Ross County – On October 22nd, law enforcement and EMS were called out to 181 Bull Creek Road near Adelphi, the residence of the couple Eric Vanover and 44-year-old Jara McKnight (a.k.a. Jara Newman). A van in the driveway was on fire, and flames spread to the residence. When they arrived at first they thought they were fighting a fire but eventually, they realized they were unfolding a murder.
When they arrived they found homeowner Eric Vanover on the ground unconscious, when they started to fight the fire they found shell casings in the driveway, and due to the fire spreading to the home firefighters while inside found a .22 handgun lying on a bed.
Vanover was transported to the local hospital in critical condition, while working on him in the hospital, the hospital reported that a gunshot wound was found in the back of Vanover’s head. Nine days later he died.
According to testimony from McKnight, she had fired a .22 caliber handgun into the back of the van from 35-40 feet away at Vanover after a verbal altercation that led to the fire.
In court this week Jara Mcknight, 46 pleaded guilty after a plea deal and received 15 years to life.
