Bio 

John Jerry Jancar Jr. was born on August 21, 1965. Court records state that Jancar lived in Goodrich, in Genesee County, with his father, John Jancar Sr., and his father’s girlfriend, Joyce Pearl Carr. Carr’s children also lived in or were connected to the household.

The case is generally described as a juvenile parricide because Jancar killed his father. However, the full criminal history is broader than the killing of his father and Joyce Carr. Public case summaries and appellate records show that Jancar was later convicted in connection with additional shootings in Lapeer County, including a second-degree murder conviction, a felony-firearm conviction, and an assault with intent to commit murder conviction.

Murder Story

On December 31, 1982, John Jerry Jancar Jr. went to a New Year’s Eve party in Flint, Michigan. According to court testimony summarized in appellate records, he attended the party with Latecia Marie Bentley, also known as Tish, and David Passmore. During the night, Jancar was involved in a fight.

After returning home in the early hours of January 1, 1983, Jancar argued with his father, John Jancar Sr. He then obtained a shotgun from a bedroom.

Jancar fired two shots inside the home. His father, John Jancar Sr., and Joyce Pearl Carr were both killed. Available records identify Joyce Carr as his father’s girlfriend. Later reports also state that Jancar shot his girlfriend and a neighbor during the same sequence of events, but the full names and exact details of those additional surviving victims are not clearly confirmed in the available public sources.

At trial in Genesee County, Jancar acknowledged shooting John Jancar Sr. and Joyce Carr but raised a diminished-capacity defense. He was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of John Jancar Sr. and voluntary manslaughter in the death of Joyce Carr. He was sentenced on August 29, 1983, and received credit for 241 days already served.

Separate proceedings were later held in Lapeer County. On September 19, 1983, under a plea agreement, Jancar pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, felony-firearm, and assault with intent to commit murder. On October 24, 1983, he was sentenced to 60 to 90 years in prison for second-degree murder, two years for felony-firearm, and 20 to 40 years for assault with intent to commit murder. He received 297 days of credit for time already served.