Naked Man Arrested at West Virginia’s Mardi Gras Casino Charged with Murdering Father

• Man arrested naked at Nitro casino faces murder charge
  
• Police say suspect shot father six times Saturday
  
• Indecent exposure arrest led to homicide investigation break

A West Virginia man arrested at Mardi Gras Casino in Nitro, W.Va., in the early hours of Sunday, naked but for a hat and shoes, is suspected of is suspected of fatally shooting his father earlier that day.

Thomas Jeffrey Lawson Jr., 33, of Iaeger, was arraigned Sunday in Kanawha County Magistrate Court on a charge of first-degree murder, records seen by WCHS-TV show.

Prosecutors allege he killed Thomas Lawson Sr. sometime after 2 p.m. on Saturday by shooting him six times in the back of the head. Then he went to the casino to gamble, arriving at around 5:30 p.m., according to casino staff.

Indecent Exposure

Around 1 a.m. on Sunday, police said Lawson Jr. allegedly walked into a bathroom at the Mardi Gras and stripped naked. He then exited the bathroom, walked up to a Nitro police officer and allegedly showed the officer his middle finger before shouting an obscenity and running away.

He was tackled to the ground and taken into custody, according to the criminal complaint. He is charged with indecent exposure in that incident.

Investigators said Lawson Sr. left his home at around 2 p.m. Saturday to visit his son and help him cut trees. When he hadn’t returned by 10:30 p.m., family members called 911.

Lawson Sr.’s wife told deputies that her husband was afraid of his son and there had been physical altercations between the two men in the past. However, on this occasion Lawson Sr. was “just trying to be a good dad” by helping him out, she said, according to the complaint.

Gambling Problem

Investigators learned that Lawson Jr. had a severe gambling problem and was a regular at the Mardis Gras Casino. When they called law enforcement in Kanawha County, they were told he had just been arrested at the casino for indecent exposure.

Detectives said they had examined the cell phone of the suspect and the victim and found text messages exchanged between the two men in which they discussed plans to meet, according to the complaint. Lawson Jr. arranged the time and date that Lawson Sr. would be at his home, it states.

Lawson Jr. was booked into South Central Regional Jail and is being held without bond.