Oklahoma court overturns another death penalty, cites McGirt
The Associated Press - May 8, 2021 7:46 am
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has overturned another death sentence based on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the state lacks jurisdiction for crimes on tribal reservations in which the defendants or victims were tribal citizens.
The court on Thursday overturned the murder conviction of 30-year-old Miles Sterling Bench in the 2012 beating death of 16-year-old Braylee Henry inside a convenience store in Velma. Bench worked at the store and Henry was a customer.
The court found that Bench is a member of the Choctaw Nation and the crime occurred on land within the historic Chickasaw Nation reservation.
