Arthur Jennings, 83, a World War I veteran who walked with a cane, was found murdered in his Oakland home on August 18, 1980. A Meals-on-Wheels driver had delivered a meal and spoken with Jennings around 10:30 a.m. that day; the driver discovered Jennings’s body the following morning. Injuries included a fractured spine from a backward fall, multiple bruises to the face, head, neck and upper body, and fractures to the larynx and hyoid bones. The cause of death was asphyxiation due to manual strangulation.

The investigation led to the February 4, 1981, arrest of 23-year-old David Edwin Mason. Mason reportedly knew Jennings from sexual encounters during Mason’s teenage years. On the day of the killing, Mason allegedly visited Jennings’s home saying he was looking for something to do, forced his way in when Jennings opened the door, and a struggle followed in which Mason punched and strangled Jennings before stealing Jennings’s World War I service ring and about $16.

Anyone who knew Arthur Jennings, his habits, or saw visitors at his Oakland residence in August 1980 is asked to share information with investigators.