Two charged in rancher’s death

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (AP) – Two men have been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of an 88-year-old rancher in Cherokee County.

Online court records show 24-year-old Paul Newberry of Park Hill and 22-year-old Cheyenne Watts of Muskogee are charged in the July death of Charley Kirk. Kirk’s body was found in his home in Keys and investigators have said they believe he was killed when he interrupted a burglary at his home.

Both Newberry and Watts are being held in the Pittsburg County jail in Muskogee where they were arrested last week. Court records do not list an attorney for either defendant.

Both men face additional charges of robbery, burglary, larceny of an automobile, arson and attempted arson.