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Thread: Thorsten Rushing Sentenced to LWOP in 2014 OK Murders of Father, Uwe Rushing, 50, and Brother, Stefan, 14

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    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Thorsten Rushing Sentenced to LWOP in 2014 OK Murders of Father, Uwe Rushing, 50, and Brother, Stefan, 14

    +14
    Victims: Uwe Rushing, 50, and his 14-year-old son Stefan were gunned down in their Lawton, Oklahoma home on January 20.

    +14
    Face of a killer? Police say Thorsten Rushing, pictured,
    killed his father and brother after plotting the double
    homicide with four high school friends


    Wesley Bankston, Ethan Thompson, Cody Davis and Timothy Delahoy


    Oklahoma teen held, accused of killing father and brother with help of friends

    By Ray Sanchez
    CNN

    From the beginning, the details of the shooting deaths of Uwe Rushing and his 13-year-old son, Stefan, in their Lawton, Oklahoma, home did not seem to add up, police said.

    At first, Thorsten Gunter Rushing, 18, the son and brother of the victims, told police that two black men -- one of them armed -- forced their way into the home early on January 20 before Rushing chased them away with a shotgun, police said. Later, the intruders were described as white and Hispanic. Though the gunman was described as running through the house while firing his weapon, police said, not a single item in the home appeared to be knocked over.

    "It didn't make a whole lot of sense," Capt. Craig Akard, a police spokesman, told CNN on Tuesday.

    On Saturday, nearly a week after the slayings, Rushing and four friends -- described as polite young men and good students -- were arrested in connection with the double homicide, police said.

    In addition to Rushing, the suspects, who await formal charges, were identified as Ethan Alexander Thompson, 19, Cody Xavier Davis, 19, Timothy Alan Delahoy, 18, and a 17-year-old, police said.
    Akard said the young men "were involved in the murders in various ways to include planning, assisting beforehand, assisting during or assisting afterward." One of them was present at the time of the shooting, police said.

    The slayings may have been planned for earlier. Two days before the January 20 shooting, police said, Uwe Rushing, 49, bumped into a masked man as he was leaving the house. The masked man ran off.

    A couple of days later, police responded to a 2:05 a.m. call of a shooting at the Rushing home. The bodies of the father and son were found in the living room, where they had been watching TV. Thorsten

    Rushing told investigators that two men entered the home through a rear door, and one of them shot his father and brother before Rushing got a shotgun and fired at the men, who fled.

    "The story and the evidence and the crime scene just didn't add up to where it was making any sense," Akard said. "The story of two guys coming in the house, doing the actions he said they did, running through the house, shooting, and then running back and shooting through another door. And the crime scene itself, where there was really nothing disturbed and it was hard for people to move through the house without knocking things over, much less running through the house."

    Further investigation, including consultations with the medical examiner, began to unravel the version of events recounted by Rushing and the friend who was in the home at the time of the slayings, police said.

    "The stories that we were getting weren't the same," Akard said. "The stories of what one said were not the same as what the others said, according to where they were supposed to be."

    Investigators say they think Rushing used a handgun to shoot and kill his father and brother as the two watched TV.

    "I doubt they knew what he was fixing to do," Akard said. "They knew he was in the house. They were watching TV. They probably weren't paying attention to what he was doing until it was too late."

    The motive has not been confirmed, Akard said, but he added that there was "a little bit of turmoil" in the household. Aside from the report of the masked man showing up at the door days before the shooting, police had not received calls of domestic problems or abuse at the home.

    "Most of the people we talked to said the family was, I guess you could say, the Three Musketeers," Akard said. "They got along. They did stuff together. But now that this happened, we're starting to hear,

    'OK, maybe it wasn't quite as good as people said it was.' Apparently, it wasn't all as nice as what we heard."

    Police recovered numerous guns in the home.

    The five young men are being held on a probable cause affidavit as local prosecutors determine what charges will be filed, Akard said.

    http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/28/justic...ouble-slaying/
    Last edited by Helen; 04-10-2014 at 06:07 PM.

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    Oklahoma teen pleads not guilty to killing dad, brother with help from friends

    By Ray Sanchez
    CNN

    An Oklahoma teenager and four of his friends have been formally charged in connection with the slayings of the teen's father and younger brother, authorities said Friday.

    Police said Thorsten Gunter Rushing, 18, allegedly shot his father, Uwe Rushing, 49, and his 13-year-old brother, Stefan, on January 20 before calling police to report a home invasion in an elaborate ruse involving four of his friends.

    After allegedly shooting his dad and brother as they watched television, Rushing smothered his brother to death because he was not "bleeding out fast enough," according to an affidavit filed in an Oklahoma state court.

