Jon Hensley Death Case Remains Open Pending Autopsy
Artist manager Jon Hensley was unexpectedly found dead in his home in Bowling Green, KY on June 1st, and nearly two weeks later, questions still remain on how the 31-year-old manager for Wanda Jackson and Shooter Jennings passed away. The investigation into his death remains an open matter according to the Bowling Green Police detective assigned to the case, Jared Merriss, and will remain open at least until the autopsy and toxicology reports are concluded, which is expected to take at least another month.
“Typically [a case] will remain open pending the final autopsy report just to ensure that there was no foul play,” Detective Merriss explains to Saving Country Music. Detective Merriss was called to Jon Hensley’s house after the responding officer, Officer Rexroat, witnessed circumstances about the scene that he found suspicious, including that Hensley had a black eye. A warrant for Jon Hensley’s house was obtained, and the location was made into a crime scene.
“When a case is assigned to an investigator, and in this case it was because they asked an investigator to come over to the scene, basically I own the case if you will,” Detective Merriss explains. “It goes away from patrol and becomes mine. I keep separate notes of all of the details of the investigation, and then I’ll put that into a final report. Then it will be closed on our end sometime after that. And that depends on what other followup is necessary, and if there is any other investigative steps to take after I’ve read the medical examiner’s autopsy report.”
Though multiple rumors continue to persist about how Jon Hensley passed away and what the findings of the autopsy are, as Deputy Coroner David Goens for Warren County explains, final autopsy and toxicology information has yet to be made available to either the police, or anyone else.
“The autopsy is complete, but the report is not finished yet,” says David Goens. “The autopsy is done usually within three to four hours, but the report usually takes about six to ten weeks to get back. [Jon Hensley’s] autopsy was done June 2nd, so from there it’s usually six to ten weeks before we have any type of report back from the medical examiner in Louisville. So you’re looking at the middle of July to the first of August is what we would be anticipating. Shows like CSI and NCIS, they ruin people’s concept because things happen in an hour; they don’t have the reality that it takes weeks.”
Part of the reason the autopsy takes so long is because certain tests in the toxicology process can take weeks to finalize.
“It depends on what they’re looking for and what they’re studying for, the toxicology and stuff,” Goens explains. “That’s what takes time to analyze. We’re looking at Mr. Hensley, but [the medical examiner] could have had seven to nine autopsies that day. We’re concerned for him and want to find the information as quickly as we can, but it just kind of falls as it goes. Right now there’s nothing to report. Everything is pending his toxicology to get the final report.”
Meanwhile a question of choking on food has emerged as a potential cause of death that was not alluded to in the initial police report. There was no mention of food around Mr. Hensley in the report, nor any mention that the circumstances around him appeared that he may have choked. However without a completed autopsy report, any determination of cause of death at this point is speculation, including choking.
Some friends of Jon Hensley have also reached out to Bowling Green police with concerns that Hensley did not sustain a black eye by falling as described in the police report, but had been assaulted days before his death. Saving Country Music asked Detective Merriss about both the choking question and the black eye, and his response was “I can’t and won’t comment on any other aspect of the case.” Detective Merriss insisted any further case information would be kept private until a final report is released once the case is officially closed.
Both the final report from the Bowling Green Police, and the autopsy / toxicology will be a matter of public record once they are finalized.
As concerned friends, family, and fans await conclusive answers on what happened to Jon Hensley, his sister Whitney Hensley has set up a Memorial Fund to help pay for Jon’s final expenses.
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June 15, 2015 @ 9:04 am
You just will not leave it alone Jon hated you and it took alot for Jon to hate someone just stop already
June 15, 2015 @ 10:12 am
and yet here you are, also not letting it go. Excuse me stormtrooper this is the hypocrite you’re looking for.
June 15, 2015 @ 10:54 am
Not sure why Trigger should stop. Mr. Hensley didn’t hate me or most of the others who get news about country music from this site. (True, Mr. Hensley didn’t know me, but that’s beside the point.) Mr. Hensley’s death is news, including the cause of death. Since there are no other outlets – mainstream news, alternative news, bloggers, etc. – reporting on Mr. Hensley and his unfortunate death, why shouldn’t Trigger and Saving Country Music report on it? Why should those of us who care be left in the dark?
Moreover, if you don’t like Trigger’s reporting of Jon Hensley, then just stay away. By visiting SCM and commenting, you’re only helping to perpetuate the thing you dislike.
June 15, 2015 @ 11:31 am
Why do you have to know how he died?
June 15, 2015 @ 11:52 am
Why don’t you want the cause of death to be known? Is there something to hide? Other people involved?
June 15, 2015 @ 12:47 pm
that seems to be the real issue…….
June 15, 2015 @ 11:56 am
It is one of the most very basic tenets of any civilized society to determine the cause of death for every individual who has passed away, especially if they were 31-years-old and healthy, as Jon Hensley was. I have never seen another instance where individuals were saying it is not important how a 31-year-old died unexpectedly. Ever. It seems to me that this would be the seat of callousness and the devaluation of life. I think we all should be concerned how Jon Hensley died. What if he was poisoned? What if he was murdered? That is the reason this is still and open case with the Bowling Green Police Department. What if he was sold some bad drugs, and those same drugs could kill others? Why wouldn’t we prevent that by looking into Jon’s case?
Or….
What if Jon Hensley simply choked to death on a hamburger he was eating, and all the rushes to judgement that this was an overdose of some sort (which is at the heart of why people don’t want you to know about his death) are eventually disproven by the facts of the situation? If I was a friend of Jon Hensley, I would want this information out there to refute all of the assumptions being made about why or how he died.
And even if the cause of death is not found to be choking, I think it is an imperative that we all learn from this death to make sure a tragedy such as this never happens again. That is what is at the heart of asking “Why?” There’s nothing undignified here, regardless of the outcome. It’s everyone’s job to learn from this tragedy, not to judge. But how can you learn if you don’t even know what happened?
Frankly, this most suspicious thing about this case in my opinion is not any of the evidence or circumstances surrounding Jon Hensley’s death. It’s that so many people don’t want you to know about them.
June 15, 2015 @ 12:33 pm
“Frankly, this most suspicious thing about this case in my opinion is not any of the evidence or circumstances surrounding Jon Hensley”™s death. It”™s that so many people don”™t want you to know about them.”
+1.
June 15, 2015 @ 12:46 pm
nail, head, hit!
June 15, 2015 @ 1:07 pm
This man was only two years older than me at the time of his death. I can completely relate to wanting to know how a man my age, of whom was also involved in the music community, passed away.
June 24, 2015 @ 9:59 am
It’s funny, Kyle. You railed about wanting to report the events surrounding Jon’s death (including a detailed, lengthy rundown of all the seedy details) and hid behind your “journalistic duty and integrity” to do so.
Except for the fact that you have been silent on the news of a memorial show being held in his memory on the 4th of July with Shooter playing a show for his best friend. I guess that doesn’t carry enough mud to sling for your liking.
Of course now you likely will report it, seeing it as a good chance to seem like you want to do more than just drag Jon’s name through the mud. Just know that I caught the contradiction though. And I’m not the only one.
June 24, 2015 @ 11:42 am
Venice,
Thank you for leaving this comment, because it perfectly illustrates the dilemma I am facing with this issue, and frankly, a comment like this was anticipated. I have the Jon Hensley Tribute on my white board of topics to cover, and the only reason it hasn’t been covered yet is I was waiting for more detailed information about it to emerge. Nobody has reached out to request I cover the Tribute. The only reason I saw anything about it was running down public death threats being made at me. But I do intend to cover it.
