
Even in jail, police say inmate interviews prove Lester is dangerous and has been making threats.
"Mr. Lester said if he got out he was going to kill anyone who testified against him if he beat the charge," Charleston Police Lt. S.A. Cooper said.
For the prosecution, the hope is the jailhouse informants statements will keep Lester locked up.
"One reported to me that Mr. Lester has planned to come up with enough money so he can get out and travel to Mexico permanently and blend into their society there," Cooper said.
The defense argued the creditability of those witnesses and the overall evidence is weak, pushing for the judge to set bond.
"He's here today because he remained in Kanawha County," Lester's attorney George Castelle said. "He's been subject to interrogation, subject to investigation with zero retaliation, zero attempts to flee."
Castelle tried to explain to the judge the witnesses the prosecution was presenting were from the drug world and simply unreliable.
The prosecution fired back, however, attempting to prove Lester is a threat with a criminal history and multiple felony charges.
Most recently, a detective obtaining a recorded conversation with Lester talking about a planned robbery in early March.
"Mr. Lester had planned on using a stun gun and some handcuffs to detain the suspect who had the narcotics," Cooper said. "Forcing him to tell him where the drugs were and if he had a certain amount of drugs he said he was going to kill him."
The prosecution all cites multiple witnesses who say they saw Lest just minutes after the 2003 murder of Jeanie Patton.
"We have three witnesses who observed the defendant arrive approximately 20 to 25 minutes after the murder there," the prosecutor said. "They had a conversation there. They saw him in the possession of a rifle."
However, Judge Duke Bloom decided against setting bond, keeping Lester locked up, which was a relief to the Patton family.
"With the evidence against him, I don't see how anyone can get bond at this time," the victim's father Larry Patton said.
One of the men named in the criminal complaint, Sam Ranson, a friend of Lester, told police Lester admitted he shot and killed Patton.
Another witnesses told police Lester was responsible for all three sniper shootings killing Jeanie Patton, Gary Carrier and Okey Meadows.
The defense says none of the evidence directly links Lester to the three slayings that terrorized the Kanawha Valley in 2003.
Shawn Lester was in court Friday for a bond hearing. That is where Judge Duke Bloom denied his request to be let out on bond.
Lester was arrested in March and charged with the murder of Jeanie Patton.
Patton was one of three people gunned down at Kanawha Valley gas stations nearly eight years ago. Lester has only been charged in Patton's murder.
We have a crew in the courtroom. Keep clicking WSAZ.com for updates.
Shawn Lester will have a bond hearing in Judge Duke Bloom's courtroom at 1:30 p.m. Friday.
Prosecutors say they will also determine when his case will be heard before the grand jury.
Lester was arrested in March and charged with the murder of Jeanie Patton.
Patton was one of three people gunned down at Kanawha Valley gas stations nearly eight years ago. Lester has only been charged in Patton's murder.
After a preliminary hearing, Lester's case is now set to go before a grand jury.
At this point, he is only charged with the murder of Jeanie Patton. Her family was there Monday, listening to all the testimony. Nearly eight years later, it's still tough to hear.
“They did not have to kill her,” Karen Mance, Patton’s sister, said. “She would have never hurt anyone.”
Mance still struggles with the death of her sister who was shot in 2003. Now, Shawn Lester is charged with her murder.
Several recent breakthroughs in the case point the finger of blame at him. One includes an old cell mate that says Lester confessed to him in jail.
“I just asked him, I said, "What would cause you to do something like that?" He said, "What would you do if you had a Mexican named Tito that you owed a bunch of money to for meth that somebody had stole?" Charles Darren Roberts, a witness, said.
Tito’s real name is Gilberto Lopez Reyna.
Charleston Police Detective Steve Cooper says the meth was pink and was hidden in a truck engine at a garage Lester owned with Monk Ivanhoff, who is now also being named a suspect in the sniper shootings.
Cooper says Lester’s former girlfriend, Heidi Copeland, contacted the task force in charge of the case and told investigators about the hidden meth.
Cooper says Copeland now lives in another state for fear of Lester.
Prosecutors say Patton's involvement with stealing the meth is the reason she was killed. But during that same week, two other victims -- Gary Carrier and Okey Meadows Jr. were also killed by the same type of gun.
“Is there a reason he hasn't been charged with the other shootings?” Lester’s attorney,” George Castelle, asked Cooper.
“We charged him with Jeannie Patton's shooting because the evidence supported that charge,” Cooper said.