    From the beginning, police said, the details of the shootings in Lawton did not add up. Initially, Rushing told police that two black men -- one of them armed -- forced their way into the home before Rushing chased them away with a shotgun, police said.

    Later, the intruders were described as white and Hispanic. Though the gunman was described as running through the house while firing his weapon, police said, not a single item in the home appeared to be knocked over.

    On Thursday, Rushing and Ethan Alexander Thompson, 19, were formally charged with two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, according to court papers.

    Timothy Alan Delahoy Jr., 18, was charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit murder and two counts of accessory after the fact of murder. Cody Xavier Davis, 19, was charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit murder and two counts of accessory after the fact of murder.

    On Friday, Wesley Bankston, 17, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of conspiracy to commit murder, police said. He was charged as an adult, but his lawyer told the court that she would seek to have him tried as a juvenile.

    All five have pleaded not guilty.

    The teens were being held on bond of between $2 million and $5 million, court officials said. Lawyers for Rushing and Bankston declined to comment; attorneys for the others could not immediately be reached for comment.

    A court affidavit obtained by CNN said that on January 20 Thorsten Rushing allegedly met with Thompson and Bankston and they agreed that Thompson would help remove the evidence after the shootings and that Bankston would drive.

    At the Rushing home, the affidavit said, Thompson hid in a closet for several hours before Thorsten Rushing allegedly killed his father and brother. He used a 9mm Glock to shoot them, authorities contend.

    Police said Thorsten Rushing and Thompson then allegedly pumped two shots into a wall to make it seem as if the intruders shot at Thorsten. The affidavit said the teens collected the evidence in a bag and called Bankston so that he could drive them to dispose of it. Later, Thorsten Rushing allegedly fired a shotgun blast into a wall before calling 911.

    After the slayings, the five teens met at the home of Thorsten Rushing's grandparents to discuss what happened, the affidavit said.

    They allegedly talked about burning the evidence bag but keeping the Glock in a car belonging to Bankston's father. Delahoy, Davis and Bankston later took outdoor target practice with the "murder weapon," the affidavit said.

    Last Saturday, nearly a week after the slayings, Rushing and his four friends -- described as polite young men and good students -- were arrested after investigators discovered holes in their stories, police said.

    The slayings were supposed to happen earlier. Two days before the January 20 shooting, police said, Uwe Rushing bumped into a masked man as he was leaving the house. The masked man ran off.

    A couple of days later, police responded to a 2:05 a.m. call of a shooting at the Rushing home. The bodies of the father and son were found in the living room. Thorsten Rushing told investigators that two men entered the home through a rear door, and one of them shot his father and brother before Rushing got a shotgun and fired at the men, who fled.

    "The story and the evidence and the crime scene just didn't add up to where it was making any sense," said Capt. Craig Akard, Lawton police spokesman.

    Further investigation, including consultations with the medical examiner, began to unravel the version of events recounted by Rushing and his friends, police said.

    The motive has not been confirmed, Akard said, but he added that there was "a little bit of turmoil" in the household.

    "Most of the people we talked to said the family was, I guess you could say, the Three Musketeers," Akard said. "They got along. They did stuff together. But now that this happened, we're starting to hear, 'OK, maybe it wasn't quite as good as people said it was.' Apparently, it wasn't all as nice as what we heard."

    http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/31/justic...uble-homicide/
    Last edited by Helen; 04-07-2014 at 06:26 AM.

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    Thorsten Rushing will stand trial in first-degree murder case

    LAWTON, Okla. - Thorsten Rushing, the Lawton teenager accused of killing his father and younger brother was ordered to stand trial for the murders.

    Rushing was in court Wednesday for a preliminary hearing, his four closest friends, who prosecutors say helped plan and pull off the killings, are also charged in the case. Those four testified against him as part of a potential plea deal during the preliminary hearing.

    The most chilling testimony came from Ethan Thompson, who said he saw Rushing shoot his younger brother. He also talked in detail about his role in getting rid of the evidence. Thompson says he sat in a closet in the house for hours waiting for the murder to happen so he could remove the evidence that would implicate Rushing, and allow him to finish staging the home invasion.

    Thompson testified that Thorsten first started talking about killing his father and brother a few months before it happened. He said Rushing told him and the others that his father would get drunk and abuse him. Thorsten went on to tell them if he killed his father, there would be a life insurance policy he could collect on. Rushing would also need to kill his brother to eliminate him as a witness and allow him to keep all the money that he could share with group for their involvement.

