Fort Worth Star-Telegram from Fort Worth, Texas • 223

SOICSONIPtiheitletotBedfor COI levviliel Eldest Grapevine Haltom CitrialasintMinIVIrvintaKrifieirNort RIChland 1111116111ohleinci HUI -RomiwkonelAhlakOMOPhit ub Yvataugationd WoUakill MYSTERY STILL UNSOLif Jennings treasures a photo of his older brother Neal Jennings which he took Feb 26 1988 within two days of his killing The man sitting in his brother's green pickup in the background of the photograph is a prime sus( pect in his death Alvin Jennings 63 who lives in PAT NIMMO BIDDLE Hurst and is owner of Northeast People Star Bible in Grapevine recently was interviewed about his brother's killing for NBC's Unsolved Mysteries which is scheduled to be shown locally at 7 pm Jan 20 on KXAS-TV Channel 5 "It was a strange sensation for me to watch the filming of this story with professional actors from Dallas protraying myselfand my brother and this man who is suspected of doing the murder" Jennings said They interviewed me for about 20 minutes They don't use family members to actually re-enact the story They take a short statement from family members and fuse it in the re-enactment of their movie shots" The suspect had been helping Neal Jennings restore his classic 1959 Ford Thunderbird for several months The man introduced to Alvin Jennings under an assumed name had lived with his brother in a travel trailer which was parked in the back yard of a friend's house in Dallas "I think they had some kind of dispute maybe over wages" Alvin Jennings said "He was using an alias His name is Bill Blackwell He had been arrested before Police have his photograph" Inspector Mark Donaldson with the Odessa Police Department said the suspect's full name is William I larrison Blackwell age 40 "There was a parole warrant out on him at the time for burglary" Donaldson said "It was issued by the IDC Texas Department of Corrections An informant told us the pickup was sold in Albuquerque a few days after the killing "It's a circumstantial case We have no eyewitnesses to the homicide This is the man we're looking for" At the time of his death Neal Jennings 59 had been divorced from his wife about I 0 years They had five grown children Because of the recession and Alvin Jennings believes a problem with alcohol Neal had lost his recreational vehicle businesses in Odessa and Abilene The last time Alvin Jennings saw his brother he came by his Grapevine business pulling the Thunderbird on a trailer "He wanted to leave it here while he went out to Odessa on business" Jennings said "His mood was very good I was encouraged by his attitude He had not been close to any of his family for several years" Leaving the car in Grapevine the two men pulled the empty trailer to a warehouse Neal Jennings had rented in Abilene He had an appointment Saturday night Feb 27 in Odessa with a friend from high school days Joyce but she said he didn't call or show up Later she heard on the radio that man's body had been found on a pile ofburning debris Sunday night on Andrews Highway in Odessa A newspaper article later reported the man had two gunshot wounds in his back believed to be from a I 2-gauge shotgun He also had a head wound from a "blunt instrument" "Nobody knew exactly where my 'brother was or when this happened" Alvin Jennings said "It was not until 3 o'clock in the morning Monday that Joyce awakened with a start as she reflected on the newscast of the night before Joyce could not dismiss from her mind that the victim might possibly be (More on RIDDLE on Page 5) Making waves: Grapevine swimmers hope to cause quite a splash this season Page 12 Cattlemanbusinessman Ed Roberts knows his the days are numbered for his leased farm at Rafe Snow Drive and FM 1709 4V1 Fon Wonh Star-Telegram I IAN MCVE Longtime Southlake resident Robert McPherson working a thoroughbred horse accepts development because "I can't change it" Across Northeast Tarrant pastures and ranch houses are giving way to restaurants and planned communities that cater to the area's newest settlers: soccer-playing children and their parents Wide