By The Associated Press, AP
NEW SUMMERFIELD, Texas (AP) Three men charged in the fatal shooting of four people at a home in East Texas this week met up with one of the victims under the pretense of buying a gun from him but planned to steal it, authorities allege.
Jesse Pawlowski, 20, Billy Phillips, 37, and Dylan Welch, 21, have been charged with capital murder in killings near New Summerfield, a small community about 125 miles (200 kilometers) southeast of Dallas.
A Texas Ranger said in court filings that 18-year-old John Clinton thought he was selling a gun Monday night but was shot and killed in the driveway. His 39-year-old mother, Ami Hickey, Jeff Gerla, 47, and Amanda Bain, 39, were all found shot to death in Gerla s mobile home on the property.
Cherokee County Sheriff Brent Dickson has said Clinton and Gerla were in a relationship, as were Hickey and Bain.
Pawlowski told investigators that he met Clinton and Gerla on the dating app Grindr and entered into a sexual relationship with them, the Ranger, Nicholas Castle, said in affidavits. Pawlowski said he had visited Gerla’s home several times and knew that the couple had multiple firearms, including a handgun Clinton wanted to sell for $500, he wrote.
Cherokee County Sheriff s Office via AP
This combo of undated photos provided by the Cherokee County, Texas, Sheriff s Office shows, from left, Dylan Welch, Jesse Pawlowski, and Billy Phillips. The three men, charged in the fatal shootings of four people in East Texas this week, met up with one of the victims under the pretense of buying a gun from him but planned to steal it, according to a court document. All three have been charged with capital murder in killings near New Summerfield, Texas.
Texas News
Ranger: Three charged in four Texas killings planned to steal gun
Three men charged in the fatal shooting of four people at a home in East Texas this week met up with one of the victims under the pretense of buying a gun from him but planned to steal it, authorities allege.
by Associated Press
Jul. 22 2021 @ 8:32pm
This combo of undated photos provided by the Cherokee County, Texas, Sheriff s Office shows, from left, Dylan Welch, Jesse Pawlowski and Billy Phillips. The three men, charged in the fatal shootings of four people in East Texas this week, met up with one of the victims under the pretense of buying a gun from him, but planned to steal it, according to a court document. All three have been charged with capital murder in killings near New Summerfield, Texas. (Cherokee County Sheriff s Office via AP)
3 Men Charged with Murdering Same-Sex Couples in Texas advocate.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from advocate.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
4 killed during robbery at East Texas home, 3 arrested
Associated Press
Crime scene tape. (Generic) (Pexels)
NEW SUMMERFIELD, Texas – Three men were arrested on capital murder charges in the fatal shootings of four people at a home in East Texas, authorities said Wednesday.
Jesse Pawlowski, 20, Billy Phillips, 37, and Dylan Welch 21, were arrested Tuesday in the killings near New Summerfield, a small community about 125 miles (200 kilometers) southeast of Dallas. They were expected to be arraigned Wednesday.
Cherokee County Sheriff Brent Dickson said a woman called authorities Tuesday morning after finding one of the four victims, 18-year-old John Clinton, dead in her driveway. Investigators then found the other three in a mobile home behind her residence. They were Clinton’s mother, 39-year-old Ami Hickey, Jeff Gerla, 47, and Amanda Bain, 39.