    On the evening of the murders, Thompson said Rushing helped him sneak into the house while Uwe and Stefan weren't watching. He sat in a closet for several hours, waiting to hear the gunshots. He said he heard seven shots fired, and when he walked into the room, he saw Rushing shooting his brother through a sofa cushion.

    Thompson said the shot did not kill Stefan, though. So, he said, Rushing found a pair of gloves and suffocated his brother. Thompson then grabbed the clothes, the gun and the casings and took off in a car with Wesley Bankston, who also testified Wednesday.

    Bankston said Rushing had told them to drive to a gas station and to call him from there, so he would know they had gotten away, and Rushing then fired the shotgun blast that added to the home invasion alibi. He says he and Thompson then drove to an area near Lake Lawtonka where they burned all the evidence, except the murder weapon. Bankston said Rushing originally allowed him to keep the gun, and he actually took it out and fired it the next day. Once police began their investigation, Rushing told Bankston to get rid of the gun, but Bankston said he was unable to before he was also called in for questioning.

    Three of the four co-defendants were also scheduled to have their preliminary hearings, but they were postponed while their plea bargains are being considered. None of them have changed their pleas yet, or signed any agreements with prosecutors.

    A date has not been set for the formal arraignment, that announcement is expected within the next thirty days. There was no comment on whether or not the state will seek the death penalty.

    http://www.kswo.com/story/25207893/rushing-case-headed

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    Teen charged in Lawton deaths bound over for trial

    LAWTON, Okla. (AP) — An 18-year-old man has been bound over for trial in connection with the killings of a Lawton man and his son.

    Timothy Delahoy
    waived his right to a preliminary hearing Tuesday and was bound over for trial on two counts of conspiracy to commit murder and two counts of accessory to murder. Delahoy is one of five teenagers charged in the Jan. 20 deaths of Uwe Rushing and his son, 14-year-old Stefan Rushing.

    Prosecutors allege that 18-year-old Thorsten Rushing killed his father and brother and was helped by four other teens. At a hearing last month, Rushing's four co-defendants said they've reached plea agreements in exchange for their testimony, but that has not yet been formalized in court.

    The Lawton Constitution reports (http://bit.ly/1mV2mOY ) Delahoy's arraignment is set for May 27.

    http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/art...al-5477386.php
    "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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    Thorsten pleads not guilty, Bankston wants to be certified as a child

    LAWTON, Okla. - The teen charged in the killings of his father and brother in January appeared in court Thursday.

    Thorsten Rushing entered a formal plea of not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of conspiracy to commit murder in the deaths of his father and brother Uwe and Stefan Rushing. His case is scheduled to go to trial in September.

    One of the co-defendants in the case, Wesley Bankston, was scheduled for a preliminary hearing on the same day. However, his attorney has filed a request for Bankston to be certified as a child and the judge ordered the Comanche County Juvenile Bureau to prepare a report on that request.

    The court order states that the bureau's report must be completed by June 16. Bankston also faces the same charges as Thorsten Rushing. He has admitted in court to picking up another of the accused killers, Ethan Thompson, at the murder scene and helping him get rid of some of the evidence.

    http://www.kswo.com/story/25531194/t...ied-as-a-child
    "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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    Death penalty sought in Lawton teen's case

    LAWTON, Okla. (AP) — A prosecutor told a judge that he intends to seek the death penalty against a Lawton teenager accused of killing his father and 14-year-old brother.

    Comanche County Assistant District Attorney Mark Stoneman said Thursday that his office will file a bill of particulars seeking the death penalty against 18-year-old Thorsten Rushing. Prosecutors accuse Rushing of killing his father, Uwe Rushing, and his brother, Stefan. Prosecutors allege that Thorsten Rushing recruited four teenage classmates to help in the crime, and those four teens have all agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in exchange for plea deals.

    Prosecutors said they'll seek the death penalty because the crime was especially heinous or cruel.

    Thorsten Rushing initially told police that two unknown people forced their way into the home with guns, shot his father and brother before he scared them away with a shotgun blast. But authorities later said that account didn't add up, and Rushing was charged in the deaths of his father and brother.

    The Lawton Constitution reported Friday (http://bit.ly/1oWAerI ) that Thorsten Rushing pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder Thursday. Rushing's attorney, Stephen Jones, said he may seek to delay Rushing's trial, now set for the fall.

    "The state's case relies in a large degree on circumstantial evidence," Jones said. The primary evidence, he said, are the statements of the four co-defendants, which Jones called "inconsistent with several earlier statements and with each other" as well as being inconsistent with the facts of the case.

    http://www.timesrecordnews.com/news/...on-teens-case/

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    Thompson to stand trial for conspiracy to commit murder

    LAWTON, Okla. - Ethan Thompson has been ordered to stand trial on charges of conspiracy to commit murder for his role in the deaths of Uwe and Stefan Rushing.

