Tulsa County Prosecutors To Seek Death Penalty In Good Friday Shootings

District attorney Tim Harris outlined the intent of his office to pursue the death penalty against Jacob England and Alvin Watts.

Friday, January 4th 2013, 11:42 am

By: News On 6

Tulsa County Prosecutors To Seek Death Penalty In Good Friday Shootings

The Tulsa County District Attorney's Office has announced it will seek the death penalty against the two suspects in the Good Friday 2012 shooting spree, which left three dead and two wounded in north Tulsa.

District Attorney Tim Harris released a statement on Friday outlining the intent of his office to pursue the death penalty if Jacob Carl England and Alvin Lee Watts are found guilty of the murders.

England, 20, and Watts, 33, are each charged with three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of shooting with intent to kill and five counts of malicious intimidation or harassment, which covers hate crimes.

Three Tulsans -- Bobby Clark, 54; Dannaer Fields, 49; and William Terrell Allen, 31 –- died from single gunshot wounds to the chest on April 6. Two others -– Deon Lawayne Tucker, 44, and David Wayne Hall, 46, -- were shot but survived. The shootings happened at four different locations.

Investigators allege England and Watts drove around north Tulsa looking for random black people to kill, seeking revenge for England's father's murder. A Facebook page attributed to England contained racial slurs and hinted that the victims were targeted because of their race.

Crime Stoppers tipsters told police England may have killed to avenge his own father's murder by a black man, an affidavit says.

Read The Affidavit Filed Against Jacob England

Under Oklahoma law, the potential punishment on each of the first-degree murder charges is life with parole, life without parole or the death penalty. Their shooting with intent to kill charges carry up to life in prison.

Malicious harassment occurs when a person acts "maliciously and with the specific intent to intimidate or harass another person because of that person's race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin or disability." The statute provides a maximum sentence of up to one year and a $1,000 fine.

"The filing of the Bill of Particulars, simply stated, allows the jury to consider all three punishments for first-degree murder under Oklahoma law if they find the defendant(s) guilty beyond a reasonable doubt," Harris said in the statement.

"The jury decides what punishment fits the crime, based upon the facts and the evidence."

The shootings rocked Tulsa and heightened fears in north Tulsa neighborhoods. The "unprecedented" Green Country murders gained national attention.

A city-wide task force, "Operation Random Shooter," was formed to quickly apprehend the suspects. England and Watts were arrested about 24 hours after the shootings occurred, even though police had limited information from one survivor, "a white male in a white truck." Calls to the Crime Stoppers tip line provided leads in the case.

England and Watts have remained in the Tulsa County jail without bond since the day after the killings.

04/08/2012: Two Arrested In North Tulsa Shooting Spree