Man Charged With Raping 5 Women In Muskogee Arrested In Texas

On what would have been Pamela Clark's 68th birthday, her daughter is fighting for justice for her mom, who died 5 years ago.

Pamela was one of five women who was raped in Muskogee in the 1990s and Leroy Smith was changed with those rapes last summer after DNA testing connected him to the attacks. Dedra Galvez and her two sisters have become the voice for their mother, Pamela Clark ever since Pamela's brutal rape in 1993.

"There are three of us that tell her story. Because we want to make sure that justice is served," Dedra told News on 6. 

The affidavit says Leroy Smith broke into Pamela's Muskogee home and raped her at knifepoint. Dedra says her mother was the strongest woman she knew -- but was never the same after that night.

"I was there the minute when it happened. My mother calls me because I lived down the street and I went to her side," Dedra recalled. 

Leroy Smith was arrested in Denton, Texas yesterday after police say he was on the run for over a week. Over the summer, DNA evidence led prosecutors to charge Smith with the rapes. His case went to the Creek Nation ---- but the tribe says do not have jurisdiction either. That's because the rapes happened before Smith received his tribal membership card.

"No matter what happens in this case it's going to be tough. I think that we will be able to go forward and present her evidence and hold him accountable," Muskogee District Attorney Orvil Loge explained. Loge says he would like to see Smith convicted and receive 4 life sentences, one for each victim. However, Loge says there is a possibility an appellate court could rule that the case does not fall under the state, tribe, or federal jurisdiction. 

“Never did I think that there would be a potential that a crime could be committed in my county where no jurisdiction could pursue and hold that person accountable. That’s a tough pill to swallow,” Loge explained. 

Dedra says her mother never talked about the rape but admits that night changed her life too.

"The emotional rollercoaster that victims have to go through. I can't imagine what my mom would have to go through," Dedra admitted. 

Dedra says if there are more victims, now is the time to come forward.