See, your comment illustrates exactly what would have happened if I had NOT covered Jon Hensley’s passing. The only reason I knew Jon Hensley had died is because a friend of his, someone who he worked with, reached out to me specifically to let me know. I then spoke to an official in Bowling Green who filled me in on the details. It was one of Jon’s friends who wanted me to help let folks know. People only began to take issue with the coverage many hours after it was posted when they were told to by someone to be offended by it. If I had NOT covered Jon Hensley’s death, especially since one of his friends reached out specifically for me to report it, the blow back would have even been worse.
Understand that I have received specific death threats, and one missive from and individual PROMISING that if I ever post about Jon Hensley again, there will be repercussions. I’m not asking for anyone’s sympathy. I know some folks see me as this evil, evil guy. But understand that no matter what I do in the future—whether I cover the benefit or other developments or not—people will use it to attack me either way. Just as you said Venice, “Of course now you likely will report it,” so I’ve already caught grief for not reporting it, and now I will catch grief because I did.
“seeing it as a good chance to seem like you want to do more than just drag Jon”™s name through the mud.”
I have never, and did never drag Jon’s name through the mud, or utter a discouraging word about Jon through any of this. My coverage has been nothing but respectful, informative, compassionate, and agnostic. Many times I have asked for specific quotes or instances where I have said anything negative about Jon through this process, and I have yet to receive an answer from anyone. There has been nothing callous or out of the ordinary with my coverage, and I remain committed to covering this story to its conclusion like I have done many other stories involving the deaths of important music personalities.
June 15, 2015 @ 12:06 pm
Why shouldn’t we know how he died? He was a man with a certain level of fame, particularly in the country/alt-country/traditional country/Americana musical areas. I suppose you’ll tell me that you never cared to find out how anyone famous ever passed? You didn’t read about how George Jones died? You didn’t care about how Earl Scruggs passed or how Jim Ed Brown died?
I would surmise you are in the minority if you’ve never once cared how a celebrity died. I don’t know of anyone with any level of notoriety dying and the cause of death not being mentioned or discussed. Further, if the cause of death is unknown or not clear, it is always news when the cause is announced.
I think it happens on a more personal level, too. You find out a Great Aunt has died and you don’t wonder what the circumstances are? Someone you graduated high school with passes and you shrug it off with no regard to cause? Again, I would think you’re in the minority. In fact, I think a cause of death is something that, generally, we all desire to know regardless of who the person might be.
June 18, 2015 @ 1:10 pm
An otherwise healthy 31 year old is found dead. That’s kind of a thing most people would be curious about. Not that the answer isn’t fairly obvious, but it’s certainly newsworthy.
June 15, 2015 @ 9:19 am
Should be an interesting prognosis to say the least. I wonder if immediate family and friends find out the cause of death substantially before the public does.?
June 15, 2015 @ 9:51 am
Btw thanks Trig for keeping everyone updated on this tragedy. Better to keep reporting on it and keeping everyone that cares informed, instead of just leaving it alone and possibly having people forget about it. Great reporting.
June 15, 2015 @ 10:19 am
Excellent writing..Thank you for the nice reporting!!
June 15, 2015 @ 10:31 am
Keep up the good work, Trigger! They just don’t make nearly enough true journalists like you now like they used to!
June 15, 2015 @ 1:14 pm
Thank you for reporting on this story. It is mind boggling to me that people say “why does it matter how he died?” Really? It has mattered to me how every person I’ve ever known died. And of course people are going to want to know why someone who was in the public eye and passed at 31 died. I just can’t understand why so many people can’t understand that…
June 15, 2015 @ 1:26 pm
His father said it was a mix of cocaine, meth, xanax, and whiskey. I am not here to disgrace him or hurt anyone. I just hope this settles it and we can move on and others view this as a warning. The warning is to watch your drug consumption and preferably stop using. We have lost far to many and my heart aches. His father said it was an OD so please lets respect him and his family and drop the issue.
June 15, 2015 @ 2:06 pm
John,
His father may be saying this, but others are saying something else, and in the end I think we need the conclusive information from authorities on record to stem all of the rumors and misinformation. I’m not saying your account is not true. But second-hand information in an article comment and a autopsy from the Kentucky medical examiner are two separate things. I do really feel for the family with all of the rumors and speculation swirling around this issue. One of the reasons I posted this article was to hopefully get everyone to calm down with the speculation and just be patient for the final word to come out.
June 15, 2015 @ 7:10 pm
His father told you this personally? I assume that since the fox reports aren’t back yet, Xanax, coke, and meth were found near the body?
June 15, 2015 @ 2:04 pm
Wow, this Is so interesting.
June 15, 2015 @ 3:08 pm
This is very sad.
31 years old is awfully young.
June 15, 2015 @ 3:38 pm
Does anyone know if the eulogy Mary posted on her site was what she read at the funeral?
June 16, 2015 @ 2:26 pm
I thought it was very distasteful for Mary to write about how good looking she is in the eulogy.
June 16, 2015 @ 2:56 pm
I was thinking the very same thing about Mary’s eulogy “We’re both painfully good looking”. I thought many other parts were in poor taste also.
June 16, 2015 @ 4:32 pm
I don’t understand why she felt the need to throw in how good looking she thinks she is either. Very bizarre. I don’t really think the big ego thing was tasteful either. It just didn’t make him or her sound humble.
June 16, 2015 @ 10:42 pm
I think Mary’s clearly delusional. She’s a hardcore addict as well. They aren’t exactly known for being humble. Plus, she’s not as great looking as she thinks. I don’t particularly find her attractive. She’s like a sick little twig junkie to be. She enabled Jon in this lifestyle that killed him. If that ain’t a wake up call, I don’t know what is.
Personally, I think your feud with Jon was all Shooter influenced. Jon got blinded by what he considered to be star power. There was a big change in Jon’s personality as soon as he got hooked up with Shooter and not for the better. One could almost see where it was going with the 1971 Elvis drugged out look. As far as I’m concerned, Shooter is fake and he’s a toxic addict personality who dragged Jon into a spiral of drugs and alcohol. He’s a spoiled rich kid who went to Los Angeles to be a rock star, couldn’t make it, so decided to go country. He’s not even close to having the talent of his father. He’s a pretender to the crown…although I guess I have heard a couple of good songs by him.
His influence killed Jon. If I were him, I’d say it’s time to take a look in the mirror and get some treatment. As soon as Jon started hanging around with Ron Jeremy, one could tell that Shooter was introducing him to his LA friends.
The party lifestyle is a farce. It’s a one way, slow train ticket to the grave. All that music, promise, potential, and life in Jon is now extinguished. You would think that Shooter would start following his father’s footsteps and clean the hell up.
Some “best friend”. It was a friendship of convenience. Such a waste.
June 17, 2015 @ 5:32 am
I don’t find Mary attractive either, but how do you know she’s a hard core addict? Do you know these people personally? I’m just wondering what she’s known to be addicted to? And I keep reading over and over that Shooter is an addict? Is this what ended his relationship to Drea De Matteo? Shooter doesn’t get a ton of press, so all these things I keep hearing about him in the wake of Jon’s death are alarming.
June 16, 2015 @ 8:10 pm
It was touching, funny and irreverent in person. I thought it was perfect. Maybe it didn’t come off as well in print, but she is a class act through and through.
June 16, 2015 @ 10:01 pm
David, I agree. No matter the circumstances, it was a good read and it gave me a broader view about feelings concerning loss. I know how to read between the lines and this is all such a sad story.
