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Thread: Death Penalty Trial Set for Jarron Deajon Pridgeon in 2021 OK Mass Killing

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    Death Penalty Trial Set for Jarron Deajon Pridgeon in 2021 OK Mass Killing


    Victims; Jalaiya, 2; Jaidus, 3; Harmony, 5; Nevaeh, 6, and Quedynce, 9




    Update: Slaying suspect lived with victims, Muskogee Police say after man, 5 children found dead

    Tulsa World Staff Reports

    Update (12:15 p.m.): Police identified the man in custody as 25-year-old Jarron Deajon Pridgeon.

    According to Muskogee Police spokeswoman Lynn Hamlin, Pridgeon resided in the home along with the six homicide victims.

    Another resident of the home, a woman who was critically injured, is reportedly conscious and in stable condition at an area hospital.

    Hamlin said all victims had been shot. Police have not identified the victims, saying the family notifications are not complete.

    Police have an individual in custody after a man and four children were found dead early Tuesday at a home in east Muskogee.

    Officers had responded about 1:30 a.m. to a call of shots fired in a home off South York. According to Muskogee Police, officers saw an armed man and one fired a shot at the individual.

    The shot missed, police said, and the man fled but was was apprehended after a short foot chase. Police have not identified the man taken into custody.

    A fifth child was also found in the residence and was pronounced dead after being transported to a Tulsa hospital. A woman found in the home was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, according to Muskogee Police.

    The children are believed to be elementary-school age or younger, according to a police spokeswoman.

    In a statement early Tuesday afternoon, Muskogee Public Schools officials said a Creek Elementary student had died overnight and counselors would be made available through the district.

    “We are saddened by this tragic loss and our deepest sympathies go out to all of those impacted,” Superintendent Jarod Mendenhall said in a news release. “No words can adequately express our sadness in losing these students, and our thoughts and prayers are with this family."

    https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/cr...a33b4aecf.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    'Paralyzed with grief': Suspect in custody after man, 5 children found slain in Muskogee home

    By Jacob Factor
    Tulsa World

    MUSKOGEE — The slayings of five children and an adult early Tuesday morning have left the city of Muskogee in shock.

    A 1:30 a.m. call of shots fired drew Muskogee Police officers to a home in the 900 block of Indiana Street, where they saw an armed man. An officer shot at and missed the man, police said, and the man fled on foot.

    After a short pursuit, officers apprehended the man and later identified him as 25-year-old Jarron Deajon Pridgeon.

    Four children and an adult man were found dead in the home, and a woman and another child were found injured. All had gunshot wounds.

    The injured woman and child were transported by helicopter to a Tulsa hospital, where the child was pronounced dead and the woman, the mother of the children, is in stable condition, police said.

    The deceased victims were identified as Jalaiya Pridgeon, 1; Jaidus Pridgeon, 3; Harmony Anderson, 5; Neveah Pridgeon, 6; Que’dynce Anderson, 9, and Javarion Lee, 24.

    Lee is the suspect's brother, police said, and three more children in the home were not injured.

    Muskogee Police spokeswoman Lynn Hamlin said this is a shock and “great deal of sadness” for the Muskogee community.

    She said in the 16 years she has been with Muskogee Police, she has never seen anything like this.

    "Today’s tragedy struck our community the likes of which we have not seen in decades,” Muskogee Mayor Marlon Coleman said in a statement. “Many of us went to bed resting in anticipation of tomorrow's hopes, only to have awakened to know that five babies with unlimited potential are no longer with us; their lives taken prematurely, their families grappling with a new horror, and our community paralyzed with grief.”

    Coleman asked those in the Muskogee community to care for one another and to pray for the families of those involved.

    In a statement early Tuesday afternoon, Muskogee Public Schools officials said a Creek Elementary student had died overnight and counselors would be made available through the district.

    “We are saddened by this tragic loss and our deepest sympathies go out to all of those impacted,” Superintendent Jarod Mendenhall said in a news release. “No words can adequately express our sadness in losing these students, and our thoughts and prayers are with this family.”

    All of the victims lived in the home along with Pridgeon, Hamlin said, but police do not yet know the relationships.

