Shooting deaths connected

A man's Oran-area suicide and an apparent Hamilton County shooting death are related, an investigator says. How they are related remains a question mark.

<b>By Christin Coyne</b><br><a href="mailto:ccoyne@mineralwellsindex.com">ccoyne@mineralwellsindex.com</a>

The death of a man found shot in a field near Oran was ruled a suicide Tuesday and is related a man apparently shot to death in Hamilton County last week, according to officials.

“We declared it a suicide this morning,” Justice of the Peace Jerry Mitchell said Tuesday about the death of John William Cornelius, 39, of Burleson.

According to Cornelius’ mother, Donna Cornelius, of Mineral Wells, he and his former boss, “Bob” Robert Renick, who was found dead at his home Nov. 17, were having problems.

Cornelius added she didn’t think her son, a Mineral Wells native, had an issue with Renick but something else was troubling him that involved Renick.

“I really do think there was something going on the last [several weeks] with his ex-boss,” Cornelius said. “I know there was a problem.”

“They are going to be related,” Texas Ranger Sgt. Jess Ramos said about the deaths. He declined to release more information because it is an ongoing investigation.

“I am still trying to tie up all the loose ends,” Ramos stated.

Renick, 66, was found dead at his residence in Hamilton County with gunshot wounds just over a week after police were called to his home in relation to another shooting incident, according to a press release from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.

“The initial call [Nov. 8] indicated a hunting accident had resulted in an injury to the resident,” the press release stated. “While en route deputies were updated that an unknown assailant had fired a shotgun at the resident.”

After deputies conducted an initial sweep of the area, Renick was transported to the hospital for an injury to his upper left leg from birdshot pellets.

After searching the area and using tracking dogs, no suspect was found, according to the Hamilton County sheriff’s office.

After Renick was shot the first time, “John had taken care of him … took him to doctor appointments,” Donna Cornelius said.

The relationship between Renick and John Cornelius was something of an older brother, younger brother relationship, according to Donna Cornelius.

Her son began working for Renick in his fencing business and later bought Johnson County Fence from him, Cornelius said.

After Renick was released from the hospital in Temple, Renick told investigators he would come to the sheriff’s office to speak with investigators but did not appear or return messages, according to information from the sheriff’s office.

Around 2 p.m. on Nov. 17, investigators drove to his residence and found the back door open and Renick laying on the floor.

The body was transported to the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy where results are pending but the initial cause of death appears to be a result of gunshot wounds, according to the press release Monday.

Around noon Saturday, John Cornelius was found in a pasture in the 300 block of Farm-to-Market Road 52 less than half a mile north of State Highway 254.

He was reportedly found laying near his truck with a gunshot wound to the head.

“I had seen him just a few days before [he died],” Donna Cornelius said. “I do not believe it was suicide.”

Her son came by almost every week, bringing her to the grocery store and helping her out since her husband died and she had five bypass surgeries.

“He was a great boy and would do anything for anyone,” Cornelius said.

Her son worked hard installing fences all over the Dallas-Fort Worth area and loved to fish and hunt, especially deer, Cornelius said.

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