open prairies and cattle drives have given way to high-dollar homes like Tony and Barbara Manisco's in South-lake (below) o' t' t- BY KAREN ALICE AND MELISSA WILLIAMS Fort Worth Star-Telegram KELLER To his right an unending column of rush hour traffic snakes along Farm Road 1709 headlights inching into the sunset To his left halfa dozen hungry Texas longhorns wait to be fed In the middle Ed Roberts sits atop his paint horse and marvels at progress even as he clings unashamedly to the past Roberts cattleman horseman Fort Worth businessman has the best and new Texas and he knows it "I live in the business world but then I cycle out put my jeans on come out here and it's like I'm a thousand miles away" But his days grazing cattle on this leased parcel at Rufe Snow Drive and FM 1709 are numbered and he knows that too The evidence is all around him: Up the street sprawls a gleaming new Kroger ringed by fast-food emporiums and video rental outlets in the pasture with Roberts' cattle a For Sale sign fades in the January twilight The Fort Worth woman who grew up here and now owns the place has decided it's time to offer up the 200-acre parcel on the altar ofprogress When the property sells Roberts like scores of Northeast Tarrant ranchers and farmers before him and scores more who will follow plans to move his operation further afield Across Northeast Tarrant County cattle pastures and ranch houses are giving way to restaurant rows and planned communities that cater to the area's newest wave of settlers: soccer-playing children and their commuting parents From his post at Master Made Feed Store in Grapevine Mitch Waters sees firsthand the changes in Northeast Tarrant's landscape Since his father bought this local institution in 1969 the (More on WEST on Page 4) VW104d SundayJan101993' i 1 Sunday Jan 10 1993 1 14 'k Cft4 "r''' i 1 0-114 zo 4s 4 'r 44 splash 41' -'C 2 -r 4 Al MAla Maldng waves: Grapevine swimmers to cause quite a this season ope Page 1111W 12 tro vilne 1101 11 uVatt min 0 lOhland H1110111ohlanol HillikiloahektOrSolithlah4larto C1 vvy tot ug tedtor ot eyvill 1 gulessIS aP I 6 1 m0140810 1 11( lt i a ationd WeStlak110 ViC tiM 's fami 1 seelan gansweArs MYSTERY STILL UN- I Jennings treasures a photo of his older brother Neal 1 arr Jennings which he took Feb 26 0 11 strt 't 1 ') 1988 within two days of his kill- '4 ing ttl'I'- 4 4 1 ere Aor The man sitting in his brother's 414i 1 'CI green pickup in the background of the photo- 4 Cattlemanbusiness- it el IC graph is a 4 f'" "-a) man Ed Roberts I 41 pri death sus- 1 1 knows his the days are pect min his 0 0 numbered for his A Alvin leased farm at Rafe is enili ins i Jennings Snow Drive and FM 63 who 1709 1110 lives in PAT NIMMO RIDDLE Hurst and is 1 owner of Northeast People Star Bible tN t' Publica- 1 ons Grapevine recently was I ti i in- A' terviewed about his brother's killing for NBC's Unsolved Mysteries 1 which is scheduled to be shown lo- cally at 7 pm Jan 20 on KXAS-TV A Channel 5 I It was a strange sensation for me I I to watch the filming of this story ets 0 with professional actors from Dal- 4 i las protraying myself and my broth- 1 er and this man who is suspected of 1 1 doing the murder" Jennings said "They interviewed me for about 20 I I 1---- 1 minutes They don't use family members to actually re-enact the story They take a short statement I I from family members and fuse it 1 t-- 11' i in the re-enactment of their movie i shots" 's- N- The suspect had been helping 1 Neal Jen nings restore his classic to 4 1959 Ford Thunderbird for several 0 1 months The man introduced to 4 A I i 1 Alvin Jennings under an assumed if name had lived with his brother in a 1 Jravel trailer which was parked in 4 'the back yard of a friend's house in 4 Dallas "I think they had some kind of 1 -N dispute maybe over wages" Alvin 4 1 Jennings said "He was using an Iv alias His name is Bill Blackwell He had been arrested before Police I have his photograph" Inspector Mark Donaldson with 1 the Odessa Police Depanment said 4 411 the suspect's full name is William 1 -1 I larrison