    Investigators finished processing the crime scene at around 11 a.m. Tuesday and removed the bodies of the victims.

    https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/cr...home-top-story
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Muskogee shooting: Suspect charged with 6 counts of first-degree murder

    By Nolan Clay
    The Oklahoman

    MUSKOGEE — The suspect in Tuesday's mass shooting made the 911 call himself that brought officers to the house, police have disclosed.

    Jarron Deajon Pridgeon, 25, asked for emergency medical services to be sent to their location, a police spokeswoman, Lynn Hamlin, said at a press briefing Wednesday.

    "The suspect came out of the home with a weapon in his hand and refused to drop it," she also disclosed.

    He did not have the gun when he was arrested after a short pursuit but a weapon has been recovered, she said.

    Pridgeon was charged Wednesday with six counts of first-degree murder, one count of shooting with intent to kill and one count of possession of a firearm while on probation. The Muskogee County district attorney, Orvil Loge, said a decision on the death penalty will be made at a later date.

    "I'm not going to talk about a motive," the district attorney said.

    Pridgeon is accused in the charge of fatally shooting his brother and five children Tuesday morning inside a house in this city in eastern Oklahoma. They were identified as Javarion Lee, 24; Jalaiya Pridgeon, 1; Jaidus Pridgeon, 3; Harmony Anderson, 5; Neveah Pridgeon, 6; and Que’dynce Anderson, 9.

    The three with the last name Pridgeon were his children, their aunt said.

    https://oklahoman.com/article/568163...-degree-murder
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Police release 911 audio of mass murder call

    By D. E. Smoot
    Muskogee Daily Pheonix

    A woman who survived a shooting that claimed the lives of five of her eight children remained cognizant of her surroundings during the nearly nine minutes it took emergency workers to arrive at her southeast Muskogee residence.

    An audio recording of the 911 call police say was initiated by the man accused of killing six people during the early hours of Feb. 2 reveals a conversation between Brittany Anderson, 27, and a Muskogee County Emergency Medical Service dispatcher. Anderson, who survived life-threatening injuries, shared with the dispatcher concerns about dying and her children's safety.

    Anderson, who sounded as if she was just awakened from a deep sleep, declined to identify her assailant or whether that person was still present. When the dispatcher asked again whether her attacker was nearby, a man calmly said, "Yeah, I'm here."

    The man's voice can be heard only twice during the recording: once at the beginning when he requests an ambulance, and again when the dispatcher asks Anderson about her assailant's identity and whereabouts. The day after the Feb. 2 shooting, police said that Jarron Deajon Pridgeon, 25, initiated the 911 call, the recording of which authorities asked the court to seal.

    Police said the call was initiated by Pridgeon, who faces first-degree murder charges in connection to the deaths of five children: Que'dynce Anderson, 9, Nevaeh Pridgeon, 6, Harmony Anderson, 5, Jaidus Pridgeon, 3, and Jalaiya Pridgeon, 2. Prosecutors also charged Pridgeon with first-degree murder for the death of his brother, Javarian Lee, 24, and shooting Anderson with the intent to kill her.

    District Attorney Orvil Loge said the content of the 911 call and video images captured by body cameras worn by police who responded to the call “are graphic and disturbing.” He asked Muskogee County District Judge Bret Smith to seal them, arguing the release of those recordings “would materially compromise an ongoing criminal investigation” and Pridgeon's right "to a fair trial that has yet to begin.”

    The Muskogee Phoenix challenged efforts to keep those recordings — considered by state law to be public records available for inspection upon request — from being disclosed to the public. KatieBeth Gardner, who represented the Phoenix as part of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press' Local Legal Initiative in Oklahoma, secured the release of the recording of the 911 call. Smith is expected to rule on the body-cam video at a hearing scheduled in June.

    "We are glad the judge agreed with our position in this matter — that the 911 call should be released," Gardner said Friday after police released the audio in accordance with the court order. "We are hopeful that the tape will provide the public with a greater understanding of what happened as the community continues to search for answers."

    Loge declined to comment about the ruling or the contents of the 911 call recording.

