On July 20, 2021, the body of 18-year-old John Clinton of Jacksonville, Texas, was found in a driveway near New Summerfield. Three other people inside the same rural home were also shot to death: Jeff Gerla, 47; Amanda Bain, 39; and Ami Hickey, 39, who was Clinton’s mother. The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office opened a quadruple homicide investigation.

Investigators say the killings began with a robbery plot tied to a handgun Clinton intended to sell for $500. An acquaintance, 20-year-old Jesse Pawlowski, recruited Billy Phillips, 37, and Dylan Welch, 21, to steal the gun. Pawlowski later confessed that Phillips took the handgun from Clinton and shot him in the back of the head; the three then went inside and Phillips shot the other three victims. Pawlowski admitted taking a Dodge Challenger key fob from Clinton and stealing the vehicle after the murders.

Pawlowski, Phillips, and Welch were arrested the day the bodies were found and charged with capital murder. Pawlowski pleaded guilty and received life without parole after cooperating; Welch agreed to testify and the district attorney declined to seek the death penalty against him. The case against the alleged shooter, Billy Phillips, remained pending with DNA evidence ordered retested and no trial date set as of April 2023.

Did anyone in the area know these victims or have information about the events of July 19–20, 2021?