However, Cooper also says there is now evidence that connects all three shootings. He says Carrier was known to be carrying the same type of meth supplied by Lopez, and sources have told police that Meadows owed Lester money.
Castelle argues that those sources are unreliable and that all of the evidence is based on hearsay. He asked for the charges to be dropped, but that request wasn’t granted.
No matter who's responsible for Patton's death, her family says it never should have happened.
“They could have spared her life,” Mance said.
According to court records, a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Shawn Lester at 1:30 p.m.
Patton, 31, of Kanawha County, was one of the three victims of the sniper-styled slayings in Kanawha County back in 2003.
Lester has only be charged in Patton's death.
We will have a crew in the courtroom. Keep clicking on WSAZ.com for the very latest information.
Shawn Thomas Lester writes in a letter provided to The Charleston Gazette that the victim was his friend. Lester writes that he has nothing to hide.
Lester was arrested on a murder charge March 31. The 35-year-old Lester is accused of killing 31-year-old Jeanie Patton in August 2003.
Patton was one of three people fatally shot outside convenience stores.
The shootings terrorized Kanawha County residents that summer.
In his letter, Lester writes that he has voluntarily participated in several interrogations by investigators since the shootings. He also offers condolences to the victims' families.
He remains in custody at the South Central Regional Jail.
Attorney Mike Clifford is representing Sandra Shaffer. Her property has been the site of an extensive investigation involving law enforcement officers from around the county. They began digging at her home on Hughart Drive.
Clifford says police gave Shaffer a copy of the warrant that included details of what they were looking for. He says they were looking for evidence that pertained to the 2003 sniper killing the Kanawha Valley.
He says the warrant shows that police were looking for a Dodge pickup truck, .22-caliber rifle and ammunition along with receipts from the gas stations where the murders occurred.
Shawn Lester was specifically named in the warrant. Lester had stayed with Sandra Shaffer and her husband on their property in 2003.
Charleston Police are still considering the warrant sealed and will not comment on what it contains.
Clifford is currently representing Shaffer for charges unrelated to this investigation. He says Shaffer is planning to file a civil suit for the damage done to her property. He's not sure yet what agencies will be listed in the suit.
Law enforcement officials say Charleston Police are finishing their work up Hughart Drive. The site remained guarded, though, Thursday evening.
Many people living there were asked to leave more than a week ago.
Officials are still tight-lipped about what's going on, but did confirm all of the heavy machinery and digging equipment has been removed.
A sealed search warrant has kept the details of what investigators are looking for under wraps.
A law enforcement official says this is not a missing persons case -- but it is connected to Shawn Lester
Lester is the accused sniper shooter who police say shot and killed Jeanie Patton in 2003. He has not been charged in the other sniper shootings that happened around the same time.
Sandy Shaffer, who's named in the criminal complaint, admits her husband allowed Lester hide out at their place prior to the murder in 2003.
Shaffer says she was finally able to go back to her trailer Thrsday to look through debris to see if there's anything she can salvage.
"To walk into a home you've lived in and everything you've had all your life and to see it laying in a pile of mud it's devastating," Sandra Shaffer said.
Shaffer says she doesn't know if investigators have found anything on her property.
"When I left, I didn't have a pocketbook. I didn't have an ID. I didn't have any clean clothes. I had nothing because they just took us out and that was the end of it," says Shaffer. "And there's not a whole lot up there to salvage. I've got clothes that are dirty and muddy, and I've got...a trailer that looks like it's about ready to fall over because it's leaning sideways."
Sheriff's deputies say she was allowed back on the property early Thursday morning.
Shawn Lester will be in court for his preliminary hearing Friday afternoon in Kanawha County.
The sudden arrest of Shawn Lester, now charged with the 2003 sniper-style murder of Jeannie Patton, is giving Charleston Police and Kanawha County Prosecutor Mark Plants their own target.
"Because there are so many reports and there's such a long investigation, I took two of my most experienced trial attorneys and put them on this case," Plants said."They are going to focus their efforts in this prosecution."
Plants says it's going to take a lot of manpower to sift through eight years worth of documentation and trying to connect the dots from then until now. With such a high-profile case, there's no room for mistakes.
"This case is so massive," Plants said. "In terms of volume it's like no other case we've ever seen in Kanawha County."
He's pulling who he calls his two most valuable assistant attorneys and putting them in the middle of a case that has haunted so many for almost a decade.
"They were afraid to go to convenience stores. We had never really seen anything like that here in Charleston or West Virginia," Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper said. "It's monumental in the fact that it was something that really did shock the conscious of the community then and now."
