A 911 call to police in a northeastern Oklahoma city brought police to a home in the suburbs. It was obvious from the amount of blood at the crime scene that something horrific had occurred in the home. The question is whether two brothers are guilty of the murder of their family members.
The two teens, ages 18 and 16, were found in some woods near the house. The only person in the home who was left unharmed was a 2-year-old. One of the brothers’ siblings, a 13-year-old girl, was injured, but survived. Another sister, two other brothers and the children’s parents were killed. Police discovered that their injuries were caused by a variety of weapons.
Police have not indicated what evidence led them to believe that the two teenagers now in custody killed five of their family members and injured the other. They are both being charged as adults and recently pleaded not guilty to the five counts of murder in the first degree and one count of assault and battery with intent to kill filed against each of them. The preliminary hearing in the case is currently set for Oct. 28.
In the meantime, both Oklahoma prosecutors and the public defenders representing each teen are undoubtedly reviewing all of the evidence gathered during the police investigation. The possible penalties associated with just one charge of first-degree murder are severe. At this time, it is unknown whether the case will ultimately go to trial, but more than likely, the criminal defense teams representing the accused teens will be exploring all possible defenses for the charges.
Source: Reuters, “Oklahoma brothers plead not guilty to killing five family members”, Heide Brandes, Aug. 3, 2015
