In no certain order, here are a few of the Top Oklahoma Crime Stories of 2011:

• The Jerome Ersland Murder Trial - Pharmacist Jerome Ersland was charged with homicide and convicted for the murder of Antwun "Speedy" Parker, a 16-year-old attempting to rob the Reliable Discount Pharmacy.  Ersland was charged after prosecutors say that his actions went beyond self defense, claiming he shot the robber five additional times after the teenager was incapacitated.  Ersland's trial was fraught with confusion and complications before he was eventually convicted this year and sentenced to life in prison.  Ersland's Oklahoma City defense lawyer is appealing the conviction.
• The Maiming of Officer Chad Peery - Off-duty Oklahoma City police officer Chad Peery was at a local bar and grill when he was asked by bartenders to help with some unruly customers.  As Peery was escorting the men from the premises, he was severely beaten, causing paralyzing injury.  Joshua Rinken, Jimmy Smith, and Cadmio Lopez were charged with assault and battery by means of force as is likely to cause death, an offense whose punishment carries a sentence of up to life in prison.  Rinken and Smith are accused of physically injuring Peery, while Lopez is accused of preventing others from intervening on the officer's behalf.  Though his Oklahoma City assault lawyer asserted  that Lopez was innocent of any wrongdoing, Lopez pleaded guilty in November.  He will be sentenced in January.  Rinken and Smith are scheduled to stand trial early in 2012.
• Arrest in the Murder of "The Weleetka Girls" - The 2008 murders of 11-year-old Skyla Whitaker and 13-year-old Taylor Placker in Weleetka, Oklahoma, seemed in danger of remaining unsolved until another murder this year uncovered evidence tying the suspect to the Weleetka murders.  When Kevin Sweat was arrested for the murder of his fiancee Ashley Sweat, an investigation found shell casings and a receipt for a gun that connected him to the killings in Weleetka.  Sweat allegedly admitted to killing the girls, but on December 13, he remained silent at a hearing, causing the judge to enter a not guilty plea on his behalf.  Because of the high-profile nature of the case, Sweat's Oklahoma defense attorneys have asked the judge to issue a gag order.  A ruling on the gag order will be made January 3.
• Serenity Deal Murder and the Ongoing DHS Scandals - Five-year-old Serenity Deal was beaten to death less than a month after being placed in the custody of her father, despite earlier evidence of severe abuse.  Her father, Sean Brooks of Oklahoma City, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison.  Brooks will not be eligible for parole until he is 70 years old.  He waived his right to appeal.  Serenity's death is the latest in a string of child abuse deaths, beginning with the killing of 2-year-old Kelsey Smith-Briggs in 2005, that have demonstrated questionable judgment by DHS authorities and have launched a call for strong DHS reform.
• Carina Saunders Murder - The Saunders murder case first came to Oklahoma headlines when a dismembered body was found in a duffel bag in a field beside a Bethany Homeland store.  The body was later identified as 19-year-old Carina Saunders, who had been missing for several days.  A botched drug deal led to the arrest of Jimmy Lee Massey, who, through police interviews, was determined to have had a role in Saunders death.  Allegedly, Massey kidnapped a young woman and took her to a room where she was forced to watch as Saunders was tortured.  She was made to believe that the same thing would happen to her if she did not cooperate with a human trafficking operation.  Police have also arrested Francisco Gomez on drug charges, and believe he has crucial information about Carina Saunders's death.  Investigators believe that these arrests will lead to many more in connection with a sweeping drug trafficking and human trafficking scheme.

Though these are certainly not all of the major crime stories of the year, they are a few that have gripped media attention across Oklahoma.  As 2011 winds to its end, we reflect on some of the leading news of the year and hope for a peaceful and prosperous 2012.

Carina Saunders name first made headlines when she was identified as the victim of a horrendous killing.  She was reported missing to Oklahoma City police and had last been seen on October 8 or 9.  On October 13, animal welfare workers managing a colony of feral cats in a field behind a Bethany Homeland store discovered a duffel bag containing human remains.  Saunders was identified on October 17 using dental records.

