a day ago
Beloved blues singer, 75, is found dead at home as cops arrest her BROTHER for murder
A beloved blues singer has been found brutally murdered at her home as police arrest her own brother for the shocking crime.
Selby Minner, 75, was discovered dead on Tuesday at the Down Home Blues Club in Rentiesville, the venue that was used as both her residence and served as the heart of Oklahoma 's blues community for decades.
McIntosh County officers arrested Louis Carl Guenther, 68, Minner's brother - who allegedly confessed to the horrific murder using a hammer and knife.
According to court documents, concerned residents had reported seeing an unknown man sitting for hours at the nearby Honey Springs Battlefield historic site.
Officers then approached Guenther and found him covered in what appeared to be blood and clutching a hammer.
Guenther allegedly then gave the chilling confession to officers describing how he had killed his sister and directed them to her body at the blues club.
Court affidavits obtained by the Oklahoman revealed the suspect admitted to making the decision on Monday to murder Minner before he struck her in the head with a hammer causing her to fall to the floor.
The brutal attack continued as Guenther allegedly carried on with beating his sister with the hammer before retrieving a knife and stabbing her in the eye, according to police documents.
Guenther is currently being held in the McIntosh County jail.
News of Minner's death shocked beyond beyond the small Oklahoma town of Rentiesville, with tributes pouring in from across the music world.
'Selby was an icon in the community... She and DC, I wouldn't say they was solely responsible, but they was a very contributing factor to Rentiesville being on the map for people,' Rentiesville Mayor Mildred Burkhalter told The Oklahoman.
The OKPOP Museum shared a tribute Wednesday morning, expressing heartbreak over the death of Minner.
'We are heartbroken to learn of the tragic passing of Selby Minner, a blues legend and tireless champion of music in her community and across the state. Her passion, talent, and devotion to Oklahoma blues will never be forgotten,' the museum wrote.
The tribute highlighted how Minner, a longtime bassist and vocalist, had toured with her late husband DC as part of Blues on the Move before co-founding the Down Home Blues Club and Dusk 'til Dawn Blues Festival in 1991.
She co-founded Rentiesville's historic Down Home Blues Club and the Dusk 'til Dawn Blues Festival in 1991.
The couple won the prestigious International Blues Foundation's Keeping the Blues Alive Award in Education, for their work teaching music to children across Oklahoma.
She also founded the DC Minner Museum and Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame in Rentiesville.
'She will be missed!' the tribute concluded.
Elizabeth Hollis, co-owner of Tulsa-based blues radio station Radio IDL, emphasized Minner's impact.
'She's who made the blues in Oklahoma famous, she and her husband. ... She's been incredible. She's taught more children music in the last 30 years than, I think, anybody in the state,' Elizabeth Hollis, co-owner of the Tulsa-based blues internet radio station Radio IDL, told the outlet.
'Because of the festival... Norwegian musicians were coming to Rentiesville. It's just amazing, because, Rentiesville, I don't even think it's got a stoplight.'