All my love to those who really cared for him.
June 17, 2015 @ 4:06 am
Went to the Randy Howard story to look for all the outrage, there is none. Just sayin.
June 17, 2015 @ 10:47 pm
Man sometimes you win sometimes you lose keep rocking our face off shooter
June 18, 2015 @ 3:31 pm
Kyle,
I’d like to post one more time, to ask you and your posters of comments a few things :
~ I really hope you recorded your conversation with Detective Merriss. Your recap doesn’t appear to have everything that was said between the two of you. You see, I too spoke with Detective Merriss on Monday. My main reason was to verify the validity of the police report you posted. He did say it is the actual report. He also said that he had told you and the family – the police report should have never been released to you and posted on the internet and that he had extended his apologies to the family for that happening. The damage has already been done – you accomplished what I believe to be your goal – and that was to get over on Jon finally because you were never able too while he was alive. For you defenders – wouldn’t a Detective telling you that you shouldn’t have done something or been given something in error be enough cause for you to undo what you had done?
~ No one is hiding anything – posters : read your man Trigger’s posts CAREFULLY – even he said it would be weeks before the results are all in.
~ To James (not sure it’s on this thread or one of the others deemed necessary to be posted) – The fund set up for Jon’s families expenses was set up for people that knew and love Jon and Mary and his family – not for morons like you that have to go on a two bit web site to discredit something that was REQUESTED by friends, people with LOVE and COMPASSION and the desire to HELP people.
~ The incredibly disrespectful dissection of Mary’s eulogy is beyond words, I can’t believe people would even do that, and I guess you Trigger thought those posts “journalistically necessary” to allow through.
~ For the Scorned “ex” of Jon – that is posting all over the place – YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE – we do too – you’re a jealous, vindictive, EX.
~ For the person saying I needed to stand up and take some responsibility in Jon’s death – I have ZERO responsibility in his death. What I do have responsibility in is to DEFEND my friend Jon and his memory and to defend my friend Mary. It really, in the grand scheme of things, makes NO difference to me what happened, my prayer is that he didn’t suffer. That’s all that matters to me.
~ I speak for NO ONE but myself.
~ Lastly, to Kyle – I asked you nicely to remove the threads about Jon, a simple link to his obituary would have been sufficient. You wouldn’t do that. You call yourself a blogger ? ….. saddle up Triggerman, you and all your “other names you use to compliment yourself” – it’s going to be a LONG ride.
~ Please remember this : When the phone starts ringing, it’s not going to be me calling.
June 18, 2015 @ 4:55 pm
Kathy Jennings,
First, about the comments:
On a personal level, I am embarrassed by some of the things that have been said in this comments section, and the comments sections of all of these articles on Jon Hensley. However, as I have stated to you before, if Shooter Jennings is going to post a completely inappropriate an accusatory comment to this site, and then take to Twitter and claim to his tens of thousands of followers that I will “NEVER” post because is am too “pussy,” then I have no other choice but to post the comment, and in fairness, make these comment sections an open forum for everyone to post what they wish, barring threats towards individuals, specific name calling between commenters, or sexual or racial epithets. It is not fair to either side if I selectively censor what is said simply based off of one individual’s opinions or perspective. If you disagree with these comments, then you should do exactly what you are doing here, which is refute these comments with your own words. But the rules apply the same to everyone.
As for your implication that I use “other names” to compliment myself, just be aware that Shooter Jennings was the individual who was accused of, and admitted to, perpetuating 13 different aliases on this very site to do exactly what you are accusing me of doing. The idea that I am posting under other names or doing anything inappropriate in the comment sections is a wild-eyed assumption based on nothing, and refuted by the amount and degree of the negative comments that can be found in these threads. Taking down comments, or heavily censoring comments, would only exacerbate these issues, not resolve them. If I am already being accused of censorship and selective comment approval, what would happen when individuals were actually experiencing this activity? As soon as I took down these comment threads, the accusations against me of bias and the threats would increase ten fold.
As for my discussing with Detective Merriss: ALL of my conversations, with Det. Merriss, with Officer Ronnie Ward who is the Bowling Green Police press contact, Deputy Coroner David Goens, and everyone else that I have spoken to about this matter have all been recorded and documented.
I spoke to Det. Merriss specifically about the release of the police report, and he said quote: “You did nothing wrong.” He also said that if it was his preference, the police report would have not been released. But I did not receive the police report from Det. Merriss. I didn’t even ask for the police report. I called looking for information about the status of the investigation into Jon Hensley’s death, spoke to Ronnie Ward, and he was the one who suggested he could send the police report to me. I asked him if it was okay to post it publicly, and he told me “yes.” Days later, I called back and double checked to see if I had done anything wrong with my posting, and he told me “no.” All of these calls are recorded. Then after I spoke to Det. Merriss, I spoke to Ronnie Ward a 3rd time, and he reiterated once again that nothing had been done wrong on my end. As far as Det. Merriss wishing the report had not been released, the way it was described to be by Ronnie Ward is, “There’s two sides of the building.”
Under the 1st Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, and the Freedom of Information Act, I have redundant legal rights and protections to obtain public documents, including the Jon Hensley police report. If the police report was not supplied to me (and again, I didn’t even ask for it, I just asked for information), I could have filled out a Freedom of Information Act request. The police department could have delayed if they wished, but if they had not eventually honored that request, I can sue them for the release of the document.
Also, understand there were two primary reasons I posted this article:
1) Because of the amount of rampant rumor around this incident, I felt it was in the public’s best interest to explain that the case into the death of Jon Hensley was still open, and the Autopsy/Toxicology was still pending.
2) I had been contacted directly by individuals saying that my positing of the police report was illegal, and that I was going to be sued, and there were efforts underway to shut my site down. Because of this, I wanted to prove that I am, and have been in direct communication with the Detective, the media spokesperson for Bowling Green Police, and the Coroner. In other words, the continued lies about my coverage, the continued threats and attempts to take it down, and the continued attempts at spreading misinformation about this case in general necessitated this article be posted. So the more efforts being made to take my coverage down, generally speaking, the more coverage is necessary to post.
“When the phone starts ringing, it”™s not going to be me calling.”
I’m not sure what your implying here, but I will say I have received multiple threats to publish my personal phone number on the internet to task people with calling me to threaten and intimidate me. I have also received multiple death threats and other threats on my personal phone stemming from this matter. NO effort to intimidate or threaten me from removing my coverage have worked, or will work.
If you’re implying that someone is going to call to sue me for my coverage, I would greatly welcome a lawsuit in this matter, and once again, it would only exacerbate attention to this.
I will not be removing any of my coverage, nor any of the comments. I also plan further coverage once the Autopsy/Toxicology is released, and when the final report is released from Det. Merriss, and any other time I feel coverage is warranted on this story. Understand that I will go to prison, or lay my life down, before I allow my Freedom of Speech to be oppressed, either by act of individuals or the government.
“It really, in the grand scheme of things, makes NO difference to me what happened”
I think that is a callous, and irresponsible comment. I think it is an insult to the value of life, and against one of the very basic tenets of a civilized society. There remains an active criminal investigation into the death of Jon Hensley where police found multiple pieces of evidence of foul play. It is our obligation to Jon to find out why he passed away.
