Just 18 months before he fatally shot his wife and three of his four young sons before turning the gun on himself, “crazy” Oklahoma dad Jonathon Candy appeared on a local TV segment to rave about a local deli.
Between Sunday evening and Monday morning, Jonathon, 42, committed his gruesome act and left his 10-year-old son alive to discover that his mother Lindsay, 39, and brothers Dylan, 18, Ethan, 14, and Lucas, 12, had all been murdered. in their house.
In a November 2022 interview with Discover Oklahoma, Jonathon spoke about his love for Just Baked Bakery and Deli, just a six-minute drive from the family’s quiet community in suburban Oklahoma City.
“I come here twice a week in the morning just for their breakfast burritos, which are way better than what you can get here,” the father says proudly before joking about his unusual last name.
‘I love carrot cake. I don’t eat a lot of sweets, even with my last name. But I like the carrot cake.” His wife joins the conversation and says, “I like the cannoli. The cannolis are good.’
As of this writing, the clip has been removed from Discover Oklahoma’s YouTube page.
During a brief interview broadcast on local TV, Jonathon and Lindsay Candy raved about a local deli and bakery
The clip appeared about 18 months before Jonathon murdered his wife and three of their four sons before turning the gun on himself
Monday morning, “(the 10-year-old boy) woke up and found out what had happened,” said Sgt. Gary Knight, who describes the scene as “carnage.”
Knight said that after a fight with his wife, Jonathon armed himself with a gun and shot her before stalking other members of his family throughout the house and systematically shooting them dead. There was no evidence of a struggle.
The victims’ bodies were found in different parts of the house. Police said they found two bodies upstairs and two others downstairs. One of the children had been shot in bed.
“Make no mistake, what happened in that home was nothing short of a massacre,” Knight said.
Neighbor Michael Burcham, 68, said The Oklahoman that Jonathon had previously confided that he was struggling with depression.
Burcham also said that Jonathon would regularly help him fix his car or lawn mower and that the pair would regularly fly their drones together. He said Jonathon was helping another neighbor in his house with chores.
Burcham said that as far as he knew there were no problems between the suspect and his wife. The neighbor said he knew Jonathon had guns in the house and stored food.
Lindsay Terry Candy and Jonathon Candy on vacation in Florida in 2023
Jonathon is believed to have killed his wife and sons (18-year-old Dylan, 14-year-old Ethan and 12-year-old Lucas)
Investigators believe the shooting started after an argument between the parents on Sunday evening or early Monday morning. Ethan Candy, left, and Dylan Candy, right, are seen here
‘All day we just couldn’t imagine it. He must have had a really hard time,” Burcham said.
Their home is within the limits of Oklahoma City. Two of the children, Ethan Lucas, were students in the local Mustang Public School district. Dylan Candy graduated from district high school in 2023.
Knight said investigators believe the shooting started after an argument between the parents late Sunday night or early Monday morning.
Knight said it is not known why the fourth child was spared or what a motive is for the shootings.
He said police had had no previous contact with the family, had not previously been called to their home and there was no history of domestic violence in the family.
Knight said the 10-year-old was placed in the care of family members and was physically unharmed.
Knight said the boy told investigators he slept through the sound of the gunfire and there is no reason to doubt him.
“He called 911 and said he just woke up and found the bodies,” Knight said. “The door (of his room) was closed and a box fan was running” which also muffled the sound.
“There’s no indication he didn’t sleep through it,” Knight said.
The scene outside the Candy family home. Neighbor Brian Graham told KFOR: ‘No one expected this, it was very shocking. You know, like I said, it was a great family.
“This wasn’t a gas leak or a fentanyl type situation, this is five people who died,” a local officer said.
Mustang Superintendent Charles Bradley wrote in a statement to parents: “We are shocked and heartbroken; this tragedy simply defies all understanding.
“Although this has been a very difficult year for the MPS Family, students and adults alike may be struggling to manage their feelings and reactions to this news.
“Our Crisis Response Team has been in schools today and will remain there for as long as necessary.
Neighbor Brian Graham said KFOR: ‘No one expected it, it was very shocking. You know, like I said, it was a great family.
‘They were good friends of ours. They came down all the time and we kind of had hangouts together.
‘We’re really going to miss them. “We really wish this hadn’t happened,” he added.
Ethan’s baseball coach TJ Armstrong paid tribute to him and his family, calling them “beautiful” when he spoke to 9News. “I hugged all these kids yesterday,” Armstrong added.
According to his LinkedIn page, Jonathon worked as a video engineer for a company called Cox Media. Police later revealed he worked part-time at the Paycom Center, home of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
An official from the team confirmed that he was working as a “game night engineer.”
“There are no words to express how heartbroken I am to hear that this unthinkable scene is the beloved Candy family,” a family friend wrote on Facebook.
‘So pointless. The few times I met them they seemed like a typical American family,” one commenter wrote.
The family lived in a subdivision called Czech Hall Estates in Yukon, Oklahoma, where homes ranged from $211,000 to $365,000.