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Thread: Miles Sterling Bench - Oklahoma Death Row

  1. #11
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    Man Found Competent for Trial in Teen's Death

    DUNCAN, Okla. (AP) — A Velma man charged with first-degree murder has again been found mentally competent to stand trial.

    Friday's ruling by Judge Joe Enos in Stephens County District Court is the fourth time that 23-year-old Miles Sterling Bench has been found competent for trial for the death of 16-year-old Braylee Rae Henry.

    Bench has pleaded not guilty.

    Prosecutors say Bench killed Henry in June 2012 after she stopped to buy gas at the convenience store where Bench worked. Her body was found in a pasture in Velma near the home of Bench's grandparents, where Bench was living at the time.

    Bench was arrested shortly afterward near Weatherford where he was found driving Henry's car.

    District Attorney Jason Hicks has said he is seeking the death penalty if Bench is convicted.

    http://publicradiotulsa.org/post/man...al-teens-death

  2. #12
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    Murder trial postponed until January

    By Steve Olafson
    The Duncan Banner

    DUNCAN — The impending trial of Miles Bench, who faces a possible death penalty in the slaying of a Velma teen-ager, has been postponed until January.

    District Judge Joe Enos granted the continuance at the request of Bench’s attorneys, District Attorney Jason Hicks said Saturday.

    Bench, 23, is charged with first-degree murder in the bludgeoning death of Braylee Rae Henry, a 16-year-old student at Velma High School, whose body was discovered near the rural home of the suspect’s grandparents.

    Bench, a David resident who been in jail more than two years now, was covered in blood when he was arrested about 130 miles away while driving the slain teen-ager’s car, police said.

    On the night she was killed in June 2012, Henry drove to buy gas at the Velma convenience store that employed Bench, investigators believe.

    Attorneys for Bench have contended the suspect is mentally incompetent to stand trial but a jury ruled that he is competent.

    Defense attorneys have filed a motion notifying the court they plan to raise an insanity defense in the case.

    http://www.duncanbanner.com/local/x1...-until-January

  3. #13
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    Judge allows family ‘grief buttons’ at Bench murder trial

    By Rachel Snyder
    The Duncan Banner

    A judge on Thursday ruled that the family of Braylee Henry can wear “grief buttons” during the trial of the man charged in Henry’s beating death.

    Attorneys for Miles Bench wanted spectators at the trial to be prohibited from wearing the buttons bearing Henry’s likeness on the grounds it would prejudice jurors.

    The defense attorneys also objected to prosecutors showing jurors a poster-size photograph of Henry, but Associate District Judge Brent Russell said he will allow an 8-by-10 inch photo to be shown.

    Russell restricted the wearing of the so-called grief buttons to Henry’s immediate family members.

    Russell also ruled that he will allow the state to bring the state medical examiner to Duncan for a future pretrial hearing to testify about what Henry’s autopsy revealed.

    Bench’s first-degree murder trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 9. District Attorney Jason Hicks is seeking the death penalty.

    Bench, dressed in an orange jail jumpsuit, looks nothing like his original jail mugshot taken in June 2012. His dark hair is now well past his shoulders and his beard is down to his chest.

    Henry, 16, was a sports star, beauty pageant participant and honor student at Velma High School. During the graduation ceremony for her classmates last spring, the school paid homage to her memory by calling out her name during the roll call of graduates. Students also presented her mother, Renee Henson, with roses during the commencement exercise.

    The pretrial hearing to consider motions in Bench’s murder case continues today.

    Bench, 23, faces a possible death penalty if convicted.

    Henry was believed to have driven to the convenience store where Bench worked the night of June 6, 2012, when police said she was bludgeoned to death. Her body was found in a pasture near the home of Bench’s grandparents east of Velma, where he had been living.

    Bench was found driving Henry’s car and arrested near Weatherford in western Oklahoma.

    Bench’s attorneys have argued Bench is mentally incompetent to stand trial, but District Judge Joe Enos denied a request for a new competency evaluation after a jury found him fit for trial.

    http://www.duncanbanner.com/news/jud...266d6ac44.html

  4. #14
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    Motion Filed To Suppress Custer Co. Murder Suspect's Statements

    CUSTER COUNTY, Oklahoma - Attorneys for a man charged with first-degree murder in the death of a 16-year-old girl are asking a judge to prohibit prosecutors from using statements the man made.

    The Duncan Banner reports
    that attorneys for 23-year-old Miles Bench want to suppress from his trial the statement "I think I killed someone" that Bench made when he was arrested at gunpoint by deputies in Custer County. Defense attorneys say Bench had not been read his rights and that he was legally insane at the time of the slaying.

    4/14/2014 Related Story: Competency Trial Underway For Man Charged In Velma Teen's Death


    Prosecutors say the statement should be allowed because Bench provided in voluntarily.