And finally Kathy, I know you won’t believe me, but my motivations for posting about Jon Hensley’s death have been wrongfully characterized by some individuals, and can’t be corroborated by any piece of credible evidence. They are simply assumptions. Do you really think, even if I did have some petty music beef with Jon Hensley, all of the death threats at 2 PM, all the negative attention my coverage has created for the site, it would be worth it? What is the payoff? There are thousands of people that believe I am dancing on the grave of Jon Hensley right now, even though there is not one shred of evidence whatsoever that is my motivation. What value does that bring to me and my website?
My motivation is simply to discover the truth, whatever that truth is.
June 20, 2015 @ 4:21 pm
Am I missing something here? Does she really believe that you are dancing on this guy’s grave? Wow! This is interesting as hell.
June 18, 2015 @ 5:13 pm
It is not “dissecting” the eulogy to say it was strange for someone to throw in how beautiful they personally think they are, it’s just an observation. Besides, Mary posted it on her blog, and links to it on her social media, so it’s not like she didn’t put it out there herself. She wanted people to read it. I understand she is your friend and you love her and want to protect her, but it doesn’t change the fact that her throwing that in there seemed vulgar to many who read it.
June 18, 2015 @ 5:26 pm
And Trigger,
Mary has stated publicly that Jon hated you. Did he hate you over something personal or just because you’re not a fan of shooter Jennings? I just can’t wrap my head around the fact that you are getting death threats for posting a police report. I think that’s why so many people are screaming “cover up” at the family. People seem to be going to great lengths to keep this out of the media. Do you have any insight as to why they do not want the public to know the cause of death? If it was a drug overdose, that has happened to many people in the industry, no need to shame anyone for an addiction.
June 18, 2015 @ 7:20 pm
Rich,
First off, I’ve heard nothing from Jon Hensley’s family, not a phone call, not an email, nothing. There has been no requests for Jon’s family for me to take any of my coverage down, censor certain comments, or pull the police report. There’s been nothing. I’m not saying the family approves or disapproves of my coverage. I really have no idea how they feel about my coverage, and it would be a compromise of journalistic integrity to allow them to dictate the nature of my coverage. But if they wanted it taken down, there has been no requests sent to me in over 18 days since the coverage started.
It is being taken as a given by everyone tasked to come here and “defend” Jon Hensley from my “lies” that I hated him. Where is the proof? Where is the quote? Where is the screenshot? Where is anything to corroborate this theory that I hated Jon Hensley, and all this coverage is stemming from that? There’s nothing. Zero. I have asked for this proof more times I can count, and yet nothing has been supplied.
Contrast the way certain people around Jon Hensley are handling this coverage compared to how the close friends of Randy Howard are handling my coverage of his death. First off, the fact that I am covering Howard’s death (and this is the true active story at the moment, not this one), shows that SCM is neither going off the page by covering Jon Hensley’s death, nor is it “obsessed” with it as some have characterized. In the death of Jon Hensley, certain friends are demanding all of my coverage be taken down, even as far as threatening to hack my site or its social network properties, bringing a lawsuit, or even death if I don’t. What are Randy Howard’s close friends doing? They are reaching out to this site, hoping to get to the bottom of the matter, wanting the story of their friend told. Why? Because they don’t want the same fate to befall another individual, and to find out how their friend died—the same thing that should be happening in Jon Hensley’s case. Randy Howard’s story doesn’t paint him in a particularly good light either. He skipped bail, is a 3-time DUI offender, he shot first. But in the end, it is important to everyone to get the story right.
There is an open an active attempt to cover up the circumstances of Jon Hensley’s death that is using threats and intimidation to keep me from posting information. What is the motivation behind this? I really don’t know. But I am going to continue to publish the facts until this matter is brought to conclusion so that everyone can make their own judgement.
June 18, 2015 @ 9:11 pm
Rich,
I personally am not for SEALING or COVERING UP the cause of Jon’s death. My problem has purely been with “who” is reporting it and the way it was jumped on in the beginning. I think it is unrealistic to think there should be NO coverage on it but I would wait until there were facts and the case wasn’t still open to be reporting on it. In addition, some of the people who have commented have been flat out evil in the things they have said. There has been some really heartless shit posted. That has upset Jon’s friends and family. In his defense, Trigger has asked some folks to chill. He took some comments down initially but then he got all Patrick Henry on us and made sure everything stayed up from that point on.
June 18, 2015 @ 9:57 pm
“I think it is unrealistic to think there should be NO coverage on it but I would wait until there were facts and the case wasn”™t still open to be reporting on it.”
JD, did you even read the article above? Do you even know what we’re discussing? Because if you did, you wouldn’t be saying this. The entire point of this article was to say, “The investigation is still open. The autopsy/toxicology is not finished. So stop speculating, stop spreading rumors, and wait for the facts to come out.” That is EXACTLY what I did, and ONLY used the words of the officials just to make sure no charges of bias could be brought. These are verbatim statements from the officials. As for the police report, as I have explained exhaustively, I have spoken ad nauseum with Ronnie Ward and the specific detective working the case at the Bowling Green Police Department. Nothing about posting the police report was either wrong, or unusual. And if people do have a problem with it, they need to take it up with the Bowling Green police department. I have every one of my interviews RECORDED. Nothing was done incorrectly here.
June 18, 2015 @ 6:47 pm
OMG, I can’t believe this crap is still going on ! What a hateful creep ( this being a word I felt I could use that wasn’t nasty ) you are Trigger. Your dislike of Jon must have gone way beyond anything I could ever understand. My husband and I had the wonderful experience of meeting Jon 4 times and Mary as well. We are from Canada and the simple fact that he remembered who we were and where we were from, the second , third and fourth time was a warm wonderful feeling. We didn’t just meet say hi, we were in his company for the entire night. He treated us with respect and a kindness that went beyond being nice. The Lord works in mysterious ways and he always seems to need the good ” ones ” he must have been an Angel amongst us. You Sir and I use the term loosely are an ” Ass” A person with passion for others puts things aside and moves on…….u must be lower than dirt!
June 18, 2015 @ 7:36 pm
Sandra,
I apologize if you feel like I’m a “hateful creep.” I have tried to be as respectful and agnostic with my coverage of the death of Jon Hensley and the pending criminal investigation into his death. If you feel I am being hateful, I would encourage you to point out specifically what I said that was hateful towards Jon, so I can make sure not to make that mistake again.
Thanks.
June 19, 2015 @ 5:57 pm
Sandra, I can tell by reading this comment that you are a master at spinning untruths. Everyone knows they don’t have internet in Canada. But seriously, if Jon was such a wonderful person to you, why are you treating the only person to write his obituary with such disrespect? Why are you shaming Mr. Hensley’s memory by being an obnoxious and inconsiderate piece of trash? If Mr. Hensley was so wonderful, then get your sorry act together and show his memory some respect.
June 19, 2015 @ 6:43 pm
In fairness Fuzzy, there were other obituaries written eventually. Mine was the first though, and was the origination point of the news.
June 18, 2015 @ 7:07 pm
Kyle – Callous & Irresponsible ? ……. YOU ARE THAT , not me.
Rich – A little insight :
https://vine.co/v/hZgIhY1Hntq
June 18, 2015 @ 7:47 pm
Kathy,
With all sincerity and true concern, and having dealt with many contentious issues over the last 8-plus years of operating Saving Country Music, it is my opinion that the continued effort suppress information surrounding Jon Hensley’s death, and discredit anyone who would attempt to share that information, has not only and will continue to be fruitless, but is also not serving the best interests of Jon, or the people that are attempting to be shielded. In fact, it is making it worse, has made it worse, and continues to make it worse.
