Okla. Mom Won’t Be Charged For Killing Intruder; Accomplice Is Charged With Murder

A teen mother from Oklahoma who shot and killed an intruder on New Year’s Eve won’t be charged, but an alleged accomplice is facing a murder charge. Eighteen-year-old Sarah McKinley of Blanchard was on the phone with a 911 dispatcher when she shot Justin Shane Martin, 24, according to the…

Jan 5, 2012 12:35 PM CST

Okla. Courthouses Report a Last-Minute Rush to File Lawsuits in Advance of Damage Caps

Oklahoma lawyers were rushing to file lawsuits on Monday in advance of a new cap on damages. More than 400 lawsuits were filed at the Oklahoma County District Courthouse, compared to 50 to 70 personal injury lawsuits on a typical day, NewsOK reports. Deputy clerk Megan McWilliams said the day…

Nov 1, 2011 1:52 PM CDT

After Mom Disappeared, Young Woman Raised Siblings, Hopes for Justice

Corrected: Tatiana Scott has had a hard life in recent years. Left to raise a younger brother and sister in 2006, after her mother, Sheila Scott, went out for a quick trip to the store on Valentine’s Day and never returned, the 24-year-old learned this week that authorities had found…

Nov 1, 2011 12:55 AM CDT

Trial Lawyer Takes Plea, Gets 5-Year Probation in Alleged $1M Law Firm Theft From 49 Clients

An Oklahoma trial attorney accused of helping his former law partner embezzle approximately $1 million from 49 clients pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to commit a felony. In exchange for the plea, 13 other charges against Fred Schraeder, 61, were dropped, and adjudication was deferred, according to the World. The…

Oct 26, 2011 10:03 PM CDT

Top Okla. Court Says Ex-Judge Forfeited Most of $7,800 Monthly Pension by Misconduct on Bench

A former Oklahoma judge who served felony time for indecent exposure after being convicted of using a sexual device while on the bench has forfeited most of his $7,800-a-month pension, including all of that amount attributable to his 22 years as a judge, the state’s top court ruled yesterday. Former…

Oct 26, 2011 10:43 AM CDT

Lawyer Credits Discipline Process for Spurring His ‘Walk Through Sobriety’

An Oklahoma lawyer who credited the lawyer discipline process for spurring his “walk through sobriety” has regained his law license. The Oklahoma Supreme Court said the lawyer, John Whitworth, was better qualified to practice than when he was admitted to the bar. The Legal Profession Blog notes the opinion. Whitworth…

Sep 22, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

Police Find Lawyer Lunching with Escaped Con She Hoped to Marry; Facebook Photo Is Evidence

Police found an escaped drug offender lunching with his Oklahoma lawyer a day after he escaped from jail. The lawyer, Amy Lynn McTeer of Nichols Hills, had hoped to marry the convict, Roy Kuykendall, police told the Oklahoman. She had “Roy” tattooed on her fingers and allegedly posted a Facebook…

Jul 20, 2011 2:49 PM CDT

Federal Indictment Says Law Firms Were Victimized in Adoption Scam

A couple victimized two law firms, as well as other entities, in an adoption scam, a 30-count federal grand jury indictment contends. It charges Serena Carol Matthews and Scott Smith of Oklahoma City with conspiracy and mail fraud, among other crimes, for allegedly presenting her as pregnant and posing as…

Jun 23, 2011 5:32 PM CDT

Defendant Judge Loses Motion to Remove DA from Fraud Case re Adoption of Twins

An Oklahoma judge facing fraudulent claims charges concerning the twins she and her husband adopted last year has lost her bid to have the district attorney removed as the prosecutor in the case. A judge from outside the county ruled today that DA David Prater would continue on the case…

May 31, 2011 8:17 PM CDT

Supporters Seek Commutation for Pharmacist Convicted of Murder for Shooting Masked Robber

Supporters are rallying around an Oklahoma City pharmacist convicted of murder last week for shooting a 16-year-old masked robber. Jurors convicted Jerome Jay Ersland of first-degree murder, even though they were also given an option of manslaughter, NewsOK.com reports. Lawyers are planning an appeal, while supporters are seeking a pardon…

May 31, 2011 12:18 PM CDT

Murder Conviction Tossed Because Judge Advised Jurors Not to Be ‘Hardheads’

An Oklahoma appeals court has overturned a woman’s murder conviction because a judge advised jurors not to be “hardheads” and told them to reach a quick verdict. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals ruled on behalf of murder defendant Kassie Lakei Bills because of the remarks by Judge Ray Elliott…

May 6, 2011 1:50 PM CDT

Blindsided in Courtroom Attack, DA Fights Back, Sends Convicted Murderer to Hospital

An Oklahoma sentencing hearing Monday for a defendant who had just been convicted in a high-profile felony murder case played out like a scene from a Hollywood western, according to eyewitness accounts. Blindsided by Emanuel Mitchell, who came up from behind and punched him in the face as he was…

May 4, 2011 5:51 PM CDT

Anti-Shariah Bills Under Review

May 1, 2011 8:20 AM CDT

Okla. Judge Denies DA’s Blanket Recusal Motion, Filed Under Seal

An Oklahoma judge swiftly denied yesterday a motion by a prosecutor seeking his recusal in all criminal cases in which the Cleveland County district attorney’s office is involved. Cleveland County District Judge Tom Lucas took less than a minute to make the ruling yesterday, in a courtroom packed with attorneys…

Apr 1, 2011 5:47 PM CDT

Ex-Prosecutor Faces Legal Ethics Case Concerning His Work on 1990s Capital Murder Trials

Accused by the Oklahoma Bar Association of intentional misconduct in his handling of a 1993 murder case, a former Oklahoma County prosecutor says he did nothing wrong. Brad Miller, who is now 50, is accused in a legal ethics case of using eyewitness testimony that he should have known was…

Mar 28, 2011 3:58 PM CDT