Initially, two young men were considered persons of interest in the killing, but both were cleared.   The first, Kyle Tweed was quickly cleared after he went to police to "clear his name."  Cody Perez, 21, was suspected in connection with Saunders's death after family members mistakenly identified the victim as a girl he had brought home.  Through a series of coincidences, Perez, a culinary arts student, built suspicion against himself as he sold his knives and left town the day after Saunders was last seen alive.  Oklahoma City criminal defense lawyers note that circumstantial evidence means little, even when a person's guilt seems assured in media reports.

Eventually, there was a break in the case, which was being handled by the Bethany Police and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) with support from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).  Jimmy Massey was arrested after a bad drug deal, in which a man who sold methamphetamine to the suspect went to police in fear for his safety after Massey refused to pay $7,500 for the drugs.  During the questioning of Massey, he admitted to having information about the Saunders murder, and a search warrant was obtained for a cell phone that had text messages related to the killing.  Massey also implicated Francisco Gomez in the killing, and Gomez was arrested on complaints of drug trafficking and failure to pay child support.

It is not clear whether either man has hired an Oklahoma City criminal lawyer to represent him.

Massey's interview with police has revealed new information about the Saunders case, and an unnamed person has told authorities that she was a witness to the murder.

The witness told police that on October 9, she was forced into a car, blindfolded, and taken to an undisclosed location where she was forced to watch as Saunders was tortured and killed.  She was told that the same thing would happen to her if she did not cooperate as demanded in a human trafficking operation.  Massey admitted that he abducted the witness and took her to the murder scene.

Authorities believe that the arrests of Massey and Gomez are the first in a series of arrests they anticipate as they break open the drug and human trafficking rings in which the two men are suspected of being involved.

For two and a half years, the slayings were unsolved, making the case one of Oklahoma's most notorious unsolved murders. Now, however, a suspect has been named and charged in the deaths of "the Weleetka girls."  Kevin Sweat, 25, of Henryetta, was charged with first degree murder for the killings of the two girls after evidence linking him to the crime was found during an investigation into another murder with which Sweat is charged.

Kevin Sweat was charged with the murder of his fiance, Ashley Taylor, 23.  Ashley was last seen on July 15, 2011, when she told family members she was going to Louisiana to marry Sweat.  She was reported missing on July 29 when no one had heard from her.  Sweat was arrested in late July and admitted to killing his fiance.  Though he told authorities that he cut her throat and pushed her into a lake, her charred remains were found on property belonging to Sweat's father.

During the search of the property, investigators found shell casings that matched those found at the crime scene of the Weleetka murders.  Sweat admitted to killing the girls, saying that two "monsters" were approaching him, and he panicked and shot them.

Sweat, who is already being held without bond for the killing of Ashley Taylor, has now been charged with the deaths of Taylor Paschal-Placker and Skyla Whitaker.  For many Oklahomans, this is the beginning of a gaining a sense of closure for one of the state's most unsettling crimes, a crime which shook a small town's sense of safety and took the innocence of the roughly 500 students in the Weleetka school district.

Because this is such a high-profile case, Sweat's Oklahoma criminal defense attorney will have to work hard to ensure a fair trial for his or her client.  Whether Sweat's claim that the girls were "monsters" is a calculated plan for the insanity defense by a sociopath or the true belief of a deranged mind, his attorney will have to carefully evaluate all evidence for the best possible defense and will have to work diligently to find an impartial jury.  High profile cases that have constant media attention can be a challenge for any attorney, but an experienced Oklahoma defense lawyer can handle the media and the controversy and work to ensure the best outcome for his or her client.

According to the charges, Flores, then 23, met Flores-Rabago at a nightclub on October 26, 2008, and offered to give the woman a ride home, even though both women were intoxicated.  Around 2:00 a.m., Flores was driving south on Interstate 35 when her car left the road, struck a concrete wall, and came to a stop on the outside southbound lane, where it was struck by another vehicle on the driver's side.  Flores-Rabago was thrown from the car and pronounced dead at the scene.  Flores was paralyzed from the waist down.

