SPRINGFIELD, Ky. (August 28, 2024) – On August 21, 2024, Jonathan D. Puckett, age 43 of Garland TX, was found guilty after a jury trial in Washington County Circuit Court. The guilty verdict stems from a Kentucky State Police (KSP) Post 15 investigation of the murder of Thomas Ray Pendygraft that occurred in Washington County in 2014.
On the morning of August 1, 2014, KSP Post 15 received a call from the Washington County 911 Center. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office requested investigative assistance after finding a deceased male inside a burned 2009 Dodge Caliber at the Springfield water reservoir on Booker Road. KSP Troopers and Detectives responded and later learned the deceased male in the vehicle was Thomas Ray Pendygraft, age 20, of Springfield.
The information obtained throughout an extensive investigation led KSP Detectives to present the findings to the Washington County Grand Jury, which led to the indictment of Jonathan D. Puckett in April 2023.
KSP Detective Nick Davis and Sergeant Billy Gregory traveled to Garland, Texas, and through a collective effort with the Dallas II Probation & Parole office and Garland Police Department, arrested Jonathan D. Puckett on April 26, 2023.
The case proceeded to a jury trial in Washington County Circuit Court where Jonathan Puckett was found guilty and sentenced to life plus 20 years in prison for the following charges:
Murder
Arson – 1st Degree
Tampering with Physical Evidence
Persistent Felony Offender – 1st Degree
The guilty verdict comes on the 10th anniversary of Thomas Ray Pendygraft’s death.
(Trooper Jonathan Houk – Kentucky State Police Post 15)