| By Bob Weaver
Thirty-year-old Roger Eric Jones reportedly confessed to the brutal murder
of Oral "Sam" Jett, 83, of Clendenin, during an early morning interview with
Roane Sheriff Todd Cole.
He was charged with "feloniously, willfully and maliciously" murdering Jett
about January 4th and is being held in Central Regional Jail.
There are indications Jones may have been involved in the death of John
Moorehead, 68, a few days earlier on December 29th on Arnoldsburg Road
near the Calhoun-Roane line.
State Police have not released information regarding the suspicious
circumstances surrounding Moorehead's death, but a medical examiner
report says he died from blunt force trauma to the head, prior to the burning
of his mobile home.
Trooper Doug Starcher of the Spencer Detachment, who has been
investigating that case, has not commented. Moorehead's family said they had not been interviewed by the State Police, but they were told the matter was under investigation.
Family members have said they believe Moorehead was
murdered, reportedly discussing the presence of a mysterious vehicle on
his property.
Details of the Amma murder have been revealed in documents filed in Roane County.
Roger Jones was picked-up by authorities on Walker Road early Wednesday
morning in Calhoun County, where he had been staying, after quick police
work by Sheriff Todd Smith and the Roane County Sheriff's Department. He
was video-arriagned by Calhoun Magistrate Teresa Robinson early
Wednesday.
Informants who read and heard about the incident over the weekend
contacted department officials, and Chief Deputy Jeff Smith and other
officers followed numerous leads.
Jones apparently beat Jett to death near Amma, Roane County, in an area
known as Sugar Camp Road, his remains discovered hours later a few feet
from his car. A witness said "There was blood everywhere."
The arrest warrant says Jones later admitted to his mother Sue Jones, that
"he was a wanted man and he was getting ready to run."
Deputy Jeff Smith said a slip of paper found in Jetts' Clendenin trailer had
the phone number of Jones' mother near Spencer. He also found a note
saying he was taking a friend to Amma.
Deputy Smith then received an anonymous phone call from Cross Lanes,
connecting Jones to the murder. The anonymous caller said he knew Jones
had been staying around the Clendenin area and he knew "for a fact" that
Jones knew "Sam" Jett. The caller said he knew Jones had been in the
Roane County area on Friday night, indicating he was afraid for his family
and himself if Jones knew he informed.
The Roane County Sheriff's department interviewed Roger Jones' ex-wife,
Tina, who indicated his mother and brother had information regarding his
possession of credit cards that had to do with the investigation, according
to the arresting information.
Jay Jones, the brother, said Roger Jones was at his residence on
Parkersburg Road between Spencer and Reedy, possibly the day of the
murder, and was in possession of a credit card on which Jett's name
appeared. Roger Jones also told his brother that "He had done something
very bad."
Jone's mother told the Sheriff's Department that he "waived some credit
credits around and she grabbed ahold of one of them," and she saw the
name of Jett, stating she had heard about the man being found at
Amma.
Later that day, Jones asked to speak to his mother privately, telling her he
was in trouble, way over his head. He told her he "had done some real bad
things." He continued to say that "God couldn't forgive him, that he done
crossed over." His mother told authorities Jones said he "had done it two or
three times," which she took to mean killing.
Sue Jones said she mentioned the Jett incident and her son said he (Jones)
had burnt his clothes. She mentioned something about footprints, and
"Roger said that he should have burnt his boots, too." He then asked his
mother if she had seen the name (Jett) on the credit cards, and she told
him she had.
It was then learned when Roger Jones was young, he was a neighbor of
Sam Jett at Clio in Roane County.
Jones was a suspect in a suspicious fire last year on Walker Road, when a
residence
he had been living in burned. The Upper West Fork VFW
asked for an
arson investigation, believing the house was "fire bombed."
Calhoun and Roane
Magistrate Court records indicate Jones had written
multiple worthless checks.
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