Thomas Dillon

Thomas Lee Dillon (July 9, 1950[1][2] – October 21, 2011) was an American serial killer who shot and killed five men in southeastern Ohio, beginning April 1, 1989 and continuing until April 1992.[3]

For other people named Thomas Dillon, see Thomas Dillon (disambiguation).
Thomas Dillon
Mugshot of Dillon
Born(1950-07-09)July 9, 1950
Canton, Ohio, U.S.
DiedOctober 21, 2011(2011-10-21) (aged 61)
Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Criminal penalty
  • 5 terms of 30 years to life for aggravated murder
  • 15 years additional for gun specification
Details
Victims5 known
Span of crimes
April 1, 1989–April 5, 1992
CountryU.S.
State(s)Ohio
Weapons.308 Mauser rifle, 6.5 x 55mm Mauser Rifle
Date apprehended
November 27, 1992

Life and crimes

Dillon was born in Canton, Ohio and was a resident of nearby Magnolia. He had a wife and son and was employed for twelve years as a draftsman at the Canton Ohio Waterworks.

Between the period of April 1, 1989 to April 5, 1992, Dillon shot and killed five people in Ohio. His fourth victim, Claude Hawkins, was shot on federal property and was the reason the FBI stepped in to join the investigation along with officers from the other three counties and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. It was after this that the death of Kevin Loring was changed from an accident to a homicide.

Ten days after the task force meeting, Dillon would shoot his fifth victim, Gary Bradley, in Noble County, Ohio. Dillon was placed under surveillance in 1992 when a friend reported him after hearing the task force's initial press release concerning the murders. Larry Oller of Barnhill, Ohio was later shot at by Dillon while out hunting in Tuscarawas County, but he escaped uninjured.

Arrest

Dillon was arrested on a weapons charge on November 27, 1992, and he was placed under probation for owning a suppressor.

After the death penalty was removed as an option for punishment, Dillon admitted to the killings. On July 12, 1993 at the Noble County Courthouse, Dillon pleaded guilty to the five murders. Dillon was incarcerated at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility for five consecutive sentences of thirty years to life for aggravated murder.[1]

After an attempt by Dillon's wife to sell Dillon's story to Hollywood, Jean Paxton, Jamie Paxton's mother, and Ohio State Senator Bob Ney, passed the Paxton Bill, which barred killers or their relatives from profiting from their crimes.

Victims

Dillon's shooting victims were:[4]

Dillon was also investigated in connection with the unsolved shooting death of John Joseph Harvat on November 28, 1984, at a hunting camp in Wetmore Township, McKean County, Pennsylvania. In 1993, officials in Coshocton County notified the Pennsylvania State Police that Dillon had been named a suspect in several similar shootings in Ohio, but Dillon refused to discuss Harvat's case with police.[5]

Death

On October 21, 2011, Dillon died in the prison wing at Corrections Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio, aged 61, after being ill for nearly three weeks due to an unspecified illness.[6]

External video
The FBI Files: "Human Prey," 51:00 min. at youtube.com
Crime Stories: "The Silent Sniper," 46:00 min. at dailymotion.com
  • The Discovery Channel television series The FBI Files episode "Human Prey," S1, E3, Air date: 1998, depicts how a letter to a local newspaper provides a crucial clue to end Dillon's killing spree.[4]
  • The Court TV (now TruTV) television series Crime Stories disclosed Dillon's crimes in the episode "The Silent Sniper," S7, E3, 46:00 Minutes, Air date: 2009.[7][8]
  • Dillon was mentioned on Criminal Minds in the season twelve episode "The Apprenticeship", along with Joseph Duncan III an example of serial killers who don't start killing until they're middle-aged.

See also

References
  1. Dillon profile at the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction
  2. Willis, James A., Andrew Henderson and Loren Coleman. Weird Ohio: Your Travel Guide to Ohio's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets, "Ohio's Unsportsmanlike Sniper", pp. 108-110. Sterling Publishing Co., Ltd. 2005.
  3. Kohn, David (February 11, 2009). "A Sniper's Mind". CBSNEWS.com. CBS News. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  4. Morrison, Lee (October 23, 2011). "Hunter murderer Thomas Lee Dillon dies at 61". TimesReporter.com. The Times Reporter. Archived from the original on April 24, 2012. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  5. "Media Release #2282, Suspicious Death of John Joseph Harvat – Wetmore Township, McKean County, PA". Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers. July 6, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  6. Ludlow, Randy (October 22, 2011). "Killer Dillon, who hunted outdoorsmen, is dead". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  7. Allen, Steve (31 May 2009). "The Silent Sniper". imdb.com. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  8. "Crime Stories". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
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