Flores' Oklahoma City DUI defense attorney told the court that her client was remorseful for her actions.  Flores received one year in a correctional facility with nine years suspended after her DUI manslaughter conviction.  She is expected to receive alcohol rehabilitation while incarcerated.

Under Oklahoma DUI law, a fatal drunk driving accident can be charged a number of ways, depending on the circumstances of the accident.  An alcohol related death may be charged as:

• Negligent Homicide - A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail
• Manslaughter - A felony punishable by four years to life in prison
• Second Degree Murder - A felony punishable by ten years to life in prison

If one has been convicted of a DUI within the ten years preceding the fatal accident, it is possible to be charged with Second degree murder, a crime which not only carries a minimum sentence of ten years in prison, but is also subject to the 85% Rule, which means that 85% of the sentence must be served before the convicted person becomes eligible for parole.

In light of the possible sentencing for Tara Lynn Flores's crime, a sentence of one year is relatively light.  Of course, she must pay for the rest of her life through her paralysis and the loss of her friend, but her criminal penalties were mitigated by the circumstances of the case.

If you have been charged with an alcohol-related death, negligent homicide, or DUI manslaughter, turn to an experienced Oklahoma City criminal defense lawyer for help.

John Halford, Jr., 25, of McCloud, was charged not only with purchasing alcohol for a person younger than 21, but also with second degree murder.  Halford is accused of buying alcohol for cousins Wyatt Dunn, 17, and Tory Allen Dunn, 20, in January of 2010.  The elder Dunn was deemed to be intoxicated when he later crashed his vehicle.  His teenage cousin died in the accident.

Halford and his attorney deny that Halford bought alcohol for the teenagers.  Halford claims he did buy vodka that night, but the minors took it from his truck.

Tory Dunn was convicted of second degree manslaughter and sentenced to six years in prison followed by lengthy supervision by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.  Tory Dunn's Oklahoma criminal defense attorney claims that the charge and conviction were excessive, saying that factors other than alcohol played a role in the fatal accident, including a narrow, icy road and his attempt to swerve out of the way of an oncoming vehicle.  According to his lawyer, “We've always thought it was an excessive sentence for a young man who made a terrible mistake.  He chose to take the punishment out of grief for his cousin and concern a jury could give him more."

Cries of inflated charges are echoed by Halford's Oklahoma defense lawyer.  He said to reporters, “The person who is actually responsible gets manslaughter and Mr. Halford is charged with a heavier offense.  How is that right?  They're trying to make an example out of someone, and unfortunately Mr. Halford is caught in the cross hairs.”

The prosecution's own words seem to prove that point.  According to District Attorney Richard Smothermon, the case is the first such that he has seen, and he feels it could set a trend in Oklahoma.

Last week, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals allowed Shawn Leroy Harger, 38, to withdraw his plea of guilt in a 2010 trial that led to his conviction of child abuse and a sentence of 20 years in prison.  Harger, who was convicted of shaking his son, entered a blind guilty plea to the child abuse charge as part of a plea agreement that would yield a 20 year prison sentence.  However, Harger filed an application with the state appellate court to withdraw the plea, saying that he had ineffective counsel for his case.  According to the appeals court, Harger's Oklahoma criminal attorney offered no evidence during a hearing regarding his request to withdraw his plea.  The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals sided with Harger, finding that counsel was ineffective and allowing the defendant to withdraw his guilty plea.

The state appeals court also found evidence of ineffective counsel in the case of a man convicted of first-degree murder in 2009.  Clinton Riley Potts, 36, was convicted of the 2004 murder of Gregory Leroy Clark.  Potts and Clark had been friends, but Potts admitted to threatening to kill Clark for selling drugs to Potts's girlfriend.  When Clark was murdered a month later, Potts was the key suspect based on his earlier threat, but he denied killing his one-time friend.  According to his Oklahoma defense attorney, the case against Potts was based on circumstantial evidence.