    The call, according to police reports, originated from the southeast Muskogee residence and was made at about 1:30 a.m. Feb. 2. The nearly nine-minute call consists mostly of dialogue between Anderson and the dispatcher.

    Anderson told the dispatcher she believed she was dying and expressed concerns about her eight children.

    "I'm dying, please ... I don't know," Anderson said between audible but sometimes unintelligible moans of pain. "I don't know ..., I'm hurting ... I hear 'em — I hear one baby, I can only see one baby, I don't hear my other kids ..."

    While the unidentified dispatcher remained calm, there were indications of exasperation as the severity of the situation became more apparent. She continued to gather information and provide assurances to Anderson, who seemed to grew more despondent as time ticked by until first responders arrived.

    When asked about her attacker's identity, Anderson said she could not say. When asked about the severity of her injuries, she moaned and said she was "hurting."

    Pridgeon remains jailed without bond. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 4.

    https://www.muskogeephoenix.com/news...9f7a5f626.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Mother of five murdered children not allowed to see her three surviving children since the murders

    By Leif M. Wright
    muskogeenow.com

    On Feb. 2, one month and 10 days ago, Brittany Anderson was shot in the head and five of her children were shot to death in a house on Muskogee’s east side in the early morning hours. To this day, Anderson has had no contact with her three surviving children, according to a community leader who wished to remain anonymous.

    Jarron Deajon Pridgeon, 24, is charged with the five murders along with the murder of his brother, Javarian K. Lee, and shooting Brittany with the intent to kill her.

    Brittany has not seen, nor been allowed any contact with, her three surviving children since before the murders.

    Brittany reportedly found out five of her children were dead when she was released from a Tulsa hospital on Feb. 5, around the same time she found out she was not allowed to have contact with her children who are still alive.

    To this day, as far as we have been able to determine, DHS has not given her a reason why she cannot call, write or see her children.

    “I can’t comment,” District Attorney Orvil Loge said when asked about the situation. DHS routinely refuses to comment on open cases.

    Anderson’s attorney, Steve Money, declined to comment.

    https://muskogeenow.com/mother-of-fi...ce-the-murders
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Portions of body cam video in Pridgeon case will be released

    By D.E. Smoot
    Muskogee Daily Phoenix

    A Muskogee County judge ruled on Friday that portions of the video captured by body cameras worn by Muskogee police at a homicide scene must be made public in accordance with the Oklahoma Open Records Act.

    The body cam video was captured during the early morning hours of Feb. 2, when six people were killed inside a southeast Muskogee residence. Prosecutors allege Jarron Deajon Pridgeon, 25, shot and killed his brother and five children ranging in age from age 2 to 9 years.

    District Judge Bret Smith acknowledged the competing interests at play — the prejudicial impact it could have on an accused murderer or his accusers and the public's right to accurate information — and attempted to serve both with his decision. Smith ordered the release body cam video he believed furthered the ORA's objectives: government transparency.

    "I want everybody to know, we have two strong competing interests here and, of course, the goal is to serve both of those," Smith said. "I am concerned with the prejudicial impact on the defendant's right to a fair trial ..., but I do think we have to respect the public's interest as they have become the watchdog or the guardian over what we do."

    Prosecutors charged Pridgeon with shooting Brittany Anderson, the mother of those children, with the intent to kill her. He also faces a charge as an alleged felon in possession of a firearm while serving probation.

    District Attorney Orvil Loge filed a motion just days after the Feb. 2 homicides, asking the court to block public access to the recordings of the 911 calls and body cam videos. Loge said the content of the video images captured by body cameras worn by police who responded to the call “are graphic and disturbing, and likely would compromise an ongoing criminal investigation, prosecution, and Pridgeon’s right to a fair trial."

    The Muskogee Phoenix challenged efforts to keep those recordings — considered by state law to be public records available for inspection upon request — from being disclosed to the public. KatieBeth Gardner, who represented the Phoenix as part of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press’ Local Legal Initiative in Oklahoma, secured the release of the recording of the 911 call and partial release of the body cam video.