    Prosecutors say Bench killed Braylee Henry in June 2012 after she bought gas at the convenience store where Bench worked. They have said they will seek the death penalty.

    http://www.news9.com/story/27748821/...cts-statements
    "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

  5. #15
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    Teacher, Former High School Football Player, Social Worker, Friends and Neighbor Called to Oklahoma For Wilmington Man's Death Penalty Murder Trial

    A school social worker, a former high school football player, a science teacher, friends and a neighbor of a Wilmington man charged with the brutal murder of a 16-year-old girl have been called to Oklahoma for his death penalty trial.

    Miles Sterling Bench, 23, was arrested for allegedly murdering Braylee Henry in June 2012. Braylee had visited the Oklahoma convenience store where Bench was working just before he allegedly killed her, according to the Oklahoma Legal Group.

    “On June 6, 2012, a customer entering the Tee Pee Totem convenience store called police to report that there was no clerk in the store,” the story on the Oklahoma Legal group website said. “Police arrived to find the store unattended and a large puddle of blood in a back room. While they were investigating the empty store, they received another call that a 16-year-old girl was missing after leaving home to get drinks at a convenience store. They tracked the victim’s OnStar-enabled car and found Bench, with blood on his shirt, driving Braylee Henry’s car. He allegedly told police, “I think I (expletive) up. I think I killed somebody earlier tonight.”

    Bench was on conditional discharge at the time of the killing. He had pled guilty in Will County court to a charge of possessing a stolen vehicle. Bench was living at Great Lakes Naval Base when he was arrested for the Will County case, according to court records. A court filing said he deserted from the Navy.

    Stephens County, OK, Judge G. Brent Russell requested that six witnesses be brought down from Will County for Bench’s murder trial. One, Jack Skole, is a Wilmington School Distroct social worker and is expected to testify that “any issues involving Bench that Skole was involved with were minor incidents, the incidents never escalated, and he did not believe Bench ever posed a danger to any other students,” according to court papers. “He will also testify that something odd must have been going on with Miles to act the way he allegedly did in this case because it is not indicative of the Bench he knew.”

    Also called down to Oklahoma was Solomon Gans, who will testify “he knew Miles Bench in high school through sports … and that Bench lacked understanding of blocking schemes in football and lacked understanding of other sports related concepts,” the court filing said.

    Steven Luckey, a childhood friend of Miles Bench’s brother, Ryan, is expected to testify about the “Bench family dynamics,” the filing said. Neighbor Rebecca Becker “can testify that (Bench) was an extremely polite child that didn’t get into trouble. She can also testify that she saw him during the incident in the Navy and that he didn’t look like the boy she knew. She didn’t know what was wrong, but she did know there was something drastically wrong with him.”

    Bench’s friend Justin Mike Popovich is expected to testify to Bench’s “behavior and demeanor as a teenager and (his) behavior and demeanor while he was in the Navy and immediately after the Navy,” the filing said. “He can testify he had contact with (Bench) during the AWOL incident. He can testify to (his) enthusiasm about joining the Navy. He can testify that during the Navy incident, Miles became increasingly weird and delusional.”

    Eighth grade science teacher Sherry Shelley is expected to “testify that Miles was a kid who wanted to do very well and get out of special education,” the filing said. “He was always trying to improve himself. He was a very good kid, he was kind to other kids, and had a good sense of humor.”

    Bench’s trial was scheduled to begin Feb. 9, according to District Attorney Jason Hicks’ office.

    http://patch.com/illinois/joliet/tea...alled-oklahoma
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

    "Y'all be makin shit up" ~ Markeith Loyd

  6. #16
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    Testimony begins in trial of man accused of killing Oklahoma teen

    VELMA, Okla. – The murder of a 16-year-old has haunted the town of Velma for more than 2 years. Her alleged killer faced a jury for the first time Tuesday.

    Prosecutors in Stephens County began to lay out their case against 23-year-old Miles Bench.

    The mother of victim Braylee Rae Henry testified that her daughter barely even knew Bench’s name the night he allegedly killed Braylee inside a Velma convenience store.

    Family and friends of Braylee Henry remember her as an avid basketball player with a beautiful smile. Braylee’s death devastated her family and the small town of Velma on June 6, 2012.

    Prosecutors say Miles Sterling Bench beat Braylee to death in the back room of the Tee Pee Totem convenience store. They say he was the only clerk on duty that night when Braylee stopped there for gas.

    Tuesday, a witness testified when she stopped by Tee Pee Totem that night, no one was inside. She discovered a pool of blood and left to get help.

    Sheriff’s deputies went to Bench’s grandparents home, where he lived. They sent police dogs out on the property to find Bench. Instead, they found Braylee’s body. Bench was later arrested while driving Braylee’s car.

