Authorities have charged a man who was taken into custody while naked inside the Mardi Gras Casino and Resort with first-degree murder in the death of his father.
Thomas Jeffrey Lawson Jr., 33, of Iaeger, was arraigned late Sunday in Kanawha County Magistrate Court on the murder charge.
According to a criminal complaint, Lawson Jr. shot and killed his father, Thomas Lawson Sr., on Saturday.
Deputies allege the man who was reportedly naked inside a Nitro casino is now a suspect in a McDowell County murder investigation.
McDowell County Sheriff’s Office Detective Randall Johnson Jr. reported that he arrived at a scene on Trail Hollow Road in Iaeger shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday. Investigators said Lawson Sr. left his home around 2 p.m. Saturday to help his son clear trees blocking the road but never returned.
After becoming concerned, the victim’s wife contacted a family member, who called 911 around 10:30 p.m. Deputies later discovered Lawson Sr.’s body near his son’s residence.
Investigators said the victim had been shot at least six times in the back and the back of the head. A chainsaw lay near his feet. Deputies also found a revolver in Lawson Sr.’s pocket, but it had not been fired and still contained all six rounds.
When deputies arrived, Lawson Jr. was not at the home, and his truck was missing, investigators said.
The victim’s wife told deputies that her husband went to help his son cut trees and admitted he feared him.
“Mrs. Lawson advised deputies that Mr. Lawson Sr. was afraid of his son and was ‘just trying to be a good dad,’” the complaint states. She also told investigators the two had previous incidents that turned physical.
She further reported that shortly after her husband left, she heard what she believed was Lawson Jr.’s truck heading toward Route 52.
Johnson wrote that investigators learned Lawson Jr. was believed to be traveling to the Mardi Gras Casino and Resort in Nitro and had a severe gambling addiction, frequently visiting the casino.
McDowell County 911 alerted law enforcement in Kanawha County, who reported that Lawson Jr. had already been taken into custody in an unrelated incident.
Police said that around 1 a.m. Sunday, Lawson Jr. entered a bathroom inside the casino, removed his clothes, and walked out wearing only a hat and shoes before approaching Nitro police officers assigned to security. Officers said he made an obscene gesture, yelled an obscenity, and attempted to run before they tackled him after a brief chase inside the casino.
Authorities said Lawson Jr. had been at the casino since approximately 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
Investigators also reviewed text messages exchanged between Lawson Sr. and his son before the killing. The messages detailed plans to meet and cut trees, with Lawson Sr. texting around 1:30 p.m. Saturday that he was on his way.
“Mr. Lawson Jr. arranged the time and date that Mr. Lawson Sr. would be at the residence,” the complaint states.
Lawson Jr. remains held without bond at the South Central Regional Jail.
UPDATED: 4:00 p.m., 2/22/26
A man arrested early Sunday after police said he was naked inside the Mardi Gras Casino and Resort is now a suspect in a McDowell County murder investigation.
Thomas Jeffrey Lawson Jr., 33, of Iaeger, is currently being held at the South Central Regional Jail after authorities charged him with indecent exposure in connection with the casino incident. Jail records also show he faces a first-degree murder charge out of McDowell County.
McDowell County Sheriff James Muncy confirmed that Lawson Jr. is a suspect in an investigation after deputies found a deceased man in the Trail Hollow area near Iaeger.
Muncy said deputies responded to a welfare check around 10:30 p.m. Saturday and discovered the body. He declined to provide details on how the man died or identify him to allow time for family notifications.
“The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under active investigation by the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office,” the sheriff said.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court, Lawson Jr. allegedly approached a Nitro police officer completely naked inside the casino around 1 a.m. Sunday. He allegedly gave the officer the middle finger, shouted an obscenity, and ran.
Officers tackled him and took him into custody, the complaint states. Police then escorted him to a nearby bathroom, where he dressed before they removed him from the casino.