COLUMBUS, Ohio — A federal jury has convicted a Columbus man of murdering three victims as part of a narcotics conspiracy to rob a local marijuana dealer of drugs and cash following an HSI-led investigation. Williams had others dismember and bury two of the bodies to dispose of evidence of his crimes.
Larry J. Williams, Jr., also known as “J Streets” and “J”, 43, was found guilty of all 16 counts as charged against him in a second superseding indictment in September 2021.
The verdict was announced Tuesday following a three-week trial before U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson.
“We hope this verdict brings closure to the victims’ families and serves as a significant step towards justice for our Ohio communities,” said HSI Detroit Special Agent in Charge Angie M. Salazar. “Drug traffickers will go to any lengths to further their violent enterprise, but thankfully Larry Williams’ crimes have come to an end. HSI Special Agents and task force officers worked tirelessly over the course of five years to investigate this case. These agents call central Ohio home and are fully committed to safeguarding the communities where they work and live. I’d like to thank the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, the Columbus Police Department and all our law enforcement partners across Ohio for their efforts and relentless pursuit of justice in this case.”
According to court documents and trial testimony, Williams was a leader of a narcotics conspiracy in 2018 to rob a local marijuana dealer of drugs and cash in his residence, which ultimately resulted in the shooting death of another person within that house. To cover up for this murder, Williams murdered a man and a woman with knowledge of the first murder.
Williams had solicited others in the conspiracy to learn of potential drug traffickers to rob of their drugs and drug proceeds.
As a result, on June 27, 2018, defendants robbed at gunpoint a drug premises at 847 E.N. Broadway in Columbus. The coconspirators planned and carried out the robbery to steal one of the resident’s marijuana and cash and then profit from the sale of the drugs; they recruited Williams to help in the robbery. During the robbery, Williams murdered a different individual present at the residence, Connor Reynolds, a 23-year-old from Grove City.
In August 2018, Williams then murdered Henry Watson, a 52-year-old from Columbus, to prevent him from providing information regarding Connor Reynolds’s murder to law enforcement.
On the same day, and immediately following the murder of Henry Watson, Williams murdered Tera Pennington, a 48-year-old from Columbus, to prevent her from serving as a witness to the previous crimes.
Williams then instructed individuals to clean the crime scene with bleach and other chemicals. Williams conspired to obstruct justice by concealing the bodies of Henry Watson and Tera Pennington. He directed others to dismember and remove the bodies from the crime scene and bury the victims’ remains at a different location.
Williams used the residence at 121 Stevens Ave. as a drug premises to sell fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine and allow addicts to use narcotics. On more than one occasion, users overdosed in the basement of the home and coconspirators provided Narcan to revive the users.
A total of 13 defendants have been charged in this case.
Williams was found guilty Dec. 3 of:
- Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances
- Murder related to drug trafficking crime
- Robbery
- Murder related to crime of violence (3 counts)
- Conspiracy to destroy evidence
- Murder of a witness (2 counts)
- Obstruction of justice
- Conspiracy to obstruct justice
- Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin
- Possession with intent to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin
- Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime
- Possession with intent to distribute fentanyl
- Distribution of cocaine
Williams faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment.
Congress sets minimum and maximum statutory sentences and sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court at a future hearing based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Angie Salazar, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced today’s verdict. Assistant United States Attorneys Elizabeth A. Geraghty and Timothy D. Prichard are representing the United States in this case.
This case was investigated by agents with the HSI Columbus office with assistance from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the Columbus Police Department. The investigation includes additional assistance from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), Franklin County Coroner’s Office, Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center (ONIC), U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), the Columbus Division of Fire and the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office.
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