This Vine does not portray Jon in a particularly positive light, it reveals where the true bias lies, and is in no way a smoking gun for anything.
And by the way, I remember that phone conversation in 2013. I was a part of it. It was completely civil, and Jon never called me an asshole.
June 18, 2015 @ 8:27 pm
So is what John19 said above true? Are the things he mentioned Jon’s father said he died from the “suspicious” things that were found at the scene?
June 19, 2015 @ 6:05 pm
Kathy, permit my mocking you for your complete inability to comprehend the word “irresponsible.” If it’s “irresponsible” to write the ONLY obituary about the tragic death of a 31 year old, in an attempt to DISPROVE various LIES that have been spread concerning said person’s death, then by all means continue, but I have a college degree, and I think you don’t know what that word means.
June 18, 2015 @ 7:28 pm
Jon Hensley will always be my friend. He was the best person I knew outside of my Dad and knew me better than almost everyone else has. I am still in shock and probably will be for quite some time. I have NEVER wanted to cover up ANYTHING. I want what is best for Jon. What upset us all is that we know Jon would HATE for Trigger to be the one with this story. There is a long history and just the fact that Trigger is the one is bothersome to me. The second article came out on June 15. Do you think that is coincidence? It is Waylon’s birthday. This was to hurt Shooter. Please pray for the Jennings and Hensley families. Please pray for Mary Sparr. Her world will never be the same. It is a tragedy on every level.
Colonel Jon Hensley you will always live in my heart and the hearts of your MANY friends, so you will NEVER be gone.
JD
Here’s your proof how Jon felt about Trigger.
https://vine.co/v/hZgIhY1Hntq
June 18, 2015 @ 7:51 pm
“The second article came out on June 15. Do you think that is coincidence? It is Waylon”™s birthday. This was to hurt Shooter.”
Are you fucking kidding me?
Also, it was the 4th article. Remember, you’re supposed to say I’m obsessed with this Jon Hensley story and won’t stop talking about it because so I can create traffic to my site and get rich off of Jon’s death.
June 18, 2015 @ 8:34 pm
Kyle,
I know you are not getting rich off of this site, so why would I say that? I was wondering, what kind of a transition was it from writing about Corningware to becoming an “expert” on country music? I guess it is acceptable for the guy that runs “Saving Country Music” to not know who Vern Gosdin is when he passed away if you were deep in the world of Corningware. There is more money in that than country music these days. I don’t guess I blame you.
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Corning-Visions-Cookware/dp/1574324683
June 18, 2015 @ 9:12 pm
Why don’t you go ahead and show us how much of an expert YOU are in country music? Start a website of your own and we will see if you can write with anywhere near the depth and breadth with which Trigger writes.
June 18, 2015 @ 10:16 pm
JD,
Look man, as opposed to arguing with you, I’m going to give you some advice.
If you truly think I’m this evil evil person—someone so evil that I would purposely post an article on Waylon’s birthday to try to hurt his son—and that I need to be defeated, then the very first thing you have to do is respect me. And that’s the problem here. All the efforts that have been put out by Shooter Jennings, his fans, fans of Jon Hensley, and yourself over the past few years … what has happened to Saving Country Music? It has only grown. What has happened with the Jon Hensley Coverage? The controversy has only brought renewed attention to it. Hell, this article was posted nearly 5 days ago now. Why make it a battleground now?
A coupe of years ago, Shooter Jennings went for the kill shot on Saving Country Music. He posted that I had hacked one of his websites, and that he had proof of it, and if I didn’t come clean, he was going to bring “federal charges of the highest order.” But guess what, it was all a fabrication. It was total lies. There’s still plenty of people who believed that happened. Why? Because they’re Shooter Jennings fans, and they’ll believe anything they’re told, including that I hate Jon Hensley, and all my articles are just an underhanded way to get back at him. But again, there’s absolutely no proof. It’s a fabrication. Folks thought that if they threatened me, accosted me en masse, spread stuff about how I wrote a book about Corning Ware and didn’t know who Vern Gosdin was years ago, that eventually that would destroy me. But again, nothing has happened. Don’t you think all this effort would be better spent on something more productive and positive? What has been accomplished by all the vitriol sent this site’s way?
When I posted my obituary to Jon Hensley, I was truly hoping it would be met as the olive branch it was meant to be, that whatever perceived “beef” (which really didn’t exist in the first place) would be brushed aside. Instead, it was used as a forum to attack and discredit. But the obituary is still there, and I’m still here as well. From the depths of my heart, I really wish you all understood what a disservice you are doing to the legacy of the music you represent by deciding this is going to be your forum to launch personal attacks at me.
So go ahead, take to Facebook and talk about my Vern Gosdin quote, or my Corning Ware Book—both of which I am peacock proud of, and have made no effort to hide—and share the Jon Hensley Vine from hell to breakfast. Because in the end, you’re just proving my point more than I ever could.
June 18, 2015 @ 9:18 pm
Eric,
I actually am an expert in country music. However, it doesn’t take an expert to know who Vern Gosdin is. Your fearless leader here ran this site and had NEVER HEARD OF HIM. If you can defend that with any kind of statement that makes sense, I will let that HUGE hole in his knowledge go and give him a pass.
June 18, 2015 @ 9:21 pm
Who cares about what Trigger’s profession was before he started SCM? What does this have to do with Jon Hensley?
June 18, 2015 @ 9:28 pm
Another thing: judging the current version of Trigger based on the 2009 version is a bad idea.
If you go back and check the archives, you will find that over the years his writing has grown dramatically more mature, respectful, and informative. The depth of his knowledge of his country music today is far greater than it was in 2009.
Unfortunately, the same level of growth in maturity and knowledge does not apply to you or your fellow Shooter fans who are stooping to hysterical personal attacks over a simple attempt to inform the public about the death of your friend.
June 18, 2015 @ 9:50 pm
JD,
Do you know where that Vern Gosdin quote came from? Do you know the context it was said in? Do you know when it was said?
I can give you the answer: “No.”
Because if you did know the context, you would never be coming here and attempting to use it to discredit me. But someone told it to you on Facebook, and you dutifully are parroting it, uninformed. If you truly wanted to discredit me, you would be focusing not on me, but what was said above, or in the other Jon Hensley articles. But in an absolute, certifiable vacuum for anything wrong with my Jon Hensley coverage, you attack me, instead of the coverage itself. Many many times I have tasked tasked anyone to post any quote, screenshot, anything, that would corroborate in any way that my coverage of Jon Hensley’s passing is in any way malicious. We’re 19 days into this thing now, and still not one shred of evidence has been offered. Nothing.
And so you bring up a Vern Gosdin quote.
Now as for the quote itself, here’s the article:
https://savingcountrymusic.com/not-an-expert-just-a-fan
The title is “Not An Expert, Just A Fan.”
Huh, looks pretty apropos to your comment, now doesn’t it? You see, I have built Saving Country Music not off of being a country music “expert,” but being honest with my readers, even if that honesty doesn’t always look favorable upon me. This was six years ago, and this is what I said, in context.
QUOTE:
” I want to set the record straight that I do not consider myself a country music expert. I am a country music fan, and there are thousands, possibly millions like me, from many different walks of life, that feel that country music has completely lost its way. We cannot be explained away as a bunch of pointy-nosed, chin in the air, holier-than-thou types with incorrect facts. Sorry.