In his appeal, Potts claimed that his attorney failed to adequately investigate his case and to challenge witness credibility.  He furthermore asserted that prosecutors failed to provide information to his lawyer that a key witness received preferential treatment in exchange for testimony.

The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals agreed, and the state attorney general's office did not challenge the findings.  The appellate court has ordered a new trial for Clinton Riley Potts.

When finding a criminal lawyer in Oklahoma, it is important to look at several factors, including the attorney's record of success and his or her apparent commitment to your case.  Thoroughly analyzing all the details of your case, including the evidence against you, evidence to support your innocence, witness credibility, and investigative procedures.  A qualified Oklahoma criminal lawyer should explore every avenue for building the strongest defense.

Ersland's case has grabbed media headlines since the robbery and subsequent shooting two years ago, on May 19, 2009.  Parker's death occurred after he and an accomplice, Jevontai Ingram, then 14, attempted to rob the Reliable Discount Pharmacy in Oklahoma City.  Ingram was armed; police determined Parker was not.  Ersland sent two female employees to the back of the pharmacy and shot Parker in the head.  Ingram fled and Ersland followed him out the door before returning, getting a second gun, and shooting the unconscious, unarmed Parker five more times.

Prosecutors painted Ersland as an executioner.  Ersland's Oklahoma City criminal defense lawyer says he was a hero who saved two women by shooting at two masked intruders during an armed robbery.

Ersland's case was complicated by lies the pharmacist initially told police, one judge's recusal from the case, defense attorneys' calls for a second judge to step down, and attempts to have District Attorney David Prater removed from the case.

The guilty verdict has launched not only an appeal by Ersland's Oklahoma City criminal defense team, but also an outpouring of support through Facebook groups and letters to Governor Mary Fallin.  Oklahoma's "Make My Day" laws make it permissible to shoot an intruder or armed robber in self defense, but prosecutors say Ersland overstepped the intent of the law when he returned to the pharmacy to shoot the robber who was no longer a threat.

Though formal sentencing in the case is not scheduled until July 11, jurors chose a sentence of life in prison. Oklahoma District Court Judge Ray C. Elliott has the option of suspending all or part of the life sentence.  If he does not, Ersland will not be eligible for parole for 38 years.  Ersland's lead defense attorney says that his client is in poor health and that he will request that Judge Elliot reschedule the formal sentencing as soon as possible.

Also convicted of first degree murder in Antwun Parker's death are his accomplice Jevontai Ingram, who pleaded guilty and will be released from a juvenile facility prior to his 19th birthday, contingent upon successful completion of a treatment program; and Emanuel D. Mitchel, 33, and Anthony D. Morrison, 45, who convinced the teenagers to rob the pharmacy and waited outside the pharmacy as getaway drivers.  Both Mitchell and Morrison are sentenced to life in prison.

On Wednesday, May 4, 2011, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals overturned the2009  homicide conviction of Kassie Lakei Bills, 29, of Oklahoma City.  Bills was convicted of the 2007 murder of  24-year-old Shequiea Thompson.  Bills admitted to police that she shot and stabbed Thompson, a friend of the defendant, during an argument.  Her Oklahoma County criminal lawyer contended at trial that Bills was insane at the time of the killing, but jurors failed to accept the strategy, finding Bills guilty of first degree murder.  Bills was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

As part of her appeal, Bills and her defense lawyer argued that Oklahoma District Court Judge Ray C. Elliot gave improper instructions to the jury before deliberation.  The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals agreed that Judge Elliot was mistaken in urging the jury to reach a decision quickly.

Judge Elliot instructed jurors, “When you get up there, and if one of your fellow jurors starts to stray off, gets far outside of this narrowly defined responsibility, the other 11 of you have got to go, ‘Wait a minute, let's go, we don't want to be up here all day, all week, all month, all year.'”  He called jurors who did not agree with the majority "hardheaded."

The appeals court said that Oklahoma law requires that jurors be deliberate in reaching a verdict, taking as much time as needed to reach a fair and legal decision.  Furthermore, jurors are urged not to set aside their honest opinions merely for the sake of reaching a verdict.

