A Columbus man was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences plus an additional five years in federal prison today in U.S. District Court for the murders of three individuals as part of a narcotics-related robbery conspiracy. Larry J. Williams, Jr., 44, also known as “J Streets” and “J,” was also handed five concurrent life sentences. The crimes included orchestrating the dismemberment and burial of two victims to conceal evidence.
Following a three-week trial in December 2024, a jury convicted Williams on all 16 counts outlined in a second superseding indictment from September 2021. Court documents and trial testimony revealed that Williams led a 2018 conspiracy to rob a local marijuana dealer of drugs and cash, which escalated into a series of violent acts.
On June 27, 2018, Williams and co-conspirators executed an armed robbery at 847 E.N. Broadway in Columbus, aiming to steal marijuana and cash. During the heist, Williams fatally shot Connor Reynolds, a 23-year-old from Grove City, who was present at the residence. To cover up this murder, Williams killed Henry Watson, a 52-year-old from Columbus, in August 2018, to prevent him from reporting the initial crime to authorities. That same day, he also murdered Tera Pennington, a 48-year-old from Columbus, to eliminate her as a potential witness.
To obstruct justice, Williams ordered the crime scene cleaned with bleach and other chemicals. He directed others to dismember the bodies of Watson and Pennington, remove them from the scene, and bury the remains elsewhere. Additionally, Williams operated a drug den at 121 Stevens Ave., where fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine were sold, and addicts frequently overdosed. Co-conspirators used Narcan to revive users on multiple occasions.
In a related development, co-defendant Patrick Foster, 41, of Columbus, was sentenced to 70 months in prison for his role in assisting Williams. Foster instructed three others to help move and dispose of the two dismembered bodies, using a jackhammer to break through the concrete floor of a residence on Sullivant Avenue, where the remains were buried under new concrete.
The case has led to the conviction and sentencing of 13 defendants in total. The sentences were announced by Acting United States Attorney Kelly A. Norris for the Southern District of Ohio, Acting Special Agent in Charge Jared Murphey of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit, Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin, and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant. U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson presided, with Assistant United States Attorneys Elizabeth A. Geraghty and Timothy D. Prichard representing the prosecution.
