MAYPEARL
The arrest of Sandra Louise Garner, 55, in connection with the murder of her husband, Jon Garner, 42, on Wednesday, Jan. 10 has calmed the nerves of residents. The investigation into the homicide continues as Maypearl Police continue to tie together loose ends.
“We are still following up on information. We are going to be looking to interview some more people,” Maypearl Police Chief Boyd Norton said. “From this point, we are looking to put our case together. We are not done by any means. Anything that came up during the investigation, we are still going to follow through and confirm our information.”
Norton thanked the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Rangers for their help and the resources they provided during this investigation. He noted that those agencies support was invaluable.
In a Facebook post on Feb. 27, 2016, Sandra Garner wrote, “Yes you all should be jealous. I have the best husband ever.”
Rebecca Holmes, who is an employee at Studio RK in downtown, stated that she heard the news about the murder she couldn’t believe it.
“It sounded like a plot to a CSI, where the wife kills them and pretends it to look like someone else. It didn’t seem like something that could happen in a place like here,” Holmes said. “I am impressed that they got it and they figured out it was her. I am glad that it was so quick because it is kind of scary.”
Resident Kristen Deal shared Holmes thoughts about what has transpired. Working at the Busy Bee Café, she shared that people coming into the restaurant have all sorts of theories about what happened.
“I am glad that they finally found out who did it. It makes me feel better that the person was actually arrested was to blame. It was kind of scary knowing that the person was still out there,” Deal recalled. “Everyone asks about it. All of the stories are different. There have been so many different stories that we just want to know what is going on.”
Resident Linda Jackson stated the lack of answers has been disheartening.
“I think that everyone was wondering. There was a small article that the person was still at-large, but it was not a burglary,” Jackson said. “Everyone was wondering why there was not more information given out. That is what I was getting from people.”
Jackson noted that it is great that an arrest has been made but hopes the police has sufficient evidence.
Sherry Hindman at Big B’s Leather store commended the police for the hard work in a short amount of time.
“Someone came in the store this morning and said have you heard that they arrested someone and they said it was the wife. I was in total disbelief. I was like, 'no.' I pulled up her picture on the sheriff’s office website, and there she was,” Hindman stated. “I think that police department has done a really good job. It has only has been a few days and they have got what already happened solved.”
Maypearl Police officers were dispatched to the Garner home at 12:50 a.m. in the 100 block of Creekview Circle on Tuesday, Jan. 2 after the wife called told dispatchers someone had broken into their home and shot her husband. Jon Garner was found inside the home dead from a gunshot wound, which was confirmed by the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Police seized multiple electronic devices during the investigation. On one of the devices, belonging to Sandra Garner, an internet link related to “how to kill someone and not get caught” was found.
Investigators discovered a .38-caliber Taurus handgun inside a parked Ford Mustang during a second search on Jan. 5. This gun was not there during the initial search conducted on Jan. 2.
The .38 caliber Taurus handgun along with the two recovered projectiles were taken to the Department of Public Safety's crime lab in Garland, Texas for analysis. The crime lab notified investigators on Wednesday, Jan. 10 that the projectiles used to kill Jon Garner matched those of the .38-caliber Taurus found inside the vehicle at the residence. Sandra Garner was then arrested by police and is currently being held at the Wayne McCollum Detention Center on a $2 million bond.
Thomas Southhall echoed many people’s thoughts about safety.
“We were worried that there was somebody on the loose. If someone went into their house and shot the husband like she said and all of us were wondering if he was out on the street walking around and randomly going into houses,” he explained. “As soon we heard about that shooting my wife pulled up the picture (on Jon Garner’s Facebook page) and said, ‘who would go ahead and shoot a man in the head like that. They looked like a happy couple.’”
People with information about this crime are asked to call the Maypearl Police Department. Staff at the police department can be reached at 972-435-3671. The Maypearl Police Department is located 104 E. Second Street in downtown Maypearl.
If people have information but would like to remain anonymous, please contact Crime Stoppers of Ellis County at 972-937-7297. Crimes Stoppers pays cash for tips that help lead to an arrest.