    Last week Thompson waived his right to a preliminary hearing. Last month, Thompson gave a chilling testimony during the preliminary hearing for Thorsten Rushing, the accused mastermind of the murders and son and brother of the victims.

    During Rushing’s preliminary hearing, Thompson said he sat in a closet at the house for several hours until the murders happened. He then stepped out and saw Thorsten Rushing shoot his younger brother Stefan and suffocate him with his hands. Thompson then says he bagged all the evidence and allowed Thorsten to finish staging the murder as a home invasion.

    Thompson's trial has been set for the September docket.

    http://www.kswo.com/story/25581608/t...-commit-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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    Bankston loses attorney in Rushing case

    LAWTON, Okla._One of the young teens involved in a double homicide of Uwe and Stefan Rushing back in January is now without an attorney.

    Wesley Bankston, the youngest of the five defendants in the case, was scheduled to appear in court Thursday for his preliminary hearing. But in a turn of events, he is now without his attorney Ken Sue Doerful. In open court, Doerful made a motion to withdraw from the case. Her client, charged with conspiracy to commit murder, signed the approval.

    Doerful made a motion for Bankston to be certified as a child in case in May, that still has not been decided. Bankston's involvement in the crime included picking up a co-defendant from the on victim's home the night of the murder and taking collecting and destroying evidence.

    http://www.kswo.com/story/26341840/b...n-rushing-case
    "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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    2 men plead guilty to roles in Oklahoma killings

    LAWTON, Okla. (AP) — Two friends of an 18-year-old charged in the deaths of his father and younger brother have pleaded guilty to their involvement in the slayings.

    The guilty pleas by Cody Davis, 20, and Ethan Thompson, 19, on Wednesday are a part of an agreement with prosecutors to testify in the trial of Thorsten Rushing.

    Rushing is accused of shooting his father, Uwe Rushing, and his 14-year-old brother, Stefan. Prosecutors say Thorsten Rushing became anxious that Stefan wasn't dying quickly enough.

    Witnesses testified in April at a preliminary hearing that Rushing may have been motivated by money from his father's life insurance policy.

    Rushing has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder, and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against him. Rushing's attorney has said the case against his client largely relies on circumstantial evidence.

    Both Davis and Thompson entered their pleas separately before Comanche County district judges. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for them next year.

    Prosecutors are recommending a 35-year prison sentence for Davis, who was charged with two counts of conspiracy and two counts of being an accessory after the fact. They say Davis was promised money and a car by Rushing to help him in the killings, but after a failed attempt two days before, backed out of any other attempts.

    For Thompson, they are suggesting a sentence of life with the possibility of parole. Thompson was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of conspiracy. Prosecutors say he hid in a closet while Rushing carried out the killings.

    Two other friends of Rushing are also facing charges for their roles in the deaths. They have also agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in exchange for plea deals.

    http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/ne...s-5858186.php?

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    Fourth man enters guilty plea in Lawton, Oklahoma, double murder plot

    Wesley Bankston pleaded guilty to conspiracy and murder in a Lawton double murder plot with three other men. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Thorsten Rushing, now 19, who allegedly shot his father and 14-year-old brother.

    LAWTON — A fourth man has pleaded guilty in the murder plot of a high school classmate’s father and brother.

    Prosecutors reduced the charge against Wesley Bankston, 19, by one count of conspiracy to commit murder. Bankston then pleaded guilty on Friday to two counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder.

    Three others—Cody Davis, 20, and Ethan Thompson, 20, both of Fort Sill, and Timothy Delahoy, 19, of Faxon — previously pleaded guilty in the case. The sentencings for all four men are set for June.

    Their Lawton High School classmate, Thorsten Rushing, is accused of planning and carrying out the killings of his father, Uwe Rushing, and 14-year-old brother, Stefan, in January 2014. Prosecutors said Rushing shot them both, then suffocated his brother. Witnesses suggested the motive was his father’s life insurance policy.

    Investigators say Bankston was the getaway driver, Thompson hid in a closet while the killings were carried out, and Davis and Delahoy participated in a failed murder attempt days earlier.

    Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Rushing, 19, who faces two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of conspiracy to commit murder.

    Rushing’s trial is scheduled for next month, but his attorney has asked for it to be continued. A Comanche County District judge is expected to rule on the request this week.

    http://newsok.com/fourth-man-enters-...rticle/5414224
    "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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