Now the county is pooling resources in hopes of bringing closure to the community, as well as bringing justice in an unprecedented case that has been years in the making.
Investigators have been working at the site near Sissonville for more than a week. They have not said what they are trying to find.
But according to a criminal complaint, this is the same location Shawn Lester asked to stay just before the sniper shootings that left three people dead.
Lester was charged in connection with the murder of one of the victims, Jeanie Patton, last week.
Kanawha County Prosecutor Mark Plants says he is pulling two of his prosecutors off all other cases to focus on Lester.
The owner of the property where the digging has occurred is Sandra Shafer. She was in court Wednesday in connection with unrelated meth charges.
Her preliminary hearing did not happen as planned, because she did not have a lawyer. Shafer told us she is not involved with meth and has no idea how to make the drug.
She says she can not talk about the investigation that is taking place on her property. But she says, as far as she knows, the digging has stopped and investigators haven't found anything.
Police aren't releasing much information about what they are looking for because the search warrant for the property remains sealed.
Charleston Police Chief Brent Webster says the digging has stopped temporarily.
However, a deputy is still guarding that remote area on Hughart Drive.
Earlier this week, police brought in excavators to dig up the property, but it's still unclear what they're looking for.
According to the criminal complaint, this property is where Shawn Lester, the man charged this week in connection with the 2003 sniper shootings asked to stay just prior to the shootings. However, police aren't releasing the connection.
Lester was only charged in the death of Jeanie Patton. She was one of three victims shot and killed back in 2003.
Keep clicking on WSAZ.com for the very latest information.
Jeanie's father, Larry Patton, says he's not surprised by the arrest, despite what former Sheriff Dave Tucker told us Friday afternoon.
After years of waiting and calling police -- police finally called him.
"It was a good feeling knowing there was an arrest," Patton said.
Larry Patton has been waiting for that feeling of relief for seven and a half years.
Police say that Shawn Lester now admits he shot and killed Jeanie outside a Speedway gas station in Cambells Cree,k but Larry says Lester is no stranger and he told police about him long ago.
"I gave them the name, Sean Lester's name, three days after she was killed," Patton said.
Patton says that lead was soon ignored as law enforcement shifted focus to a different man.
"I just can't see why the law walked away from it," Patton said. "They concentrated on other leads for seven and a half years and then fall back to it."
Patton says he had heard talk about Jeanie being in danger because of the controversy surrounding a stolen motor filled with meth.
Even though Lester is behind bars -- feelings are still raw.
"If he gets life that's not enough in my opinion," Patton said "He took her life. He needs to give his up for what he done."
It's still unclear if Lester had anything to do with the other two sniper-style murders of Okey Meadows and Gary Carrier.
Patton says his daughter will always be remembered, knowing nothing can bring her back.
"I hope she haunts him the rest of his life," Patton said. "I don't care how long he lives, I hope she's with him, haunting him until his last breath."
Patton says another man, Marty Walker, was actually Jeanie's boyfriend.
Patton says he doesn't know his direct involvement, but, according to the criminal complaint, Walker and Patton were both accused of stealing the engine that was stuffed with meth.
A friend of Lester's says Lester admitted to killing Patton in retaliation for stealing that motor.
The arrest of Shawn Lester was the first step down a road that many hope leads to all the answers, but in order for investigators to move forward -- they have to keep looking back to make sure everything matches up.
“Some type of drugs was involved. To what, I couldn't put my finger on it,” Dave Tucker, the former sheriff, said.
Tucker has since retired, but is glad to see a major break in the case.
“Meth was here, but it was at a low scale and beginning to take hold,” he said.
That's the drug that could be behind it all. According to a criminal complaint, Lester who was arrested Thursday, told a friend he killed Jeanie Patton after she allegedly stole a truck engine packed with meth that Lester was responsible for. Lester’s name wasn't top of mind years ago.
“It was the first time that I’d heard it, yes,” Tucker said. “There have been many, countless names that have come up.”
Lester's arrest is just the beginning. Gary Carrier and Okey Meadows Jr. are the other two victims. For fear of jeopardizing the case, Tucker couldn't elaborate on whether or not there's any relation with the three -- only that the same style weapon was used for two of them. He does say however, that all the pieces seem to be coming together.
“Law enforcement continually works on cases,” Tucker said. “This one took just a little bit longer.”
For several years, it may have seemed that the case slowed down quite a bit, but Tucker says those working on it were more concerned with getting things right than rushing to put people in jail.
Lester remains in jail and is expected to be back in court next week.
