REBECCA, Ga. — A 47-year-old Pulaski County man is now charged with killing a south Georgia family and his unborn child 18 years after their deaths.
According to a news release from the GBI, Jason Walker was arrested and charged Wednesday with murder in the deaths of Thomas, Deborah and Melissa Wideman.
Walker is also charged with feticide as Melissa was found to be carrying his baby at the time of her death.
CASE HISTORY
The GBI’s Perry office was requested by the Turner County Sheriff’s Office in March 2002 to assist with their investigation into the deaths of the Wideman family.
The GBI says the Turner County Fire Department and Sheriff’s Office responded to a house fire on Georgia Highway 112E in Rebecca on the morning of March 22.
Inside the home were the three bodies identified as Tommy Wideman, 51, Deborah Wideman, 48, and their daughter, 20-year-old Melissa who was 8.5 months pregnant at the time of her death.
The GBI performed autopsies on the trio and determined they had been shot and killed prior to the fire.
During the initial investigation, evidence was processed, analyzed and interviews were conducted until all leads were exhausted. The GBI identified possible suspects, but no one was charged.
In Dec. 2014, the GBI says the case was reassigned and the evidence was reviewed. While the case was being investigated, a new witness contacted law enforcement and identified a man leaving the Wideman’s home around the time they were killed.
The new statement corroborated the evidence in the initial investigation.
The case was presented to Tifton DA Paul Bowden, who found it should be presented to a grand jury. The grand jury met Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020 and decided to indict Jason Walker.
The case has been turned over to Bowden’s office for prosecution.
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