Oklahoma lawyer and the woman he represented in a divorce are shot and killed
A lawyer in Norman, Oklahoma, and his divorce client were shot and killed, apparently by the woman’s estranged husband, authorities said on Wednesday.
The victims are lawyer Bryan Young, 47, and his client, Cayann Patterson, 49, report the Norman Transcript and the Oklahoman. Young was an associate at Ward Glass in Norman and was previously a high school principal, according to other stories by the Norman Transcript and the Oklahoman.
The suspect was Patterson’s estranged husband, Timothy Michael Deffner. Police say he shot Young and Patterson multiple times after going to their homes and kicking in the doors. Deffner shot himself early Wednesday after he was surrounded by authorities in a field.
Young’s wife, Lisa, said she went downstairs to investigate after hearing several loud bangs. She went outside and saw the suspect, who told her she should get back in the house, according to Pottawatomie County Undersheriff J.T. Palmer, the Oklahoman reported.
Patterson had previously received a protective order against Deffner.
Lawyer Stan Ward told the Oklahoman that Young had worked as a jockey for nine years until he broke his neck in an accident. After that he used his doctorate in education to become a teacher and then a principal. Young received a law degree from Oklahoma City University and had been an associate at Ward’s firm for two or three years, he said.
“I have never met a more upbeat, positive person with such a great attitude,” Ward told the Oklahoman. “He was well-loved. This is a horrible, horrible thing that has happened.”
