Man Pleads Guilty In Bartlesville Murder

A Bartlesville man pleaded guilty this week in Osage County court to a charge of second-degree murder in the 2012 death of Tim Hauser of Bartlesville.

Rusty Petty, 41, was initially charged with first-degree murder.

During a hearing this week in Pawhuska, Petty entered a guilty plea to the reduced charge. A judge sentenced him to 35 years in prison, with 10 of those years suspended.

Petty and Trysta Shaffer, 28, also of Bartlesville, were ordered to stand trial on first-degree murder charges in July.

7/3/2013 Related Story: Pair Bound Over For Trial In 2012 Osage County Murder

Osage County Sheriff's deputies said Hauser disappeared in August 2012 after leaving a Bartlesville-area casino. His body was found in December 2012 in a field west of Bartlesville.

Court records show Shaffer has a court appearance set for December 13.