TULSA, Okla. (AP) — A Tulsa teenager accused of fatally shooting a man and raping an 81-year-old woman had been released from jail just three days before the attacks. The 16-year-old boy remained jailed Friday on complaints of first-degree murder,
TULSA, Okla. (AP) — A Tulsa teenager accused of fatally shooting a man and raping an 81-year-old woman had been released from jail just three days before the attacks.
The 16-year-old boy remained jailed Friday on complaints of first-degree murder, first-degree rape, robbery and other complaints in connection with Sunday’s attacks. The Associated Press is not releasing the teen’s name because formal charges have not been filed.
The Tulsa World reported the teen had been booked into the Tulsa Jail on Sept. 22 for several property crimes, including second-degree burglary, based on claims he broke into a storage unit, stole a bike and pulled down surveillance cameras.
Juvenile proceedings are typically closed to the public. The newspaper obtained a copy of the teen’s earlier arrest report because it was filed for consideration as a youthful offender case, which allows the state to levy harsher penalties for serious offenses.
The Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office declined youthful offender prosecution in the previous case in favor of sending it to the juvenile bureau.
District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said he was “frustrated by the tragedy of these crimes.”
“I understand and respect the need for confidentiality in juvenile court proceedings, but it makes my job difficult when I am called upon to explain such matters to the public,” Kunzweiler said.
Police say the teen broke into a couple’s south Tulsa residence before noon Sunday and forced them to drive him to an ATM and withdraw money for him. He then forced the couple to return with him to their residence, sexually assaulted the woman and robbed them of cash and a handgun, said Tulsa Police Sgt. Dave Walker.
After leaving the residence on foot, police said he approached a woman and her two daughters with a gun as they left their house and forced them back inside. The woman’s husband was inside, and the teen fought with the man and shot him in front of his children, Walker said.