Despite his past crimes, people who know him well say they were surprised by his arrest Thursday.
“Obviously when you go back seven-and-a-half years, there are a lot of leads that come in. Then they kind of dry up. Then there’s nothing. Then there's more,” says Charleston Police Chief Brent Webster.
Lester's ex-wife, who did not want to appear on camera, says she was shocked by his arrest, even though she says he was a suspect early in the investigation.
She says they broke up a little more than 10 years ago but stayed in touch often. She points out he'd had run-ins with the law but nothing like on the scale of what he was arrested for Thursday.
Capital High School's Principal, Clinton Giles, says as a teen, Lester was in a special-needs class due to behavioral issues.
“He was very bright as a matter of fact. Generally speaking, you could say he was a very sharp student. However, school held little, if any, fascination for him," says Giles.
Giles says in school, Lester caused little trouble.
“Anytime you hear that something like this has happened, it's a surprise. Especially when it's someone you've been near and around and worked closely with. And, it's a tragedy," says Giles.
However, he says Lester was taken out of Capital before graduating.
As an adult, he developed a criminal record that includes charges of breaking and entering, battery and fleeing. He’s also served time on federal drug charges.
“We do feel very good about the arrest that we’ve made, but it’s very early and we anticipate more developments,” says Webster.
WSAZ.com reached out to Lester while he was in jail Thursday to give him a chance to talk. He declined our request for an interview.
He's due in court next week.
Officials and media packed the Mayor's conference room for a news conference about the arrest of Shawn Lester.
Lester is charged in the shooting death of Jeanie Patton in 2003. Her death was one of three that terrorized the Kanawha Valley in 2003.
"It's very early, we are happy where we are and the case is going to continue to grow," Chief Brent Webster said in the press conference.
Lester is being charged with first degree murder. Chief Webster described the investigation as "very fluid."
The Charleston Police Department made the arrest about midnight and Lester was formally arraigned early Thursday morning.
During the news conference officials talked about how close CPD and the Sheriff's Department worked together.
Chief Webster spoke about the investigation lasting seven years, leads drying up and new leads coming in. Webster said it was clear that there was a lot of perseverance by law enforcement over the years.
"Someone talked and that is how this investigation came together," said Chief Webster. But, no other details about the investigation have been released, including what connection, if any this arrest has to do with police digging at that property in Sissonville.
Chief Webster also told WSAZ.com that there is enough evidence to show that Lester shot Jeanie Patton.
"These breakthroughs are the work all of law enforcement sticking with it," said Mark Plants, Kanawha County Prosecutor.
Keep clicking on WSAZ.com for the latest information.
Shawn Thomas Lester, 35, of Charleston, has been charged with first and second degree murder.
On Thursday, August 14, 2003 the Kanawha County Sheriff's Department responded to the Speedway on Campbell's Creek Drive. When deputies arrived on scene, they found Jeanie Patton shot next to the gas pumps. An autopsy determined the death to be a homicide, according to the criminal complaint.
During the autopsy, a bullet was recovered from Patton's body. The cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head, according to the criminal complaint.
According to the criminal complaint, on March 30, 2011 a friend of Lester told police Lester admitted he had killed Jeanie Patton in retaliation for the theft of a big block Chevrolet motor from a garage located off Rutledge Road in Charleston.
Lester told his friend the motor had been stolen by a man and Jeanie Patton after it had been packed with a large amount of methamphetamine for which Lester was responsible, according to the complaint.
Lester told the friend he and someone else owned the motor and the source of supply for the drugs was a Mexican national named, "Tito," according to the complaint. Lester's friend also told police Patton was shot because of the theft of the drugs, according to the complaint.
The criminal complaint states, that Lester went to Sandra Shaffer's house in Sissonville back in 2003 and asked if he could hide on her property because someone had broken into his garage and stole "the engine and the dope." Lester also told Shaffer that he needed to hide because someone was "after him" due to the theft of drugs," according to the complaint.
During an interview with Police, Lester told investigators Marty Walker did steal the engine.
Jeanie Patton was killed on August 13, 2003 at 10:19 p.m. at the Speedway convenience store along Campbells Creek Drive.
There were two other victims connected to the sniper shootings in 2003. However, Lester is only charged in Patton's murder.
To this day, no one has been charged in the shootings. They happened within five days and within miles of each other. Investigators determined the same gun was used to kill all three victims: a .22 caliber rifle.
