I spoke with Deputy U.S. Marshal Arthur Templeton this morning, and he told me he was processing a crime scene in Norman, Oklahoma where it appears the bodies of Lester Hobbs and Aja Johnson have been located.  The vehicle Hobbs was driving was found in a very rural area, off Southeast 108 Street and Highway 9.  Templeton says a surveyor was doing a survey of property in the area when he spotted the vehicle.  He went up to the car, saw the bodies, and called police. 

A law enforcement source on the ground told me because of the decomposition that Hobbs and Aja most likely died about a week after the initial murder of Tonya Hobbs in January. “He got in that area, probably to lay low for a few days, got in there with the storm and maybe got trapped.  One thing led to another, couldn’t get the vehicle out, and would have to walk out on foot… he chose to stay.”  My source says Aja’s body was found outside the vehicle and Hobbs was found inside the car.  At this point, it appears to be a murder-suicide.  Hobbs’ body wasn’t as badly decomposed because he wasn’t exposed to the elements.  We are still waiting for the Medical Examiner to confirm the bodies and how they died. 

Over the last couple months, Deputy U.S. Marshal Templeton says they’ve had a lot of Lester look-a-likes, “five I can think of off the top of my head.  We tracked down and found those people, but it just wasn’t the guy.” I also asked about the murder weapons used to kill Tonya Hobbs, and Templeton says the hammer used to hit Tonya in the head was found at the crime scene, and it appears they found the knife that was used to stab her in the car Hobbs was driving. 

I also learned that Hobbs wrote a note.  A law enforcement source says, “not technically a suicide note, mainly it was blaming Tonya’s mother and sister for the problems with him and Tonya.  It was blaming everyone else for his wrongs in life.  It was one last shot at making someone feel badly about himself.”  My source believes the note was written over a day or two due to the change in handwritings.  I also learned that Hobbs had notes all over his trailer. He would often just write things down when they came to mind.

BACKGROUND: It’s been more than two months since Aja Johnson was abducted and her mother Tonya was found beaten to death inside an RV. Since then, investigators in Oklahoma have issued a warrant for Lester Hobbs arrest charging him with first degree murder and kidnapping. I spoke with Deputy U.S. Marshal Arthur Templeton out of the Lawton office again today, and he said there has been no activity on the case. A couple of weeks ago he stated that they have, “not had anything viable on the vehicle, Aja Johnson, or Lester Hobbs,” and sadly that is still the case today. Templteton did mention that he has a meeting with the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigations later today, and they have plans to discuss new ideas to keep this case in the spotlight.

When this case originally broke, there was a massive ice storm that swept through most of the state of Oklahoma. The storm paralyzed the region for 8 – 14 days. During that period, many folks were without power, so some have not even heard about the Amber Alert or the murder. That ice storm is long gone, and there are still no signs of this child.

Hobbs is a convicted felon, and according to court documents, was not supposed to have any contact with Aja. Police say they’ve received leads about possible sightings of Hobbs, the United States Marshals service sex offender unit is involved, but so far nothing has panned out. The Oklahoma Bureau of Investigations and the United States Marshal Service are offering a $20,000 reward, in hopes that it will help bring them the information they need to find this child.

According to a press release issued from the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation we are learning more about Hobbs and his habits. The release says, “From the hundreds of interviews we have conducted so far, a very clear picture of Lester Hobbs is unfolding. Hobbs can survive on very little money. In fact, his needs seem to be met with only cigarettes, liquor, and very little food. He is a self-taught automobile mechanic and will offer to do minor car repairs for little money. He has worked in the past in small automotive garages and as a mechanic in service stations. He also likes to frequent bars and will hustle a game of pool for money. He likes to cruise the Internet searching for lonely women. If Hobbs no longer has a vehicle, he will travel across the country by bus or will hitchhike. Hobbs’ own family members say he always considers himself the victim and never takes responsibility for his actions. They describe him as a cowering abuser who preys on women and children. His criminal record supports this. As to Aja’s kidnapping, this is in no way a custodial kidnapping where a non-custodial parent runs away with their own child. As you see in photographs, Hobbs like to change his appearance, ever so slightly, with hair color and with the way he grows facial hair. There are two physical characteristics, though, that will not be easy to hide: tattoos and a broken nose. He has the word “ROSE” tattooed across the top of the fingers of his right hand and “LOVE” tattooed across the top of the fingers of his left hand.