In the second appeal, Twilia Renae Wise, 33, of Shawnee was granted a new trial after the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals found that she received ineffective counsel at her 2009.  Represented by Oklahoma defense lawyer Bill Roberson, Wise was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Wise was convicted of the beating death of Wanda Jackson, 62, of Meeker.  Wise and three other suspects were accused of breaking into Jackson's home at the urging of William Dean Brame, 43, Jackson's former son-in-law.  Brame wanted the assailants to assault his ex-wife, but when she wasn't at the home, they bound and beat Jackson, who died of her injuries.  Brame pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary and received a sentence of 20 years in prison.  Wise's accomplices received sentences similar to Brame's, with her punishment far exceeding theirs.

District Attorney Richard Smotherman said he plans to retry Twilia Wise on the same charge.

For more information on criminal appeals, contact a criminal defense attorney in Oklahoma.

The first of the three recent homicide cases to be dismissed was that of Brian Keith Manual, 20, of Oklahoma City.  Manual, known as "Teen Wolf," was accused in the Oklahoma City shooting death of 19-year-old Kascey McClellan outside a club in 2008.  Manual was charged after witnesses identified him as the shooter, and he spent six months in jail before his case was dismissed on February 4, 2011, due to "problems with the witnesses."

Doyle Wayne Briggs, 36, also of Oklahoma City, was released from jail on February 25, 2011, after spending 18 months behind bars for his alleged role in a fatal shooting over a drug dispute.  Briggs and an accomplice, Jarmal Walker, were accused of killing brothers Shannon and Corey Brown, who confronted two men alleged to be Briggs and Walker after the men sold them fake cocaine.  Walker was convicted of the murders and is serving two consecutive life terms.  Briggs's case was dismissed after prosecutors admitted they had problems with the evidence.

Last week, prosecutors dismissed a murder charge against Richard M. McFall, 57, of Oklahoma City.  McFall, who was on parole for a 1991 second degree murder conviction, was accused of shooting and killing Billy Gene Cooks, Jr., 31, after his cell phone was found near the victim's car at a truck stop in Oklahoma City.  Insufficient evidence led to the dismissal of the homicide charge.

While dismissal and acquittal are not possible in every criminal case, a skilled Oklahoma defense attorney will work to ensure a fair trial and the optimum outcome to every case.  Through challenging inadequate, insufficient, or illegal evidence, a criminal lawyer may be able to achieve a dismissal of the case before it ever goes to trial.  In other cases, questionable evidence may render it impossible for prosecutors to meet the burden of proof, allowing a jury to reach a verdict of not guilty.  Those accused of crimes in Oklahoma City and throughout the state should contact an experienced, successful criminal defense lawyer in Oklahoma as soon as possible to begin building a solid defense.

Smith was sentenced to 27 years in prison for enabling child abuse in Oklahoma.  In the case, Smith and Kelsey's stepfather Michael Lee Porter each blamed the other for the abuse that ended Kelsey's life.  Neither was found guilty of the homicide, but both were convicted of enabling child abuse.  Porter was charged with Kelsey's murder but pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of enabling abuse.  He is serving a 30-year sentence.

The Oklahoma domestic violence lawyer for Raye Dawn Smith says he is preparing to appeal her case in federal court.  Smith and her attorney argue that juror misconduct led to her wrongful conviction.   Smith's defense attorney provided witness statements alleging that a juror discussed the case with them and admitted to watching media reports about the case and visiting a website dedicated to the memory of the young victim.  Smith and her criminal lawyer say that this juror's defiance of court orders to avoid media coverage of the case and her viewing of such information biased her opinion and tainted the verdict of the case.

Anyone accused of a crime in Oklahoma is entitled to a fair and impartial trial.  If this impartiality jeopardized by a juror's failure to comply with the mandates of the course, the verdict in the case may not be fair.  The right to appeal an unjust conviction is granted by the Constitution of the United States.