Grieving Osage County Mother Disappointed After DUI Crash Suspect Offered Plea Deal

An Osage County mother said she is hurt and disappointed after the district attorney offered a plea deal to the man charged with killing her son in a DUI crash.

15-year-old Tyson Townley was killed in May, with Weston Lowe behind the wheel. Investigators said Lowe ran from the scene and left Tyson behind as well as his own injured daughter, and another injured passenger.

Stacey Harris, Tyson’s mother, said she has no faith in the Osage County DA's office and said this plea deal is not justice. She said her “son's life meant and means more than that.”

Weston Lowe is charged with driving drunk, crashing and killing his daughter's teenage boyfriend, Tyson, after the girl’s birthday party.

Harris said she was told by the DA's office, if Lowe pleads guilty to the three charges against him, he would be sentenced 20 years, with a chance to go back before a judge in five years for a review.

Lowe's defense attorney could not confirm the details of the deal, but did confirm a plea deal was offered to Lowe Friday afternoon.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said it just received new evidence in the case and told the DA about it early Friday morning.

At that time, Osage County District Attorney Mike Fisher said the plea deal was on hold, until the new evidence could be reviewed. Even knowing that, Tyson’s mother was worried.

“I honestly don't even know how I feel about it yet, I just, I guess, scared. Because I want to be hopeful. And I want justice for Tyson and I want the plea deal to be taken away. But at the same time I just, have little hope that it will be,” she said at the time the deal was on hold.

Families of loved ones killed by drunk drivers have been emailing the DA’s office the last few days, asking him not to offer this deal.

Fisher has not returned our calls or texts this afternoon about the deal, or the letters he's receiving.

Below are some of the emails people have sent to the DA’s office, that they have shared with News On 6:

Dear DA Mike Fisher and ADA Tara Jack,

I am writing you to respectfully ask both of you to reconsider the plea agreement with Westin Lowe. As I understand, an agreement is to be presented to Westin Lowe for 20 years with 5 years in prison followed by a judicial review at that time. 

My daughters (Madison and Taylor) and I are victims of a drunk driver that killed their Mother, Grandmother, and Step-Father on Christmas, 2019. It is very hard to see that a brief 5-year prison term is respectful to the victim and to the family  for killing their 15-year-old son. The loss of life was due to a 36-year-old choosing to drive while drunk must show the serious nature we all choose when drinking.

Our own loss has devasted us for years and still affects each of us in many ways. My daughters were 23 and 20 years old and had to then settle 3 people's estates all on their own. My oldest daughter Madison, could not hold down her job as there were times all she could do was cry. My youngest daughter Taylor, was in her Junior year at OU, working on a BS in Biology in preparation to apply to Medical School, Fall of 2021. After 2 years, Taylor is now in Medical School at OU but it took 2 additional years to get into school. Taylor struggled until she was able to find her “Joy". The loss is with you every day, when you wake up, throughout the day, and when you lay down at night, let alone in your dreams. You are never without a thought of those you lost. The ability to not even say goodbye or hug them one last time. Then add that your loved one died alone in such a horrific way!

It is close to 5 years since the loss and we are starting to look forward to things and events. We a planning more as though a veil is being lifted from our lives and we can look forward to life. As a parent, I still live in great fear of the possibility that one or both daughters could be killed by a drunk driver. When you have this happen to your family, you have a greater belief and fear it will happen again. My daughters have to live their life, but I fear that day and it stays real with you as you remember the family members taken by a simple choice so many make because they do not fear the consequences.

Please do not lessen the life of Tyson by giving a very brief 5-year prison term that will be even less by the time he serves his time. Not only did this person drink and drive, he also did this with his own 16-year-old daughter in the vehicle that critically injured her and then ran from the accident scene. Westin Lowe needs a harsh lesson for causing the death of a vibrant teenager as well as his disregard for his own daughter. This person does not respect life at this point. Westin must be held accountable for his deathly choice and this must serve as a notice to others within Osage county that driving while drunk will drastically change your life. Please uphold your duties to hold offenders accountable and to protect Victims and Families from those that choose to disregard the law. Tyson Townley needs their life to have greater meaning, something more than just a 5-year term. 

Thank you for your consideration and help!

Respectfully,

Tim Casper

Managing Director, Infinity Home Care

--- 

Dear Mr. Fisher,

I'm writing this as the Deputy Director of Victims of Impaired Drivers, but also as a parent who lost a 17-year-old daughter to an intoxicated driver. 

I'm begging you to reconsider the plea deal that is being considered in this case. We lose HUNDREDS of innocent lives to intoxicated drivers each year, and we as citizens are standing up and saying enough is enough. This was a violent crime that was committed (no matter how it's classified), and a sentence potentially as short as 5 years for the PREVENTABLE killing of another human being is absolutely unacceptable.

Tyson's parents will spend the rest of their lives without him; it's fitting that his killer spend most of his without his freedom. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Michael Freeman, Deputy Director

Victims of Impaired Drivers

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Hello, my name is Chelsea Mills and I received word through VOID that the DA's office in Osage county is not wanting Westin Lowe to go to trial and feels that no one will care.