Dave Tucker, who was Kanawha County's Sheriff at the time, and Chief Deputy Phil Morris stepped out into the national spotlight after media swarmed Kanawha County during the first days of the investigation. In one of a series of nationally-televised news conferences, Tucker urged the public to use the "buddy system" and be aware of their surroundings (watch the 8/18 news conference for more).
Local, state, and federal investigators from the FBI, ATF, and the Charleston Police Department all stood by the sheriff's side during the briefings. Members from each of those agencies made up a "sniper task force." They were the core group that followed up on all of the leads in the case. Some of the federal investigators actually worked the D.C. area sniper shootings the previous year.
 | INCIDENT #1 Date/Time: Sunday, August 10, 2003 / 11:10pm Location: Go-Mart, Bigley Ave. in Charleston Victim: Gary Carrier Jr. |  | INCIDENT #2 Date/Time: Thursday, August 14, 2003 / 10:15pm Location: Speedway, Campbells Creek Drive Victim: Jeanie Patton |  | INCIDENT #3 Date/Time: Thursday, August 14, 2003 / 11:45pm Location: Go-Mart, Route 60 in Cedar Grove Victim: Okey Meadows Jr. |
ABOUT THE VICTIMS
GARY CARRIER JR. was the first of the sniper victims. On August 10, 2003, he pulled up to the Bigley Avenue Go-Mart on Charleston's west side and started using the pay phone. That's when a sniper fired a single shot, hitting him in the head and killing him. The 44-year-old had four children and was from South Charleston. Gary worked at Charleston Tire. His murder was the eighth recorded in Charleston at that point in 2003.
JEANIE PATTON was the next victim four days later. She was pumping gas at the Speedway on Campbells Creek Drive when someone fired one shot that hit her head and killed her. This happened at about 10:20pm on August 14, 2003. Jeanie was 31 years old and from Campbells Creek. She worked as a cook for Kanawha County Schools and left behind a son and a boyfriend of 16 years.
OKEY MEADOWS JR. was shot about 90 minutes after Patton. He was standing in line to buy milk outside the Go-Mart on Route 60 in Cedar Grove when a single bullet hit him in the neck from 70 yards away, killing him. He was 26 years old and from Cedar Grove. Okey had a 3-year-old son and was the son of WSAZ engineer, Okey Meadows Sr.
CASE INFORMATION
During the course of the investigation, police say they had thousands of leads, but none led to the arrest of a suspect.
Almost immediately after the shootings happened, investigators put the public on alert for a dark-colored, black or maroon Ford F-150 extended cab pickup truck with gold trim. It seemed to be the one similarity between the shootings in Campbells Creek and Cedar Grove. Witnesses at both scenes mentioned a dark colored pickup--and at least one person said they saw it speed away from the scene. The surveillance video system at the Go-Mart in Cedar Grove even captured a pickup truck driving on its lot prior to the shootings, but police were unable to determine if it was the actual suspect vehicle.
Investigators even went so far as to have an animation created of the suspect vehicle, and then distributed it to the media. The clip shows what the truck might have looked like driving up and down Campbells Creek Drive.
Police also released a description and sketch of the person they believe was driving the truck: a heavy-set white male with dark hair and a goatee (pictured). They referred to him as a "witness." Investigators also wanted to question a white male with a slim build, beard, and very white, hairy legs.
Sheriff Tucker also alluded to a possible drug connection between the sniper victims, but never publicly provided evidence to prove it. This angered many of the victims' family members, some of whom spoke out to the contrary via the media.
At one point during the investigation, investigators said Brian Caldwell was a "person of interest" in the case, but he was never charged. He was, however, convicted and sentenced to prison on illegal weapons charges that were in no way related to the sniper shootings.
INTERACTIVE MAP
Use the Google map to the right to see exactly where each of the Kanawha County sniper shootings occurred. Click on the placemarks to bring up more information about that particular incident.
ANOTHER POSSIBLE CONNECTION
Police have not ruled out the possibility that a fourth shooting that happened months before the others is somehow connected to the August sniper shootings.
Randy Burgess, 29, of Mink Shoals, was leaving the Kroger at the Kanawha Mall in Charleston at about 8:30pm on March 20, 2003, when police say he was shot twice in the chest with a .30 caliber, high-powered rifle.
Police say Burgess then made his way back into the store to get help. He died the next day at the hospital.
Investigators never really publicly linked Burgess' murder with the others, but we observed Burgess' picture on a bulletin board with the others during a follow-up interview with the FBI one year after the sniper shootings. Joe Ciccarelli, the then-spokesperson for the Charleston office of the FBI, said they were not able to rule it out as possibly being connected.