    "There is really no basis for the wholesale blocking of this body camera footage under the Open Records Act because it is a public record," Gardner said. "There are no specific mechanisms that would block the release of a public record because it might be used as evidence in a criminal case."

    Gardner said courts have recognized the public interest "is best served" when reporters are able to rely "on access to primary sources of information such as body camera footage." She said courts have determined news coverage of "is not presumptively prejudicial" to a criminal defendant.

    Gretchen Mosley, a lawyer with the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System who represents Pridgeon, also objected to the release of the body camera footage. She said if the court ordered the release of the video, portions that depict an "intense, emotional response to the horrors that lie within" should be redacted if that type of footage exists.

    Trying to strike a balance between those interests, Smith said body cam video captured by police outside the southeast Muskogee residence up to and including Pridgeon's arrest should be released. He instructed City Attorney Matthew Beese to present to the court within 10 days a compilation video that satisfies the criterion identified by the court, which will review the compilation and approve its release.

    Loge based his request for the court order preventing the release of the 911 calls and police body cam video on an exemption to Oklahoma’s Open Records Act. The exemption was included in amendments approved by lawmakers during the 2015 legislative session.

    The law requires the release of those items within 10 days following a defendant’s formal arraignment or initial appearance. Delays may be requested for up to six months, but the cumulative length of delays “shall not add up to more than 18 months.”

    https://www.muskogeephoenix.com/news...90185b6f5.html


    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Reporters barred from courtroom as Muskogee six-count murder case hearing begins

    By Samantha Vicent
    Tulsa World

    MUSKOGEE — A judge began hearing testimony Monday in the murder case against a man accused of killing five children, all under the age of 10, and his brother in February.

    But the judge ordered the hearing closed to the public and instructed journalists to leave the courtroom, meaning no independent observers were in the room as various law enforcement personnel testified about the homicides.

    Jarron Deajon Pridgeon, 26, has been in custody since early February on six charges of first-degree murder, one count of shooting with intent to kill and one count of illegal firearms possession.

    Authorities arrested Pridgeon in connection with the shooting deaths of five children: Jalaiya Pridgeon, 1; Jaidus Pridgeon, 3; Harmony Anderson, 5; Nevaeh Pridgeon, 6; and Que’dynce Anderson, 9, at a home in the 900 block of Indiana Street.

    Jarron Pridgeon is also charged in the death of 24-year-old Javarion Lee, whom police have said was his brother.

    The preliminary hearing before District Judge Bret Smith is expected to take most of the week.

    Although Smith did not have a written order in place, he directed at least three journalists in attendance to leave the courtroom. Smith told a Tulsa World reporter the removal was because the proceedings were combined at least in part with a deprived-child matter involving surviving children and their mother, whom police have said was injured in the shooting.

    Deprived-child cases are generally not accessible to those who are not directly involved in them as an attorney, party or witness.

    A clerk for District Judge Tim King, who presides over the judicial district that includes Muskogee County, confirmed the lack of a written order or other formal parameters on file to support Smith’s decision. But, with few exceptions, courtrooms in Oklahoma are open to the public for proceedings involving adults.

    King said Monday that he could not intervene in his capacity as presiding judge absent some type of pleading filed in the case on journalists’ behalf.

    The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, which has an attorney based in the Tulsa area, is expected to appear in court Wednesday to argue that coverage is in the public interest.

    The organization planned to file an emergency pleading by Monday afternoon.

    Meanwhile, court records show that a Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press attorney has already assisted The Muskogee Phoenix with its efforts to obtain records such as body camera footage and audio from 911 calls after the state sought to have their public release withheld.

    Smith in March ordered the release of the 911 calls because of his view that the public interest in their contents, which he reviewed in his chambers, outweighed concerns from prosecutors about how the information could affect a potential trial.

    Pleadings from Pridgeon’s defense team appear to indicate an inquiry into the status of his mental health, which also came under scrutiny in an unrelated 2019 case against him.

    District Attorney Orvil Loge declined to comment on the case in a phone call Friday afternoon, though he alluded to the presence of a court order that could bar journalists from observing testimony.

    Defense attorney Gretchen Mosley also opted not to comment.

