On the morning of June 22, 2016, 28-year-old Jackson L. Edens was among three men found dead from gunshot wounds in a camping trailer on Dutterow Road Southeast near Lacey, Washington. Two other men killed were 31-year-old Terron R. McGrath and 36-year-old Gerald M. Berkey. Edens and McGrath lived at the trailer. A fourth person, shot in the chest, survived and called 911; investigators used his cellphone signal to locate the scene.

Police reported the crime scene suggested the shootings happened quickly and without a prolonged struggle. Officers also found a large amount of methamphetamine and black tar heroin, several thousand dollars in cash, and multiple firearms inside the trailer.

Investigators identified two suspects: Enrique Ricky Lamere and Dugan Lawton. Lamere told investigators he and Lawton went to the trailer to rob Edens and said Lawton was the shooter. Lamere later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, received a 19-year prison sentence, and agreed to testify against Lawton. Lawton was charged with three counts of first-degree aggravated murder while armed, one count of first-degree attempted murder while armed, and one count of first-degree burglary while armed; his case went to trial.