Timeline: Midwest City Man Accused In Midwest City, Pontotoc County Triple Homicide

42-year-old Richard Chambers is behind bars in the Pontotoc County jail Wednesday evening after investigators found evidence linking him to three overnight homicides.

The crime spree spanned multiple counties with one murder happening in Midwest City, followed by a double homicide in Pontotoc County, before Chambers led law enforcement agents on a short manhunt that resulted in his arrest in Hughes County.

Here's how the investigation unfolded overnight:

Tuesday, 11:30 p.m. - OSBI assists Pontotoc County Sheriff’s Office in Double Homicide Investigation

Just before midnight, deputies responded to a suspicious incident at a residence in Allen, OK. Deputies said they discovered an elderly couple severely injured.

70-year-old Jackie Peliti died at the scene and 84-year-old Robert Peliti died shortly after being transported to a local hospital.

“As that investigation continued, Pontotoc County Sheriff's Office requested the OSBI’s investigative assistance to look into that scene and to do what we can in order to track the person down who is responsible for that crime,” OSBI spokesperson Hunter McKee said.

McKee said OSBI was able to identify Chambers as a person of interest in the murders.

During this investigation, McKee said evidence was found at the scene that led investigators to reach out to Midwest City Police.

Wednesday, 1 a.m. – OSBI Tips Off Midwest City Police

In a press release, the Midwest City Police Department said the Pontoc County Sheriff’s Office alerted them that a vehicle registered to 62-year-old Annie Brown of Midwest City was found at the scene of a double homicide.

This tip led officers to perform a welfare check at Brown’s home.

The release from Midwest City Police reads, “Once Midwest City police officers entered the residence, they located Ms. Brown deceased with what appeared to be a gunshot wound.”

According to police, investigators discovered Chambers had been living in Brown’s backyard for some time.

Neighbors told News 9 that Brown was known to take in people experiencing homelessness for days at a time.

“I mean, she loaned out her shed to a lot of people. There was electricity in there and, you know, just a place to sleep that's not on the streets,” Braelyn Hill, Brown’s neighbor of 13 years, said.

Midwest City Police’s release goes on to say that Chambers stole Brown’s vehicle several hours prior to deputies discovering the homicide victim in Pontotoc County.

Wednesday, 1 a.m. - 8 a.m. – Law Enforcement Agents Work to Locate Chambers

McKee says multiple law enforcement agencies including the OSBI, Midwest City Police Department, Pontotoc County Sheriff’s Office, Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the Hughes County Sheriff’s Office worked all through the night to track down Chambers.

“This is an extremely sad case, but for the OSBI, Pontotoc County Sheriff's Office, and Midwest City Police Department, what mattered most for us in that scenario was to track down the person responsible for these murders and place them into custody,” McKee said. “And we were fortunate enough that we were able to do that rather quickly.”

Wednesday, 8:15 a.m. – Chambers is Arrested in Hughes County

“Just before 9 a.m. this morning. Fortunately, the suspect was located in rural Hughes County,” McKee said.

The Hughes County Sheriff’s Office arrested Chambers Wednesday morning before he was booked into the Pontotoc County Jail.

Further details about the manhunt and the arrest haven’t been released.

Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. – Neighbors React to Brown’s Death in Midwest City

Late Wednesday morning, News 9 spoke with several neighbors just beginning to learn details of what happened to their neighbor overnight.

One neighbor said Brown always waved and said hello to her in the morning, while another said she was always looking for ways to help others.

But Hill, who knew Brown for over a decade, said she was like a grandmother to her.

“Whenever we moved in here, she came over and she brought us gifts and whatnot. She was just a very giving person. She always was there for me. If I needed her, I could walk over next door and, you know, talk her ear off, and it was just a fun time with her,” Hill said.

She described Brown as a caring and kind person who would be dearly missed in the neighborhood.

“I still can't wrap my head around it. It's just kind of like it's unreal,” Hill said.

Investigators continued removing evidence from Brown’s house into the afternoon, and Hill said it was surreal to realize what had happened next door to her house.

“It's a little scary because you know what? If he had been in our backyard? What if he had, you know, tried to do something? And what if he tried to come to our house?” she said.

Going Forward – OSBI Continues Investigation

“It's going to be an ongoing investigation in terms of the motive from the suspect, in terms of relationship with the victims. We're still looking into all of that,” McKee said.

While Midwest City Police confirmed that Chambers was living in Brown’s backyard, Chambers’ connection, if any, to the elderly couple in Pontotoc County hasn’t been released yet.

The OSBI says its investigators are also still working to determine a motive in all three murders, as well as an exact timeline of the suspect’s crime spree. We’ll post those updates as soon as they’re available.

Reactions

"[We had] fond memories, just laughing, joking, playing around," said Brown's brother, Brian Hill. "We were four years apart. She was always in the church. She did a lot of stuff for the church. She's a loving person, a caring and giving person, who would reach out and help others."

"The vehicle didn't show to be stolen," Pontotoc County Sheriff John Christian told KXII. "I believe they went to check and see the circumstances, who was driving it, and that's when they were able to determine that female was deceased in her residence."