Cold Case Files: A Christmas Tragedy-The murderers of Locust Grove couple in 2007 still remain an enigma

On December 23, 2007, Jack and Elaine Denney, a retired couple living quietly on Iron Post Road near Locust GrovE , were shot to death in their rural home. The 65-year-old Jack was killed with two gunshot wounds to the head in the dining room, while his 66-year-old wife Elaine suffered three shots to the chest.

Their bodies were discovered the next morning, Christmas Day, by their daughter Sarah Keener, her husband Ladney, and their grandchildren, who had arrived for holiday celebrations. The scene was one of interrupted festivity: a small nativity manger glowed in the front yard, dinner remnants sat on the table, dishes filled the sink, and Elaine's homemade peanut brittle--intended as neighbor gifts--remained on the counter.

A calendar page stuck on December 23 marked the end of their preparations. Only about $100 in cash was missing from Jack's wallet, with no other valuables taken and no signs of forced entry.

Jack R. Denney had spent much of his career as a lineman with the Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA), Oklahoma's largest public power utility, where he maintained high-voltage lines along the Grand and Illinois Rivers.

Jack's work contributed to bringing electricity to rural Northeast Oklahoma, a legacy of quiet reliability that mirrored his personal life. After retiring shortly before the holidays in 2007, he devoted his time to a backyard woodshop, crafting birdhouses and whittling walking sticks for locals.

Neighbors remembered him as handy and approachable, always ready with a tool or a story from his days on the dams.

Elaine Denney was the heart of the household, a homemaker renowned for her baking and sewing. Her peanut brittle and holiday breads were local legends, often shared with family and friends, earning her the affectionate nickname "Minkama" from her grandchildren.

She crafted quilts for the annual Cherokee County Fair, where the couple were active volunteers, and tended a garden that supplied fresh produce for community suppers. The Denneys had relocated from Tulsa to their modest ranch-style home on Iron Post Road in 1998, drawn to the pecan groves and pastures of the Ozark foothills for a simpler life.

There, they became known as the "grandparents of the holler," hosting Sunday gatherings and doting on Sarah's young family. Sarah later described her parents as "vibrant, healthy people" with "lots more to do," underscoring their active roles in church and neighborhood events.

 No enemies, no debts, no scandals--their lives were a testament to post-retirement contentment.

The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office called in the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) immediately, with Undersheriff Jason Chennault arriving first to the harrowing scene.

"The first thing I saw was the Christmas decorations," he recalled years later. "But even more than that, the discovery by their daughter, son-in-law, and grandkids... If you looked up 'innocent victims,' it's Jack and Elaine."

 Agent Vicky Lyons led the probe, collecting a unidentified palm print from the dryer, faint boot treads in the mud, and shell casings from a .22-caliber weapon that was never recovered.

The lack of forced entry suggested the killer was known to the couple, possibly a local familiar with their isolated home.

The case stalled amid a wave of rural homicides, with theories ranging from a botched robbery to vague grudges tied to Jack's GRDA tenure. A $10,000 OSBI reward in 2017 yielded tips but no breakthroughs.

Then, in 2008, Justin James Walker, a 21-year-old Tahlequah resident jailed for an unrelated stabbing, confessed in a letter, sketching crime-scene details and claiming revenge for a girlfriend's slight. His history of methamphetamine use and mental health treatment since age 10 raised doubts; the palm print didn't match, and the confession was dismissed as unreliable hallucination.

An anonymous 2017 tip revived the file, leading to Walker's indictment on two counts of first-degree murder by a multicounty grand jury in March 2018. Evidence pointed to a possible accomplice (suggested by mismatched boot prints) and a drug-fueled robbery motive, with Walker high on meth while casing homes for quick cash.

 On March 28, 2019, before Cherokee County Judge Douglas Kirkley, Walker, then 33 and already imprisoned on other felonies, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder.

He admitted shooting the Denneys during the intrusion, receiving concurrent 40-year sentences, effectively life. District Attorney Jack Thorp called it "a great day for justice," noting the family's courtroom presence as Walker was led away.

Yet the second set of prints and unresolved accomplice questions keep OSBI reviewing leads, including genetic genealogy on the palm print

Jack and Elaine's joint funeral was held on December 30, 2007, at Locust Grove Funeral Home, a small chapel serving the tight-knit community. Services emphasized their faith and generosity, with family and friends filling the pews to honor a couple who "lived for their family."

 They were buried side by side at Locust Grove Cemetery, a shaded hillside plot amid the rolling hills they loved. Their shared headstone bears a simple cross and the inscription "Together Forever," overlooking the pastures where Jack once grazed cattle.

Each Christmas, Sarah places poinsettias at the grave, a ritual blending grief with gratitude. "They were wonderful people," she told a Tulsa television station in 2019. "Someone out there knows the whole story."

The homestead stands as a quiet memorial, where the family trims a holiday tree annually. A plaque at the Cherokee County Fairgrounds and raffled "Elaine Quilts" support cold-case funds.

Nearly 18 years later, the Denneys' story endures as a reminder of their legacy that is woven into the fabric of Locust Grove like one of Elaine's quilts.