On July 31st, 2023 a Knox County Grand Jury indicted Terry T. Barker, age 43 of Mount Vernon on charges of Aggravated Murder (with a firearm specification) and Weapons under Disability for the May 2nd, 2022 death of Paul L. Williams, age 43.
On May 2, 2022, at approximately 11 AM, Mount Vernon Police Officers responded to a call at Ariel Foundation Park in reference to an unresponsive male subject in a vehicle near the Clock House. Upon their arrival, Officers found Paul L. Williams deceased in his vehicle.
During the investigation, it was determined that Williams died from a gunshot wound, and the case was classified as a homicide. At this time the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) was brought in and has assisted throughout the investigation.
The decision was made by the Police Department, County Prosecutor’s Office, BCI, and the other agencies involved with the investigation to restrict the publicizing of information regarding this case. This was done in an attempt to assist the investigators in obtaining information and evidence needed to successfully conclude this case. This decision was not taken lightly.
In the 14 months following the incident Detectives from the Mount Vernon Police Department, BCI investigators, Detectives from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, and the Knox County Prosecutors Office have put hundreds of man-hours into this investigation.
Their dedication and hard work culminated in the indictment of Terry T. Barker for the Aggravated Murder (with firearms specification) of Paul L. Williams. Barker was also charged with Having Weapons while under Disability.
The case was presented by County Prosecutor Chip McConville and lead investigator Detective Matthew Haver from the Mount Vernon Police Department. Many other people and agencies have also contributed to this successful indictment.
The suspect Barker is currently incarcerated in the Delaware County Jail on unrelated charges.
We should all thank the Officers, Prosecutors, Investigators, and others that never stopped working on this case from day one. 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.
Respectfully,
Chief Robert Morgan
Mount Vernon Police Department