2 Men Blame Each Other In Killing, Burning Of McLoud Man

Two men claiming to be brothers are pointing fingers at each other in the murder of a 70-year-old McLoud man.

According to court documents, gruesome details reveal how the men attempted to dispose of the man’s body.

Oklahoma City police assisted Pottawatomie County deputies in arresting the final suspect in a murder that occurred last year.

On Nov. 20, 2023, deputies began investigating the murder of Gary Gillham. Investigators are unsure when the murder occurred but believe it took place days before they were called to the scene outside McLoud.

According to an affidavit, Chautaqua Fielder claims Cristopher Foote got into a fight with Gillham over a van Foote was borrowing. Investigators say the fight escalated, and they are currently unable to prove which man—Fielder or Foote—murdered Gillham.

Deputies report that both men accuse the other of hitting Gillham on the head with a pipe. However, as the court filing states, they both admit to wrapping Gillham in a tarp, using a lawn mower to drag the body to the backyard, and then piling trash on him before setting him on fire.

In the affidavit, the two men, who claim to be brothers, state that Gillham was a trained Navy SEAL with no family in Oklahoma. Investigators say witnesses informed deputies that Gillham’s daughter lives in England.

Foote was arrested and booked into the Pottawatomie County Jail for accessory after the fact to murder and desecration of a human corpse. Fielder was arrested this week on the same charges.

Fielder and Foote remain in the Pottawatomie County Jail.