His nose is visibly cooked from being broken sometime in the past. This is clearly shown in the photograph of him lying in the bed. Another photograph shows Hobbs sitting behind Aja on a four-wheeler. This photograph was taken just moments before they drove to the Wal-Mart in Lawton where the photograph of the car was obtained. Tonya Hobbs filed a protective order just months before she was murdered. That protective order documents that Lester Hobbs threatened to kill her children with a hammer. It now appears that Lester Hobbs carried out that threat and actually used a hammer to kill his wife.”

I spoke with Alice Dunkin, Tonya Hobbs mother, and missing 7-year-old Aja Johnson’s grandmother. She told me she screamed bloody murder and “blew up” when she learned her daughter was killed. It is devastating to Alice, especially because she said her son was shot and killed nearly three years ago, and now she has to go through this with her daughter. Along with losing both of her children, Alice fears what may happen to her granddaughter Aja.

“Lester does not like Aja. He is mean to Aja. He has made her eat jalapeño peppers, and has a paddle with her name on it. I’ve seen bruises he has left on her little behind. I don’t know why, or if it’s her medical problem, or what. If she doesn’t take her medication, she’s climbing the wall.”

Aja Johnson is still missing, and her life is in danger. Investigators believe the 7-year-old was abducted by Lester Hobbs, 47, after her mother’s murder over the weekend. The last time either Aja or Hobbs were seen was Saturday, January 23, 2009 around 6 p.m. Lester Hobbs, a convicted felon, wanted to kill his daughter with a hammer according to a police report made by Aja’s mother. Hobbs is currently wanted for a failure to appear warrant out of Lincoln County, Oklahoma for not showing up for his DUI case last month. Now, there is now a second warrant for the murder of Tonya Hobbs and the abduction of Aja Johnson. Official cause of death has not been released, but it appears at this time Tonya died from blunt force trauma to her body. In other words, she may have been beaten to death.

I asked Alice specifically about the domestic violence with Lester Hobbs leading up to her daughter’s death, and she told me, “he has slapped her, and one time she had a black eye, but I never dreamed it would go this far.” Alice wanted to speak out to Lester Hobbs about the way he was treating her daughter, but Tonya was scared and asked her never to say anything because if she got him upset he may take it out on her. “I had to bite my tongue, I hated to do that,” Alice says. Tonya was in the hospital three times over the last few months because of blood clots in her knees and lungs. According to her mom, Tonya wasn’t able to work, and didn’t have any health insurance.

Tonya leaves behind three children: a 15-year-old son, a 13-year-old daughter, and 7-year-old Aja. Alice says, “I talked to my grandson, he’s taking it pretty hard… I told him anytime he wanted to call, day or night, he was more than welcome.”

Oklahoma Bureau of Investigations released these pictures from a Wal-Mart in Lawton, Oklahoma. The photo depicts murder suspect Lester Hobbs holding hands with his estranged wife, Tonya Hobbs, in what may have been mere hours prior to the time police believe she was killed, and Aja Johnson was abducted. Investigators say the couple went to the Wal-Mart around 5:15 p.m. on January 23, 2009 to pick up food for dinner. Take a good look at what Lester Hobbs is wearing, these could be the clothes he still has on his back. Also, the parking lot surveillance camera picked up a clear view of the vehicle Hobbs may be driving. Take a look at the back passenger side window, and the hubcaps. Early in the investigation, it was believed the vehicle did not have any hubcaps. However, as these pictures show, the car may, in fact, have them.

1-800-THE-LOST

Tags: Aja Johnson, bodies found, car, in woods, Lester Hobbs, survey

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 at 1:05 pm and is filed under Endangered Missing, amber alert, fugitive, missing adult, missing child, unsolved murder. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.