A 44-year-old Columbus man was sentenced to three consecutive life terms plus an additional 60 months in federal court on Monday for a series of murders linked to a drug conspiracy, according to federal prosecutors.
Larry J. Williams Jr., also known as “J Streets” and “J,” was found guilty on all 16 counts in a second superseding indictment in connection with the 2018 homicides in December. He was sentenced to five further life sentences, which will be served consecutively.
According to court documents and trial testimony, Williams orchestrated a conspiracy to rob a marijuana dealer of narcotics and cash at a Columbus apartment. He fatally shot Grove City resident Connor Reynolds, 23, on June 27, 2018, during a heist at 847 E.N. Broadway.
In the weeks that followed, Williams murdered two more Columbus residents, Henry Watson, 52, and Tera Pennington, 48, to prevent them from working with law enforcement. They were both killed on the same day in August 2018.
Williams then told others to clean up the crime scene with bleach and chemicals, and he told co-conspirators to dismember and bury Watson and Pennington’s remains to conceal the crimes.
The inquiry also revealed that Williams operated a drug house at 121 Stevens Ave., where he sold and used fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine. Prosecutors said that drug users overdosed in the basement on several occasions, necessitating the use of Narcan.
The case was prosecuted following a multi-year investigation by federal and local law enforcement agencies.