Hearing Delayed For Man Accused Of Killing Weleetka Girls

A judge has delayed a hearing in Okfuskee County District Court for a man accused of fatally shooting two young girls in eastern Oklahoma.

Kevin Sweat is charged with first-degree murder in the June 2008 deaths of 11-year-old Skyla Whitaker and her 13-year-old girlfriend, Taylor Placker. Prosecutors say they'll seek the death penalty.

Sweat was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday for a preliminary hearing, but the defense requested a continuance.

Sweat's arrest in December came after a three-year manhunt for the girls' killer and an agonizing wait for family members in the small town of Weleetka.

Family members discovered the girls along an unpaved road near Placker's home. They were headed for Bad Creek Bridge to collect shells and pebbles along the river bank.

According to an affidavit, Sweat told an investigator he saw "two monsters come at him" and fired at them with .40- and .22-caliber handguns.

12/9/2011 Related Story: Suspect In Weleetka Girls' Murders Says He Shot 'Two Monsters'

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