    His defense attorneys say he suffers from mental illness.

    In fact, they tried to get Bench declared mentally incompetent, but the judge ruled that he is fit to stand trial.

    A co-worker of Bench testified Tuesday he was always friendly and did his job well. She also said the night of the murder was the first night Bench worked the store alone.

    Testimony will continue Wednesday morning. The trial is expected to last a couple more weeks.

    If convicted, Bench could face the death penalty.

    http://kfor.com/2015/02/17/testimony...oklahoma-teen/
    "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

  7. #17
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    Testimony Underway in Miles Bench Trial

    By Stephanie Gardener
    KFDX 3 News

    UPDATE: In a Duncan courtroom, the jury sees graphic crime scene photos in the trial of Miles Bench.

    Lt. Chad Powell of the Stephens County Sheriff's Office testified about being called to the Velma convenience store where Bench worked, then to the crime scene where 16-year-old Braylee Henry's body was later found.

    Authorities say Braylee had gone to get a soda at the store.

    Powell said they found tracks leading to Braylee's body in a field at Bench's grandparents home, where he lived.

    He said there was a large amount of blood on her hair, face and head.

    Family members and friends looked away and some began to cry when prosecutors showed photos of the scene.

    The detective testified her body was near a camper trailer about 75 yards from the road, and some dirt and vegetation had been pulled over it.

    A garden hoe with fresh dirt on it was leaning against the trailer.

    Her body was face up and nude from the waist down, and Powell said a rolled up pair of underwear were found under the body.

    A deputy from Custer County where Bench was later arrested after authorities used the Onstar tracking feature of the car Braylee had driven to the store, testified about statements he says Bench made.

    He said Miles Bench told him, "I think I may have killed someone," and "I wasn't driving the car."

    An officer who booked Miles Bench into jail testified that he understood what was happening, and that there was blood on his shoes and socks.

    Defense attorneys maintain Bench is mentally incompetent, and tell jurors that no one in his right mind would leave a body in an open field near the home where he lived.

    They say there are many wooded areas nearby where the body could have been hidden.

    http://www.texomashomepage.com/story...60u5io9k_5O36Q
    "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

  8. #18
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    Former Jailer Testifies In Murder Trial Of Velma Man

    DUNCAN, Oklahoma - A former Custer County jailer says a man charged with killing a 16-year-old girl told him he had blacked out and asked if that was grounds for an insanity plea.

    Miles Bench is on trial in Stephens County for first-degree murder in the June 2012 death of Braylee Henry. His attorneys say Bench was insane at the time.

    The Duncan Banner reports, that former jailer Kendell Brown testified Thursday that Bench said he thought he had blacked out and may have killed someone, then asked if a blackout would constitute insanity.

    Bench was being held in Custer County after being arrested near Weatherford while driving Henry's car.

    Prosecutors say Bench killed Henry after she stopped to buy gas at the convenience store where Bench worked. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

    http://www.news9.com/story/28160256/...l-of-velma-man
    "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

  9. #19
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    Closing Arguments Begin in Miles Bench Trial

    UPDATE: The sanity of Miles Bench and his ability to know right from wrong is the center of Thursday's closing arguments in Stephens County.

    Bench is accused of killing Braylee Henry at the convenience store he worked at in Velma.

    The state provided examples of Bench knowing that what he was doing was wrong.

    After the murder, prosecutors say Bench moved the body from the Tee Pee Totem, knowing that it was wrong and that he would get in trouble for it.

    Bench then took the body to hid grandparents house and attempted to hide the body behind a tree, well out of sight from the road.

    Prosecutors also argued Bench had intent to kill prior to seeing Braylee Henry.

    The state cited testimony from a Tee Pee Totem customer who spoke to Bench hours before the crime.

    The customer testified Bench told him that he was wired for killing.

    Defense questioned Bench's sanity, saying two doctors testified that bench did have mental health issues.

    The defense also argued that Bench did not have intent to kill Henry since he left the money in the cash register and did not attempt to clean the blood left on the floor of the Tee Pee Totem.

    Jury deliberations are expected to begin Thursday afternoon.

    http://www.texomashomepage.com/story...60u5io9k_5O36Q
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

    "Y'all be makin shit up" ~ Markeith Loyd

  10. #20
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Guilty Verdict in Miles Bench Trial

    Miles Bench has been found guilty of first degree murder.

    It took the jury only an hour and a half to decide Miles Bench was mentally competent, and guilty of first degree murder in the beating death Braylee Henry.

    The defense brought up numerous points throughout the trial in cross examination of the states witnesses, and with their own witnesses to try and convince jurors bench was not stable when Braylee was killed.

    The punishment phase is set to begin at 9 a.m. Monday.

    http://www.texomashomepage.com/story...60u5io9k_5O36Q
    "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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