    Pridgeon will appear in court again Wednesday for further preliminary hearing proceedings.

    https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-an...1b4c3d2c0.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Man bound over for trial in killings of five children and defendant's brother in Muskogee

    By Samantha Vicent
    Tulsa World

    MUSKOGEE — A judge found probable cause on Wednesday for a man to face the prospect of a jury trial on six first-degree murder charges after hearing testimony from the mother of five young children who were fatally shot in February.

    But the judge reiterated his decision to block journalists and other spectators from listening to evidence in the case.

    Muskogee police arrested Jarron Deajon Pridgeon on Feb. 2 in connection with the deaths of Jalaiya Pridgeon, 1; Jaidus Pridgeon, 3; Harmony Anderson, 5; Nevaeh Pridgeon, 6; and Que’dynce Anderson, 9.

    Pridgeon, 26, is also accused of killing 24-year-old Javarion Lee — Pridgeon’s brother — and of shooting at the children’s mother. Pridgeon’s charge related to the woman was filed as shooting with intent to kill, but it was amended Wednesday to assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

    Defense attorney Gretchen Mosley argued Wednesday afternoon that “a reasonable theory of innocence” exists with regard to allegations that Pridgeon killed the children.

    She acknowledged that the evidence could lead a person to a “reasonable inference” that Pridgeon killed Lee, but she said her client has “some real mental health issues.”

    She alleged evidence suggests that Lee, not Pridgeon, was involved in the homicides of the children, possibly prompting Pridgeon to shoot Lee in response while in the midst of a mental health crisis.

    But District Attorney Orvil Loge remained adamant that Pridgeon was criminally responsible, pointing to testimony from the surviving mother, who said she saw Pridgeon with a gun in his hand while he said, “I shouldn’t have done that.”

    “The only adult in the home uninjured that evening is Jarron Pridgeon,” Loge said. He added that Pridgeon’s legal history, including a 2019 felony assault and battery case, should have precluded him from having a gun.

    District Judge Bret Smith on Wednesday accelerated Pridgeon’s three-year deferred sentence in that case to a 10-year prison sentence, which Loge said was the maximum for the charge. Pridgeon had received the deferral following the completion of a mental health evaluation, records show.

    Smith ordered him to return to court Sept. 2 for trial court arraignment.

    The judge had closed nearly all proceedings to anyone who was not directly involved with the case, telling attorney KatieBeth Gardner it was because he had agreed also to hear evidence on a deprived-child matter apparently related to the surviving children.

    Gardner is an attorney with the nonprofit organization Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. She entered into the case on behalf of the Muskogee Phoenix newspaper and has helped the paper in its quest to obtain records under the Oklahoma Open Records Act.

    Smith did not permit reporters to listen to Gardner’s arguments, which lasted about 10 minutes before she reported that he denied the motion because he’s “trying to serve the interests” of the surviving children.

    “And I noted that, obviously, you know, he could protect the interests of the children by having the deprived hearing separately, and that can be conducted privately according to state law,” Gardner said.

    “And then we could proceed with the preliminary hearing. And he just said he’s thought about it a lot; he wasn’t going to do that; so he’s planning to proceed.”

    Loge has generally declined to comment on details of the case out of court but alluded last week to Smith’s having an order that would restrict public access to the hearing.

    However, Muskogee County Assistant District Attorney Larry Edwards notified reporters that Smith said it was acceptable to hear arguments from attorneys made after Smith concluded the deprived-child hearing.

    Some of the testimony collected Monday and Wednesday, including from the mother — the final witness — is expected to be used in both proceedings.

    “We’ve got a decision to make in the office. We don’t take that lightly,” Edwards said. Asked to clarify, he said, “Whether this is a death penalty case or not.”

    “We’re obviously still discussing that,” he said.

    Despite the restrictions in place, Smith on Wednesday signed an order releasing portions of police body camera footage to the public. In doing so, he said “the public has a right” to see them and wrote that “accurate reporting by the media serves the public interest.”

    He withheld portions he determined were “particularly graphic and disturbing,” including “recordings of deceased/survivors.”