I will be the first to admit, I can”™t name you the title of one Taylor Swift song. When Vern Gosdin died a few weeks back, I openly admitted I had never heard of him. When it comes to the Outlaw country scene back in the day, or the Austin scene, or the modern REAL country scene, I”™d like to think I know about it more than most, but at my heart all I am is a fan. A fan. And without it”™s fans, country music is nothing. Don”™t attempt to marginalize me or my readers, or the thousands of disenfranchised country music fans by saying we”™re a bunch of misinformed bastards with bad facts. ”
I wrote that six years ago, and I stand behind every single fucking word I wrote. Frankly I find it pretty inspiring. And honest. So if the only repudiation of my Jon Hensley coverage you can find is that I wrote the above statement 6 years ago and put out a Corning Ware book (that I’m as equally proud of) 10 years ago? It shows just what an incredible loss you are at for any legitimate concern with this coverage.
June 18, 2015 @ 10:13 pm
Trigger,
I have done some research buddy. Yes I read the article. Nobody told me about it on FB.
MAY 4th, 2009 is the day Cliff England actually wrote the obituary for Vern Gosdin on your site.
Then you wrote that you aren’t an expert etc…everything you just said. Don’t assume I didn’t read the article.
People put a lot of stock into what you say and I’m sorry, they just shouldn’t. It is cool that you know more about cookware than the legends of country music. 2009 was not THAT long ago.
This is why Jon could NEVER have respect for someone like you. You could discuss the “Straight To Hell” album but not anything by “The Voice”….not even his existence. That shows a credibility problem. Your readers need to know that kind of shit. Come on man.
JD
June 18, 2015 @ 10:17 pm
2009 was 6 years ago. People who put effort into research and possess strong learning ability can gain a ton of knowledge during in that time frame. I only started to listen to country music in early 2010, but now I am fairly sure I know more about the genre that the solid majority of current fans.
June 19, 2015 @ 8:58 am
Heck, in 2009, I was a single guy, engaged to a beautiful woman. Now, I married with two kids. While I’m by no means an expert, I have learned a crap ton about being a parent and a father in six years.
Also, in 2009, I started taking a serious interest in bluegrass music. It started with a Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder album. Now, I know and understand the history of the genre; the various facets of the genre (like, traditional, newgrass, etc.); big names in bluegrass, etc. Am I an expert? Nah. But, I am a huge fan.
However, do I think that knowing about J.D. Crowe and car seats are mutually exclusive? Or that knowing about strollers means I’m somehow less of a bluegrass fan? Not at all.
Not everyone can only understand and follow one topic. Most of us learn, understand and grow in multiple areas, simultaneously, throughout life.
June 19, 2015 @ 9:28 am
In 2009, I weighed about 175 lbs. I ran in my third straight Army Ten Miler race in October and a half marathon in Fredericksburg, VA in November. Now I’m back to being a fat shit, about 40 pounds heavier.
In 2009, I had heard of Ray Wylie Hubbard and Billy Joe Shaver, but was largely ignorant of their music. Now, I love both with an unbridled passion. I just saw Billy Joe at the Birchmere in Alexandria, VA last Saturday. It was my second time seeing him. It was another great experience and once again, I felt like it was a privilege to be in the same room as him. Then, after the show, I bought a CD of his that I didn’t have and got to shake his hand and talk to him a little. As I complemented him on the show, he said “Aw, thank you, brother.” I even got a picture of him and me together, with him flashing that big million dollar Billy Joe Shaver smile.
I regret that it took me so long to get into Ray Wylie and Billy Joe, but you know, I’m sure there’s a lot of great music out there that I’ll never get to hear. I’m thankful I found them at all.
June 19, 2015 @ 5:58 pm
in 2009 I’d never heard of Waylon, Merle, Kris, George Jones, Roy Clark, Stringbean, Vern Gosdin, Jerry Reed, Roy Rogers, Patsy Cline or Porter Wagoner. Now I have an extensive collection of records from all of the above.
June 18, 2015 @ 10:20 pm
So the problem with my Jon Hensley coverage is that I didn’t know who Vern Gosdin was six years ago. Got it! Run with that JD! Best of luck to you.
June 19, 2015 @ 8:04 am
I have done some research buddy. Yes I read the article. Nobody told me about it on FB.
Well then, that’s even worse. If true (a big if), that means you know he made that humble admission on his own web site and yet here you are sharing it on that very same web site as if it’s some damning hidden piece of information. That’s downright silly.
People put a lot of stock into what you say and I”™m sorry, they just shouldn”™t. It is cool that you know more about cookware than the legends of country music. 2009 was not THAT long ago.
What a pathetic cheap shot that is. Move on, please.
I hope you’re sharing all these posts on Facebook to show what a good soldier you are.
June 19, 2015 @ 8:32 am
Trigger,
You’ve never been anything but kind and respectful. Thank you for not giving up. JH’s true friends, which were not many btw, are desperate to know what really went on that night. People who are sending you death threats are just the minions of Mary Sparr, do not let them deter you from uncovering the truth. Anyone who truly loved Jon wants facts on what happened, and not just heresay from Shooter and Mary, who were not even there. As far as the eulogy goes, she made a total mockery of herself and jon’s final memory before being laid to rest. I find it completely and utterly disgusting. What should have been about him, she once again made all about her, like she has done many times before. I just hope and pray we find out the real truth behind his death, and that justice is served where it needs to be.
June 19, 2015 @ 12:49 pm
You all are act worse than a group of children. ALL of you. Not just trigger for posting shit- excuse me- “news” that would be more appropriate on Topix, but also the people that consider themselves friends of a dude who’s a “manager” for a guy who’s last name has got him gigs for the larger part of the last decade.
Chill the fuck out and quit dragging this out. Let the man rest in God damn peace and leave his family (and Mary) alone.
And to Ashley, GET ANOTHER PERSON TO OBSESS ABOUT. I don’t even know you but it’s obvious you’re a scorned ex of some sort. Mary was awesome before him, was better with him, and will pull herself together. Fuck off with the bitterness.
June 19, 2015 @ 1:05 pm
…says the man who comes here 5 1/2 days after this article was posted. The only people who have dragged this issue out over the past 24 hours have been individuals sending me threats on Twitter, and being tasked to come here from Facebook and be disruptive. This article was completely dead 72 hours ago.
June 19, 2015 @ 1:40 pm
So you posting a reply 10:00pm yesterday was a response to a dead thread? Are you now admitting your comments are used to bump attention to this shitty “story”?
And I am a woman, not man. Journalism 101: don’t include your opinion and don’t do harm. Nancy Grace does a better job reporting “news” when compared to your shit on this site.
Who gives a fuck about Twitter? Who gives a fuck about Facebook? Who gives a fuck about this site? Dude.. Go get a breath of fresh air. Find yourself a hobby. Is Jon Hensley what gives you a warm tingly feeling??? Why are you spending so much time reporting on someone who would be honored to be called a d list celebrity??? This isn’t news. Get a life.
June 19, 2015 @ 3:12 pm
Yes. Exactly. The thread was dead until Kathy Jennings posted on Facebook that she was going to post a comment here, and tasked her friends on Facebook to come here and complain. Go to her Facebook page and you can see it. Then the whole thing started again. 5 1/2 days after it was posted. And somehow I’m obsessed? I’ve posted ten articles on this site since I posted this one. I had posted 22 articles in between this Jon Hensley article, and the previous one, and that one wasn’t even written by me, but Jon Hensley’s previous business associate, David Macias of Thirty Tigers. Say whatever you want, but if you’ve put forth the effort to leave two comments here, you care. You are very actively engaged with this content.