I strongly disagree and strongly care that an individual who chose to drink and drive, killed a child and injured his own will receive a plea deal that is barely a punishment at all. 

I lost my Husband, John Alic Mills on November 26, 2022 while he was loading a vehicle on to his wrecker on I-69 due to a drunk driver. I am sure you are aware of him due to the Bernardo-Mills bill that went into effect last year. He left behind his young son, a newlywed wife and his parents. 

I know you are thinking about this man's young children, but think about the child he killed and his own child that he injured. Think about that child he killed and the children he will never be able to have and the life he will never have. The man who chose to drink and drive has reached an age where he knew right from wrong, and got to live his life. Please reconsider your choice and let this man stand before 12 of his peers. Your quote stating that it would be difficult to find 12 people without a DUI is almost sickening. Respectfully, I truly believe that you know 12 people personally that do not have DUIs and even those of us who are not in the professional setting that you are also keep company of individuals with clean driving records. 

Respectfully,

Chelsea Mills

 ---

Hello Sir,

I am writing to ask you to consider holding Westin Lowe accountable for killing Tyson Townley and for critically injuring his own daughter. I know you might feel like people don't care about DUI in Osage County and you may be right. There are most likely many who have DUI's of their own. This one thing is for sure, people care about not losing their 15 year old sons or daughters. I lost my daughter Marissa in Oklahoma City in October of 2020. She was 19 years old. Her entire life was ahead of her. She was a high school valedictorian, a student at UCO and she was just driving home to spend the weekend.  

The most important thing you can do is protect the citizens of Osage and Pawnee County. Not very much less important is that you can think of Westin's own family. Please protect his other children that he has not ejected from his vehicle and pinned underneath it (or “Endangered") yet.  

The man who killed my daughter, Malcolm Penney, fled the scene and was picked up by police nearly a mile away. Marissa was pinned in the car and he looked at her and did not render aid. He just ran. For that he was sentenced to 10 years to run consecutively. Malcolm was a repeat offender who should have not been on the road that night. A judge put him in drug court and gave him probation. Now Marissa has paid for that mistake.

I would love to speak with you in person in the near future about the state of DUI in Oklahoma. It is time that we teach people to care about it. It is time to hold people accountable for their actions. They may very well reoffend when they get out, but if we hold every single person accountable, then the public will get the message. We need fierce DA's who will fight for the victims and their families and judges who understand the dangerous ramifications of letting people off with a slap on the wrist.  

It is too late for our family. It has been destroyed by someone's careless actions. Kristy and I will not see our daughter again in this life. Neither will Stacey Harris who is still going to be grieving her loss when he gets a judicial review if you offer this deal. Losing a child like this is one of the most difficult things to go through in life. I am asking you to think about your own family and how you might feel if you were in this situation.  

Sincerely,

Jeff and Kristy Murrow

---

I am reaching out in regards to the plea deal being offered to Westin Lowe against Tyson Townley family’s wishes. This deal being offered to Westin is re-victimizing to the Townley family whom are still very deep in grief. The job of the DA is supposed to represent the victims and to protect the public. It seems they are taking into account the offender feelings or their family not the victims. They are the voice for the victims, they are supposed to get them justice. Since Mr. Lowe also injured his own child and endangered her life as well I don’t think his children should ever be left in his care. His is a danger to them as well as the public. It is for their safety as well that he should be given a much longer prison sentence. Most DUI offenders are repeat offenders. So they would be putting him back out in the public to injure or kill again. This family has been given a life sentence without their son by Mr. Lowe and been thru enough already. Offering him to only serve 5 years for killing their son doesn’t seem justified.

My son Maddix, my only child was killed by an impaired driver Feb.3, 2024. He was only 18 years old. He was just starting his life. We the VICTIMS do care about this, we care about DUIs and stopping them. The woman whom killed my son chose to huff Nitrous oxide while driving resulting in my son losing his life and future. He had no choice in that, just like Tyson didn’t. None of us asked for this life sentence that has been brought upon us. We are asking them to put themselves in our position if it was their child or loved one. Would they feel like 5 years is justice for taking someone’s life. People get longer drug or larceny sentences. I didn’t get to see my son graduate from his vo-tech, I will never see him fall in love, ask me to help pick out a ring to propose with, watch him get married, dance with him at his wedding, and will never have grandchildren. All of those things are taken from the victims. Our future has been taken from us. It only seems just that the offenders loose theirs too. The offenders still get to see their children even if it’s in jail they get to. We don’t get that opportunity. We have to visit our children in a cemetery. Thats where I get to visit my child for Mother’s Day, his birthday, my birthday, Christmas, any day in is in a cemetery. Ponder that for a bit what that feels like. We are LIVING your worst nightmare, it’s our reality. We are asking them to reconsider this family and give them true justice for the killing of their son. I know in the eyes of the law it’s not murder but to us it is. Someone purposefully took our child’s life and no one else should ever experience this pain and suffering. He should have to serve life in prison thinking about the fact he took Tyson’s life. The public is only safe if he is off the streets. 

Candi Morris

EDITOR’S NOTE: Personal emails and cell phone numbers have been redacted from the emails people sent to the DA’s office.