Thomas L. Shorty Whitson, an 84-year-old Korean War veteran and lifelong Pickaway County resident, was killed at his home in Orient, Ohio, on March 30, 2014. He was found shot in the head while asleep in his favorite chair. Whitson was a retired prison worker and farmer, remembered by family for tending chickens, growing tomatoes and making cornbread from scratch.

Authorities say the killing was a calculated, premeditated act carried out by Whitson’s grandson, Shaun Lawson, who broke into the house with four friends. The motive reported was to steal Whitson’s guns to sell for drugs. Two accomplices — Kyle Robinson and Jordan Legg — were implicated in planning or participating in the break-in, while Joshua P. Johnson took part in the burglary and theft.

Lawson admitted to being the trigger man; prosecutions followed and several sentences were handed down. The family described profound grief and shock at the senseless loss. Did anyone in the Orient area have information about Whitson’s movements or the people who targeted him at that time?