But see, your comment illustrates the foolhardy nature of the criticism against this site. The only reason certain folks come here is to complain about my coverage when it somehow directly or indirectly involves Shooter Jennings. So they think that’s all I do, that I’m obsessed. I posted 89 album reviews last year, and each was seven paragraphs or longer. I posted 26 articles on the death of Wayne Mills, including 11 in the same week. Were there any complaints about obsession? Not a one.
If you’re here, it’s because you chose to be. If you’re offended by this content, 5 1/2 days after it was posted, it’s because you’ve chosen to be offended. This article is buried in the weekly volume of Saving Country Music’s coverage.
Who gives a fuck about this site? You do. Enough to come here days after the posting and comment. Twice.
June 20, 2015 @ 5:18 pm
I personally do not know who this guy is or was. When I saw the article I didn’t even bother reading it. Well that is until I had nothing else to read. Wayne on the other hand is/was a different story. I liked him. Trigger’s coverage of that story commanded respect. I love this site. It iss one of my favorite things to do when I have time. Trigger is a hard worker. It is reflected in his articles. I can assure you that your remarks regarding this site is unfounded.
June 19, 2015 @ 1:49 pm
I just want everyone to know that I’m not the
‘Rich’ in this conversation. This looks like fake profiles & responses are being made to dramatize this tragedy. Sad.
June 19, 2015 @ 2:56 pm
Though any commenter can post under any name they choose, that doesn’t necessarily make them “fake.” Because so many people, including Shooter Jennings, AND Kathy Jennings (as I discovered last night) have preempted their comments with accusations that Saving Country Music would refuse to post them, to not be accused of favoritism or censorship, I have kept these comment sections and open forum. Unless individuals post threats, sexual or racial epithets, etc., every comment will be approved. Comments are always optional reading, do not reflect the views of the site, and readers should use their own judgement to believe the content or not.
June 20, 2015 @ 9:14 am
Wow. Do you seriously think you’re the only Rich on the planet? Unbelievable.
June 19, 2015 @ 3:26 pm
I am not the wayne who commented on this post…
June 19, 2015 @ 3:43 pm
What, are people now being accosted and accused of posting on this thread? Curious, because you’re the second person who has posted this type of clarification in the last hour.
June 20, 2015 @ 8:15 am
nosir, just wanted it noted that the wayne comment wasn’t mine…
June 19, 2015 @ 5:02 pm
You are a COMPLETE idiot Kyle – I DID NOT ASK PEOPLE TO COME TO THIS SITE AND POST – in fact, I did the absolute opposite. While I’m here – tell all your followers how your phone number and address got out – YOU HAVE IT POSTED ON YOUR SITE and a simple google search has all your information.
And here’s the post I made PUBLIC. :
Kathy Pinkerman Jennings
Yesterday at 5:42pm · Nashville, TN ·
.
To all of my friends on Facebook
* Please be advised – this thread may end up having “colorful language” that you may not want to see – please, unfriend or unfollow me now *
For all the self proclaimed Outlaws – I need your help. Our friend, Jon Hensley is gone. He isn’t here to defend himself or his beloved Mary. WE AS HIS FRIENDS owe it to him to make SURE the internet isn’t filled with all the horrible things posted at Saving Country Music dot com. – I’ve posted one last time there, if “Blogger Boy” allows it to go on the thread. For your reading pleasure, I have copied my post at the end of this post.
I’m asking you all to share this – and comment – ONLY positivity and love for Jon, Mary, and the entire Hensley family.
For me, Jon Hensley was a sweetheart. A sweet soul. He was my friend that I talked about Elvis with, he was one of the funniest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of being around. He was a great guy to me. Now, the rest of you PLEASE comment on this post your Jon Hensley story and then SHARE it to your friends.
Here is my post to SCM :
Kyle,
I’d like to post one more time, to ask you and your posters of comments a few things :
~ I really hope you recorded your conversation with Detective Merriss. Your recap doesn’t appear to have everything that was said between the two of you. You see, I too spoke with Detective Merriss on Monday. My main reason was to verify the validity of the police report you posted. He did say it is the actual report. He also said that he had told you and the family – the police report should have never been released to you and posted on the internet and that he had extended his apologies to the family for that happening. The damage has already been done – you accomplished what I believe to be your goal – and that was to get over on Jon finally because you were never able too while he was alive. For you defenders – wouldn’t a Detective telling you that you shouldn’t have done something or been given something in error be enough cause for you to undo what you had done?
~ No one is hiding anything – posters : read your man Trigger’s posts CAREFULLY – even he said it would be weeks before the results are all in.
~ To James (not sure it’s on this thread or one of the others deemed necessary to be posted) – The fund set up for Jon’s families expenses was set up for people that knew and love Jon and Mary and his family – not for morons like you that have to go on a two bit web site to discredit something that was REQUESTED by friends, people with LOVE and COMPASSION and the desire to HELP people.
~ The incredibly disrespectful dissection of Mary’s eulogy is beyond words, I can’t believe people would even do that, and I guess you Trigger thought those posts “journalistically necessary” to allow through.
~ For the Scorned “ex” of Jon – that is posting all over the place – YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE – we do too – you’re a jealous, vindictive, EX.
~ For the person saying I needed to stand up and take some responsibility in Jon’s death – I have ZERO responsibility in his death. What I do have responsibility in is to DEFEND my friend Jon and his memory and to defend my friend Mary. It really, in the grand scheme of things, makes NO difference to me what happened, my prayer is that he didn’t suffer. That’s all that matters to me.
~ I speak for NO ONE but myself.
~ Lastly, to Kyle – I asked you nicely to remove the threads about Jon, a simple link to his obituary would have been sufficient. You wouldn’t do that. You call yourself a blogger ? ….. saddle up Triggerman, you and all your “other names you use to compliment yourself” – it’s going to be a LONG ride.
~ Please remember this : When the phone starts ringing, it’s not going to be me calling.
June 19, 2015 @ 6:02 pm
You claim that you didn’t start this, but then post a Facebook message in which you clearly called several people out, and badmouthed numerous parties. You’re despicable. Let me ask you something, if you cared so much about Mr. Hensley, why are you doing his memory such a disservice as stirring up trouble in his name?
More importantly, if you live in the United States, why are you complaining about the First Amendment which legally entitles everyone on this message board not only an opinion but the voice of their opinion? And on top of that, if you can’t stand people who disagree, why are you here? Do you have nothing better to do than go where people disagree with you and stir up trouble? Grow up.
June 19, 2015 @ 8:22 pm
Kathy,
Before you posted your comment on Facebook last night, this article and the comment thread had run its course. No matter what you thought you were asking people to do, the result was the exact opposite, specifically with JD Myers, who posted on your Facebook thread, and then specifically came here, and everyone can read what he posted. I applaud that you asked people to only post positively. However, JD Myers and others did not honor that request. Instead, it became a new round of contention, escalated, and a new round of threats and “promises” were made towards by some individuals this afternoon. What does that mean? We’ll find out, but this is a dramatic escalation of events beyond everything else that has happened at this point, and will likely result in a significant shift. It also might necessitate further articles by Saving Country Music, where such articles were not going to be necessary before ahead of the release of the Autopsy/toxicology report. Thus, exacerbating the same coverage certain individuals are attempting to stifle.
As for my phone number: It is not on the website. I can’t say for sure if someone somehow found it on some cached or deprecated version of the site by doing everything they could to discover it, or simply found an old screenshot of it from a previous time. Honestly, I have already received rounds of death threats sent to my phone. And that’s the reason there is so much interest in my phone number, is to threaten me, and attempt to use intimidation to quit posting articles on Jon Hensley. There is no other reason people want my phone number, and why it is so valued, and why others see the value of perpetuating it on the internet.
