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Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Five more Co-Defendants in Vigilante Greenwood Shooting Receive Sentencing

Summary: On December 9, 2024, an innocent 21-year-old man was gunned down by the seven co-defendants in this case. Misidentified as a local drug dealer who had raped a drug addict, the young man ended up as the victim in a conspiracy to kill.

The young father was shot twice, covering his body in wounds and subjecting him to the type of terror that no citizen should ever experience.

John T.R. Hoffer, who shot the victim and was the first to be sentenced earlier this month, received a 27-year prison sentence for his guilty pleas in the case. Hoffer’s charges included Felonious Assault, Discharge of a Firearm on or Near Prohibited Premises, and Having Weapons While Under Disability.



August 11, 2025, five of the six remaining co-defendants; Kayla Hargraves, Jamie J. Jarrett, Adam M. Johnson-Larimer, Lovely D. Worden, and Christopher A. Johnson Emmons, appeared in the Muskingum County Court of Common Pleas before Judge Gerald Anderson to receive sentencing.

The conspiracy began after an acquaintance of Lovely Worden was sexually assaulted at a drug house on Swingle Street in Zanesville, Ohio. Assistant Prosecutor John Litle, who handled the case, said that sadly, sexual assaults in places like that happen often, and police work hard to bring those responsible to justice.

After learning of the sexual assault Worden did not call the police, and instead gathered people together and devised a plan to kill the man who they believed was responsible.

Driven by Hargraves, the group included Worden, Johnson-Larimer, and others. Their plan was to break into the drug house and attack the man accused of the rape. When they got to the Swingle Street house, someone came after them with a gun and a bat. The back window of their vehicle was smashed, and Hargraves quickly drove everyone away.

After failing in their first effort, Worden set about retrieving a firearm for the drive-by. Worden obtained the firearm that was used in the shooting from co-defendants Jackson Clapper and Jamie Jarrett.

Worden agreed with Jamie Jarrett to use his vehicle, a white Buick, for the drive-by shooting. Christopher Johnson-Emmons then gave Jaime Jarrett a ride back to his home in the Southern part of the county. With a loaded shotgun, Kayla Hargraves, John T.R. Hoffer, Adam Johnson-Larimer and Lovely Worden headed to the drug house to locate their target.

Video footage showed the victim walking towards a gas station when Jarrett’s white Buick, driven by Kayla Hargraves, drives by. The Buick then stops at the end of an alley and Worden is heard yelling. Seconds after, a “bang” is heard, immediately followed by screaming. The Buick then makes a left turn and after seven seconds, another shot is heard followed by more screaming.

Images of the victim’s injuries show a countless number of bleeding holes that cover his entire torso, arms, and face. He was taken to Genesis Medical Center where he was intubated and transferred to a different medical center for trauma.

The Muskingum County Sheriff’s Office quickly located the suspect vehicle and identified Kayla Hargraves as the driver and Adam Johnson-Larimer as the passenger. The back window of the Buick was busted out and a box of Federal 12 Gauge Birdshot Ammo was found on the floor of the backseat. The two were taken into custody and transported to the Zanesville City Jail.

Zanesville Police Department's Detective Brian Ruff later discovered video evidence showing the group meeting up with Hoffer and Worden leaving Hargraves’ vehicle and jumping in with Christopher Johnson Emmons, fleeing the scene.



1. Lovely Warden – The conspiracy organizer and leader, plead guilty to Attempted Aggravated Burglary, Conspiracy to Commit Murder and Felonious Assault with Drive by Shooting specification. Worden was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the conspiracy case and ordered to be served consecutively to a sentence on a drug case, for a total prison sentence of 21 ½ - 25 years. She is now a registered violent offender.

2. Kayla Hargraves – Represented by Columbus attorney Elizabeth Gaba, the driver in the drive-by shooting plead guilty to Attempted Aggravated Burglary, Felonious Assault with a Drive by Shooting specification and Discharge of a Firearm on or Near Prohibited Premises. Hargraves was as sentenced to 15 – 19 years in prison.

3. Jamie J. Jarrett – Owner of the vehicle who knew of the conspiracy and allowed Worden to take his car to carry out the deed, as well as picked up the firearm that was used in the drive-by from Clapper, plead guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Murder and was sentenced to five years in prison. He is now a registered violent offender.

4. Adam Johnson – The passenger in the Buick, whose role was to assist in attacking the drug dealer’s house, and to call his brother after the shooting, plead guilty to Attempted Burglary and Felonious Assault; he was sentenced to 3 years in prison.

5. Christopher Johnson – The individual who provided Jarrett a ride after he loaned his car for the shooting and picked up the conspirators after the shooting, plead guilty to Obstructing Justice and Tampering with Evidence. He received community control for 3 years, 50 hours of public service work and a minimum of 90 days at the Franklin County Community Based Correctional Facility.

6. Jackson Clapper – Co-defendant who provided the firearm for the shooting will be sentenced at a later date.



APA John Litle argued the State’s position for sentencing against each co-defendant. In each case he identified the factors that made each conspirator more, or less, involved in the scheme as a whole.

During the hearings he broke the group into three sections. Hoffer, Worden, and Hargraves were the most responsible. Worden planned the entire situation and tried to shoot the victim herself. Hoffer took over when Worden could not get the gun to work. Hargraves drove the car – and stopped the car so shots could be fired, then moved the car and stopped again for another shot to be fired.

Jarrett and Clapper had mid-range responsibility. Neither was present for the shooting, but both played a role in arming the drug-fueled offenders, knowing they intended to shoot someone.

Finally, Johnson-Larimer and Johnson Emmons both shared roles in facilitating the crime or the getaway without participating in the shooting in an active way, nor with providing access to weapons.

“The decent people of this county will absolutely not tolerate this type of behavior,” according to Litle. “Drug offenders get long sentences in the hopes that making it more difficult to get drugs will avoid violence like what occurred in this case. Obviously since avoiding violence and assault is the main goal, those who commit violent offenses can expect serious penalties.”

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