Blackwell age 40 Is )) i 1 4 "There was a parole warrant out on him at the time for burglary" Fon Wonh Star-Telegram I IAN MCVE 4 Donaldson said "It was issued by Longtime Soutblake resident Robert McPherson working a thoroughbred horse accepts development because "Ican'tchange it" the TDC Texas Department of Corrections An informant told us the pickup was sold in Albuquerque a few days after the killing Across Northeast Tarrant pastures AND BY KAREN ALICE MELISSA WILLIAMS "It'S a circumstantial case We FOrt Worih have no eyewitnesses to the homi- and ranch houses are giving way to KELLER To his right an unending column of rush hour 4- i cide This is the man we're looking for" restaurants and planned traffic snakes along Farm Road 1709 headlights inching into the At the time of his death Neal Jen- nings 59 had been divorced from suet his wife about I 0 years They had communities that cater to the area's Tns his left halfa dozen hungry Texas longhorns wait to be fed five grown children Because of the recession and Alvin Jennings be- newest settlers soccer-playing In the middle Ed Roberts sits atop his paint horse and mar- lieves a problem with alcohol Neal had lost his recreational ve- children and their parents vels at progress even as he clings unashamedly to the past hicle businesses in Odessa and Roberts cattleman horseman Fort Worth businessman Abilene has the best and new Texas and he knows it "I live in the The last time Mvin Jennings saw Wide open prairies his brother he came by his Grape- business world but then 1 cycle out put my jeans on come out vine business pulling the Thunder- and cattle drives have here and it's like I'm a thousand miles away" given way to high- bird on a trailer "He wanted to leave it here while dollar homes like Nik 1 But his days grazing cattle on this leased parcel at Rufe Snow he went out to Odessa on business" Tony and Barbara 01- 4' Drive and FM 1709 are numbered and he knows that too The Jennings said "His mood was very Manisco's in South-- good I was encouraged by his at- lake (below) evidence is all around him: Up the street sprawls a gleaming new titude He had not been close to any Kroger ringed by fast-food emporiums and video rental outlets A of is family for several years" Leaving the car in Grapevine the in the pasture with Roberts' cattle a For Sale sign fades in the two men pulled the empty trailer to a warehouse Neal Jennings had January twilight rented in Abilene The Fort Worth woman who grew up here and now owns the He had an appointment Saturday place has decided it's time to offer up the 200-acre parcel on the night Feb 27 in Odessa with a friend from high school days Joyce altar ofprogress but she said he didn't call or show When the property sells Roberts like scores of Northeast up Later she heard on the radio that Tarrant ranchers and farmers before him and scores more who a man's body had been found on a i will follow plans to move his operation further afield pile ofburning debris Sunday nisht 1 1 on Andrews Highway in Odessa- A 0 A Across Northeast Tarrant County cattle pastures and ranch newspaper article later reported the -----7-1 I t- k3 1 1 I 7- man had two gunshot wounds in his 4 I 1 houses are giving way restaurant rows and planned communi- 1 back believed to be from a I 2-gauge i ties that cater to the area's newest wave of settlers: soccershotgu a He also had a head wound playing children and their commuting parents from a "blunt instrument" "Nobody knew exactly where my From his post at Master Made Feed Store in Grapevine Mitch 'brother was or when this happened" Alvin Jennings said "It Waters sees firsthand the changes in Northeast Tarrant's land-was not until 3 o'clock in the morn- scape Since his father bought this local institution in 1969 the ing Monday that Joyce awakened More on WEST on Page 4) with a start as she reflected on the newscast of the night before Joyce could not dismiss from her mind that the victim might possibly be 1 (More on RIDDLE on Page 5) 'r-'r4'4'w' It 4 10- 14tim-owsed-- Ar41 mi-m-411 1) 21: 101mPogookVomagowoommorm" It.