And what is the reason folks are so interested in obtaining my address, and then making it something of public record? There’s only one reason Kathy Jennings. If people what to send something to me, they can do it via email. My email address and a contact forum are made available on the site. The only reason individuals are so interested in obtaining my address is to perpetrate property crime or personal injury on myself. That is the only reason Kathy. And that is what people are planning. As we speak, there are people specifically planning ways to enact violence against me personally. I know this because they have told me. Whether they ever act on those plans, we’ll see. I would say at this point there is a greater chance than not that they will.
And when that violence occurs, a spotlight will be shone on this issue to a degree that will dwarf everything else. And many people will come hear, read the articles posted about Jon Hensley, and wonder, “Why?”
June 19, 2015 @ 9:01 pm
Kyle,
Check your facts AGAIN – JD Myers did NOT post to my facebook post. He shared it, as did countless others.
Fuzzy / Kyle,
Use your college degree to realize I have called NO ONE out, I addressed the posters and explained my stance.
My issue from the start has been the reason behind this tragedy ever being mentioned here. You continue to say the “reason”, the cause of death is being covered up. I addressed that too. How can I cover up something I don’t know? The scorned ex that is fueling your fire, that posted Shooter and Mary weren’t even there …. so she was there?
Despicable? Not me .
Make sure when you Kyle post and reference me, you have your facts straight.
Maybe Fuzzy can use his college degree to help you figure out what I meant about your phone ringing, has absolutely nothing to do with any supposed death threats, but your phone is going to ring, and when it does, you will have no doubt what I was talking about.
What I detest is ignorant, vindictive, lying, and disrespectful people insinuating things and posting blatant lies.
Your information IS on your site, it is also available with a google search. One of YOUR OWN followers sent the information to numerous people before we returned home from Jon’s service.
June 19, 2015 @ 9:10 pm
Kathy,
You were the origination point for the renewed interest and eventual escalation of this matter starting yesterday. Argue semantics all you want. I’m not even necessarily blaming you directly, I’m just stating what happened, because an individual accused me of obsessing over this matter, and as I explained, it had winded down days ago until it was renewed by your post.
“My issue from the start has been the reason behind this tragedy ever being mentioned here. You continue to say the “reason”, the cause of death is being covered up. I addressed that too.”
That is incorrect. I never said that. I said it was one of the most interesting and concerning parts of the case, but the reason the articles were posted was to inform the public about a death and a criminal investigation, just as is done hundreds of times a day all around the country in the most commonplace and banal act of journalism, despite how others have characterized it. What I did say is that all of the misinformation and the attempt to suppress information in this case aided in the decision to post this particular article, but as I explained in it, the cause of death is yet to be determined.
June 19, 2015 @ 10:04 pm
“I have called NO ONE out”
Except for personally attacking Trigger in every one of your last 4 posts (including this one).
Here’s a suggestion: take a step back, collect your emotions, and think about why you are so angry about Trigger simply reporting on your friend’s death. Would it honestly have been better from your point of view if Jon Hensley’s death had remained largely unknown? And aren’t you the slightest bit interested about why your friend tragically died so early?
Regardless of whatever bad blood existed between Trigger and the Shooter camp, why can’t your side just take Trigger’s olive branch and at least try to bury the hatchet in this time of mourning? Just show the world that your love for Jon Hensley overrides your animosity for Trigger.
June 20, 2015 @ 6:08 am
then you must hate all the people who come here complaining about this article, including yourself, because THEY are the ones spreading the hate and the lies. The coverage has been neutral, but folk’s reaction to it has been crazier than Sammy Hagar swimming in Cheetos at an Uncle Kracker pool party.
June 20, 2015 @ 11:06 am
Shooter, Love you and your daddy, but you gotta let this go man. Personal feelings aside Trigger hasnt done anything wrong in his reporting of Jon’s death. Both sides keep doing what you do and I will support you both.
June 20, 2015 @ 5:51 pm
Where did shooter’s comment go?
June 20, 2015 @ 5:59 pm
Shooter has not commented on this article. His comment was on the article with the police report.
https://savingcountrymusic.com/jon-hensleys-funeral-set-police-report-released/comment-page-1#comment-693623
July 6, 2015 @ 6:14 am
I come here everyday for new information.. I’ve been following closely from the beginning.. Just a few days ago his sister posted on FB that he died from choking on food … Just out of the blue posted that..
Please keep us informed. We need the right answers … Not what they want us to think…..
Thank you
July 6, 2015 @ 10:40 am
I checked with the Deputy County Coroner last week and today to see if the autopsy and toxicology report had come in, and it hasn’t. It isn’t expected until the middle of July, though there’s always the possibility it can come in sooner or later than that. That doesn’t mean some preliminary information hasn’t been communicated to the family shortly after the death, but nothing can be considered official or conclusive at this point, especially for the time it takes all toxicology tests to conclude. Jon very well could have choked on food. But there is absolutely nothing conclusive at this point to verify that.
July 12, 2015 @ 11:57 am
The Wikipedia says the police suspect overdose due to the empty pill bottles and statements from a all day drinking binge
No official statements of cause of death have been release …
July 12, 2015 @ 12:39 pm
The source the Wikipedia page cites for that information is the Saving Country Music post about the police report from the Jon Hensley death investigation. Nowhere in that report does it say anything about empty pill bottles, or that the police suspect overdose. It does say the death has been ruled “accidental,” but that doesn’t mean it is an overdose. There was a bag of blue pills referenced in the police report, and that Jon took Xanax according to a witness. Otherwise that information on Wikipedia appears to be false.
This is the problem with this story: there are a lot of folks scantly paying attention to the facts, and making assumptions upon them. It is also putting Saving Country Music in a difficult situation because people presume Saving Country Music is the source of these falsehoods and rumors. It has resulted in people making death threats and other accusations against me.
I strongly encourage everyone to read the police report, and the interviews with the officials in Bowling Green, and to wait for the rest of the facts to come out before coming to any conclusions, or making accusations towards anyone. All of the information posted by Saving Country Music on this matter is factual, and can be independently verified with the officials in Bowling Green.
July 17, 2015 @ 1:01 pm
Where is your article reporting the TRUTH about Jon’s death Trigger?
http://www.examiner.com/article/police-release-cause-of-death-of-music-manager-jon-hensley
July 17, 2015 @ 1:04 pm
I was just thinking the same thing JD!
July 17, 2015 @ 1:30 pm
I’m waiting to read the unbiased facts here, personally.
July 17, 2015 @ 1:56 pm
Hey Reed, I am in the process of obtaining and analyzing all the information from the Bowling Green Police Department and the Deputy County Coroner. As soon as everything is ready, it will be posted. Not before.
July 17, 2015 @ 2:12 pm
Thank you
July 17, 2015 @ 4:00 pm
So you obtained the autopsy?
If you did, excellent work. This is a good example of top-notch investigative journalism.
Ignore the negative comments, a good journalist follows the story regardless if people want it buried. I applaud your work Trigger.
July 17, 2015 @ 5:17 pm
It will be posted shortly. I can verify that the information out there right now contains numerous falsehoods.
July 22, 2015 @ 6:09 am
Never in my life have I seen such bickering amongst people.
I’ll just say this….I met Jon at GOTL a few years ago. We talked for a bit and he seemed like a cool guy. It’s a shame he has passed so early in life. Condolences to all.
Carry on.