Donald Carl Welling, 35, of Strasburg, Ohio, was shot and killed on April 1, 1989, while walking or jogging on Route 94 in Tuscarawas County. Ballistics later tied the rifle used in his killing to Thomas Lee Dillon, an Ohio man who was identified as the perpetrator in a series of shootings that targeted outdoorsmen.

Dillon was arrested in November 1992 after a friend reported suspicious behavior and a gun dealer turned over a rifle that matched the weapon used in Welling’s murder. Prosecutors from four counties disagreed on handling the cases, leading to a special prosecutor and a plea agreement in which Dillon admitted the murders. He received five consecutive life terms with no possibility of parole for 165 years.

Welling’s family was among those affected by the investigation and prosecution that followed these killings. Does anyone have memories of Welling or information about his life in Strasburg that could add to his story?