MOUNT VERNON – A Knox County grand jury indicted a Mount Vernon man on July 31 on an aggravated murder charge in the May 2, 2022, death of Paul L. Williams, age 43.
Terry T. Barker, 43, of Mount Vernon, was indicted on charges of aggravated murder (with a firearm specification) and having weapons while under disability, according to a press release by Mount Vernon Police Chief Robert Morgan. He was being held in the Delaware County Jail on unrelated charges.
“Hopefully, that gives some relief to the family a little bit,” Morgan told the Mount Vernon News.
Mount Vernon Police officers responded to a call at approximately 11 a.m. on May 2, 2022, at Ariel-Foundation Park made in reference to an unresponsive man in a vehicle near the Clock House. Upon their arrival, the officers found Williams dead in his vehicle.
Investigators determined Williams died from a gunshot wound, and the case was classified as a homicide, according to the release.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) was called in and assisted throughout the investigation.
The Mount Vernon Police Department (MVPD), Knox County Prosecutor’s Office, BCI and other agencies involved in the investigation decided to restrict information about the case, the release said.
“This was done in an attempt to assist the investigators in obtaining information and evidence needed to successfully conclude this case,” Morgan said in the release. “This decision was not taken lightly.”
Detectives from the MVPD and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office and investigators from the BCI and the Knox Prosecutor’s Office spent hundreds of hours on the investigation.
Knox County Prosecutor Chip McConville and lead investigator Detective Matthew Haver from the MVPD presented the case to the grand jury.
“We should all thank the officers, prosecutors, investigators and others that never stopped working on this case from day one," Morgan said. "I would also like to offer all of our condolences to the family of Paul Williams and thank them for their patience and understanding during this long and complicated investigation."
