Houston man nearly decapitates girlfriend with samurai sword, charged with murder

Kenneth Wayne Lockings Jr mugshot — Image credit: Kenneth Wayne Lockings, Jr. / Houston Police Department

A 45-year-old man from Houston, Kenneth Wayne Lockings, Jr., was arrested and charged with murder after police in Houston say he killed and nearly decapitated his girlfriend with a samurai sword. The gruesome deed occurred Wednesday evening at the girlfriend’s home near Independence Gardens. Authorities went to the home in the 10200 block of Tangiers around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday responding to a call concerning a possible “cutting in progress,” according to a December 29 report from Time.

When police arrived at the scene, they found Lockings’ girlfriend, 36-year-old Aracely Jernigan dead on the living room floor. Lockings was initially witnessed to be at the crime scene by several family members who convinced him to turn himself into the authorities. He did surrender himself to authorities at a nearby police station not too long afterwards.

Police have not yet released a possible motive for the killing. Lockings’ grandmother did inform the police that her grandson had stopped by her home for coffee shortly before the murder. She said that her grandson had received the samurai sword as a Thanksgiving present. The grandmother also said that the girlfriend, Jernigan, had been living with family in Mexico for a few months, and that she had only recently returned to Houston, according to Fox News.

A neighbor of Jernigan’s said that she was well aware that Lockings had mental issues, adding that “He’s really messed up in the head.” ~ per ABC13 / KTRK in Houston

Lockings has a criminal record including a felony conviction for a cocaine conviction. He’s currently being held in the Harris County jail without bail on a murder charge and a federal parole revocation. He’s scheduled to be back in court on Wednesday.