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Crime News Breaking News

Prominent, Married Lawyers Found Dead In Their Illinois Home Under 'Suspicious Circumstances'

Police found the bodies of Thomas E. Johnson, 69, and Leslie Ann Jones, 67, after they were called to perform a welfare check at their Oak Park home.

By Sharon Lynn Pruitt
Tom Johnson Leslie Jones

Two married lawyers were found dead in Illinois in what authorities have deemed a homicide.

Thomas E. Johnson, 69, and Leslie Ann Jones, 67, were found dead inside of their Oak Park home on Monday night, according to the Oak Park Police Department. Officers who were called to the residence to perform a wellness check at around 7:30 p.m. discovered the deceased couple, with police stating that the results of a preliminary investigation showed that the two died under “suspicious circumstances” and that their deaths were not self-inflicted.

Police announced on Wednesday that the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office has ruled the couple’s deaths a homicide. They died of multiple sharp force injuries, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

The investigation is ongoing, and few details regarding the slaying have been released. However, police said early on that they do not believe the general public is at risk.

Johnson and Jones were partners at the law firm Johnson Jones Snelling Gilbert & Davis, according to their website. Johnson founded the firm in 1988, and Jones joined him four years later, per the Sun-Times’ report. Johnson had more than 40 years of experience and served in numerous positions of authority, including time spent as the special commissioner for the U.S. District Court in Chicago. Among those he previously represented are former president Barack Obama and the late mayor of Chicago, Harold Washington. Jones’ specializations included federal litigation, real estate law, and corporate transactions and zoning, and she previously taught at Northwestern Law School, her bio states.

The couple lived alone and are survived by three adult children, according to the Chicago Tribune.

“On behalf of the Oak Park Police Department, I want to offer our condolences to the family and friends of Ms. Jones and her husband, Mr. Johnson, both of whom are known in the community and beyond,” Oak Park Police Chief LaDon Reynolds said in a statement issued earlier this week.

In addition to the Oak Park Police Department, multiple agencies are investigating Johnson and Jones’ murders, including the FBI and the West Suburban Major Crimes Task Force, the latter of which is made up of individuals from numerous police departments, authorities said.

Oak Park Police have asked that anyone with any information on the case contact them at 708-386- 3800 or provide an anonymous tip by placing a call to 708-434-1636.

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