    Gardner said it’s likely she will appeal the decision to close the hearing and that Smith still has not issued an order explaining the reasons journalists could not hear testimony. Smith told a Tulsa World reporter on Monday to leave his courtroom while a witness was on the stand, citing the deprived-child matter.

    “You have to have transparency and have to allow the public to participate,” Gardner said.

    https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-an...0992dcef0.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Muskogee County DA to seek death penalty against Jarron Pridgeon

    By FOX23.com News Staff

    MUSKOGEE, Okla. — Muskogee County District Attorney Orvil Loge is seeking the death penalty against Jarron Pridgeon.

    Pridgeon faces six counts of first-degree murder. Police say he shot and killed his adult brother and five children in February.

    Brittany Anderson was also shot. She survived her injuries.

    Pridgeon is being held in jail without bond. He’s been appointed a public defender as his legal defense.

    Pridgeon is due back in court on September 2.

    https://www.fox23.com/news/local/mus...FN3BWIKYFF33Y/
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    Muskogee man arraigned in slayings of his brother, 5 children in Muskogee death-penalty case

    By Samantha Vicent
    Tulsa World

    MUSKOGEE — A death penalty case against a Muskogee man who is accused of killing his brother and five children could take up to two years to go before a jury, attorneys said Thursday.

    Jarron Deajon Pridgeon, 26, had not-guilty pleas entered on his behalf to six counts of first-degree murder and a charge of assault and battery with a deadly weapon.

    Pridgeon is in custody without bond in the Feb. 2 deaths of Jalaiya Pridgeon, 1; Jaidus Pridgeon, 3; Harmony Anderson, 5; Neveah Pridgeon, 6; Que’dynce Anderson, 9; and his brother, Javareon Lee.

    The children’s mother, who was also injured in the shootings, was a key witness during Pridgeon’s closed preliminary hearing last month.

    COVID-19 pandemic safety protocols at the Muskogee County Courthouse resulted in District Judge Tim King’s opting to have Pridgeon appear for his arraignment by video conference Thursday afternoon.

    It was the first court date since the Muskogee County District Attorney’s Office filed formal notice of its intent to seek the death penalty, calling the homicides “especially heinous, atrocious and cruel.”

    That announcement came in the wake of the court-ordered release of redacted police body camera footage showing the brief foot pursuit that led to Pridgeon’s arrest.

    King opted not to set a jury trial date but instead ordered Pridgeon to reappear Nov. 22 so attorneys can provide a status update.

    Defense attorney Gretchen Mosley has argued previously that Pridgeon has “serious” mental health needs that likely factored into the shooting of Lee, who she claimed in court played a role in the children’s deaths. Prosecutors have denied the allegation and maintain that Pridgeon is responsible.

    Assistant District Attorney Larry Edwards said out of court that he projects the case could go to trial in the fall of 2022.

    But Pridgeon’s defense team told King they have “never seen a capital case go to trial in under two years” from when the state files its intent to seek the death penalty, as attorneys need time to find expert witnesses and locate records to aid with mitigating evidence presentations.

    King also said Thursday that he will ensure that transcripts of Pridgeon’s preliminary hearing — which another judge ordered closed to the public — are made available for inspection following a motion from the nonprofit Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

    The organization advocated on behalf of the Muskogee Phoenix and other news outlets for access to the hearing in August. District Judge Bret Smith said last month that he decided to close it because he planned to hear evidence at the same time in a deprived-child case related to surviving children.

    KatieBeth Gardner, an attorney with the organization, said after the hearing that she was pleased that King agreed to make the transcripts publicly accessible, even though the judge said he would redact “portions that relate to the deprived case.”

    Edwards said Pridgeon’s preliminary hearing entailed about one day’s worth of testimony from police and other witnesses for King to review.

    Gardner argued in court documents that the public has the right to know what occurred in Pridgeon’s preliminary hearing.

    “We were waiting to see what would happen with the transcripts, since that is the relief that the appellate courts could have ordered us, anyway,” she said Thursday.

    “They couldn’t tell them to go back and redo the hearing, unfortunately. So we figured we would take a shot here and if this didn’t work, then we could (appeal) to the appellate court.”

    https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-an...a6d750598.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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