Two Men Arrested for Murder of MW Man
####Press Release ####
Two men have been arrested and charged in connection with a Parker County homicide.
A man was found deceased in the early hours of May 20, 2022, next to a railroad track near a brick plant in western Parker County.
Parker County Sheriff Russ Authier said a witness stopped at the railroad crossing for a passing train just before 1 a.m. in the 2300-Block of Bennett Road and observed the victim lying motionless in a ditch.
“The victim’s injuries were consistent with homicidal violence,” said Sheriff Authier.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause and manner of death as homicide by multiple stab wounds. The TCME also identified the victim as Jamie Eugene Shaw Jr, 38, of Mineral Wells.
A witness reported seeing a dark-colored vehicle flee the scene of the murder.
Through the investigation, two suspects were identified as William Floyd Watts, 30; and Leonard Ray Loftis, 33, both of Mineral Wells.
Sheriff’s investigators and Texas Rangers stated a witness reported hearing the suspects discussing their intentions of killing Shaw before they met that night.
Loftis was arrested in Palo Pinto county Friday evening by Parker County Sheriff’s Office personnel and was placed in the Parker County Jail. His bond was set at $750,000 on the murder charge. Watts turned himself him to the Polk County, Arkansas Sheriff’s Office on Saturday afternoon for the Parker County murder warrant. Later that day, Sheriff’s Investigators and crime scene technicians traveled to Arkansas to interview Watts and process his vehicle for evidence. Watts was returned to the Parker County Jail early Sunday morning where he is being held on $1,000,000.00 bond.
“We would like to thank the Texas Rangers for their assistance in the investigation,” said Sheriff’ Russ Authier. “We would also like to thank Polk County officials and the numerous other agencies for their cooperation and assistance as well. Finally, we would like to commend our Criminal Investigations Division who tirelessly worked around the clock over the holiday weekend in order to solve this murder case and make these arrests.”
