Latest news with #TheOklahoman
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- General
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Person of Interest in Unsolved Murder Case Dies by Suicide While on Zoom Call with Authorities: Reports
A person of interest in an unsolved 2010 Oklahoma murder case shot himself in the head as he was questioned about the killing during a video call with authorities, according to reports Michael Wayne Thomas, 54, had insisted he had no involvement in the November 2010 death of Julie Mitchell, 34, per The Oklahoman "It was as shocking and horrific as you can imagine," Thomas' attorney, Ed Blau, told the outlet of his client's death on Saturday, May 31A person of interest in a 2010 Oklahoma murder case shot himself dead while being questioned about the killing on a Zoom call with authorities, according to reports. On Saturday, May 31, Michael Wayne Thomas, 54, died by suicide in a wooded area outside a casino in Kansas, per The Oklahoman, citing his attorney, Ed Blau. The Oklahoma City Police Department (OCPD) had been asking the man about Julie Mitchell, who was found beaten to death in her home in November 2010, as her 13-month-old baby laid untouched by her side, local ABC-affiliated station KOCO reported. The case remains unsolved. Blau had been representing Thomas since 2012, with the attorney telling KOCO 5 News that his client had previously been interviewed five or six times by police. Thomas had reportedly refused to be interviewed in person this time, instead opting for a video call. Blau said that his client — who had denied any involvement in 34-year-old Mitchell's murder — had been talking for around 45 minutes before his death, per The Oklahoman. "The phone landed right by his head so we got to hear him die, hear the death rattle," the attorney told the outlet on Tuesday, June 3. "It was as shocking and horrific as you can imagine." The OCPD's Master Sergeant, Gary Knight, said of Thomas, "He had agreed to be interviewed by detectives, but only on the stipulation that he wasn't going to be at the same location. He wanted to be in a manner like a Zoom call," per KOCO. "Beggars can't always be choosers, and this is somebody we wanted to talk to, we needed to talk to. There were questions we needed to have answered by him," Knight continued, telling the outlet that the questions remained unanswered around 40 minutes into the call. "He chose to pull out a pistol and shoot himself, ending his life," Knight said, per the station, adding, "I don't remember in my time here, 35 years here, someone killing themselves during an interview." According to The Oklahoman, Julie Mitchell was the wife of Teddy Mitchell, who had been accused in Oklahoma City federal court of reportedly hosting "illegal high-stakes poker games at his home and taking illegal bets on sporting events." Per an FBI Oklahoma City Division release, in January 2014, Teddy Mitchell was sentenced to serve 27 months in federal prison for running an illegal gambling operation. Mitchell had been traveling to California at the time of his wife's death, The Oklahoman noted. Julie Mitchell's body had been found in the master bedroom closet of their home and $30,000 was reportedly missing from a closet safe, The Oklahoman reported. Thomas' company checkbook had previously been found at the Mitchells' property after the murder, but he's always denied any involvement in the killing, the outlet stated. He told The Oklahoman in 2012, "I — 100% — did not. That's for sure.' Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Thomas, who previously sold insurance in an office in Edmond, reportedly told the FBI that he'd played poker at Teddy Mitchell's house, as well as placing bets with him, per the outlet, which cited a 2011 report. He also told authorities he'd let Teddy Mitchell become a partner in his business to help pay off his gambling debt, after providing him with vehicles and real estate insurance. "I really hope you solve the case," Thomas told OCPD's Knight, The Oklahoman reported. The officer added that Thomas was still considered a person of interest amid the unsolved investigation. The OCPD and Blau's law firm didn't immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to Read the original article on People
Indianapolis Star
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
NBA Finals: Pacers vs. OKC Thunder matchup I'm watching the closest
The 2025 NBA Finals tip off Thursday night with Game 1 between the Pacers and Thunder in Oklahoma City. We asked USA Today Sports Network's two beat writers who cover their respective teams the most — IndyStar's Dustin Dopirak and Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman — what matchup they'll be focused on most as the key to which team will hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy. The primary problem Tyrese Haliburton has had to find a solution for over the past two seasons has been top-level defenders who face-guard him and devote all of their attention to keeping the ball out of his hands or giving him no space to operate when he gets it. Early in the season he more than once took the approach of simply sitting back, taking a top-level defender out of the equation and allowing his teammates to play 4-on-4, but he's found that more often than not, that leads to defeat. So he and the Pacers have had to scheme ways to peel those defenders off Haliburton with on- or off-ball screening so that he can get the ball going downhill with space to function. The best defenders don't make that easy, however, and no one makes it harder than Oklahoma City's Luguentz Dort. Dort was named first-team All-Defense this year and being defended by him is such a harrowing experience that it has earned the nickname "The Dorture Chamber." At 6-4, 220 pounds, he's built like a linebacker and he's one of the league's most physical defenders. That makes him particularly tough on Haliburton, listed at a spindly 6-5, 185. Dort took Haliburton out of the game almost entirely when the teams met on Dec. 26 in Indianapolis and Haliburton scored just four points on 2-of-6 shooting in the Pacers' 120-114 loss. On March 29, the Pacers were more intentional about screening Dort and Haliburton had 18 points, hitting 4-of-9 3-pointers, but he had just three assists and the Pacers lost 132-111. If Haliburton can't get out of Dort's grasp the Pacers are going to have a hard time making the offense work. — Dustin Dopirak, IndyStar So far, Siakam has been capable of swinging a series to his versatile whims. His cross-matching and lengthy ways proved consistent versus the Knicks, in large part what stuck with the voters who deemed him worthy of East finals MVP. He's a positional problem, able to create off the dribble versus traditional big men and body smaller forwards. Consider Williams the mismatch for the mismatch. With a freakishly long wingspan, a stocky torso and his affinity for midrange jumpers, Williams has proved challenging for defenses for much of this run. Not to mention his attributes let him scale up or down to defend anyone from Siakam to Andrew Nembhard to Myles Turner. Let the best forward win. — Joel Lorenzi, The Oklahoman
New York Post
5 hours ago
- New York Post
Person of interest in 2010 cold case murder of Oklahoma mom shoots himself in the head on Zoom call with horrified investigators
A person of interest in a cold case killing of an Oklahoma mother who was beaten to death in front of her baby 15 years ago shot himself in the head in the middle of a Zoom call with police about his possible involvement. Michael Thomas — a longtime person of interest in the killing of 34-year-old Julie Mitchell — requested that his meeting last week with investigators be virtual rather than in person before he killed himself on camera, according to local reports. 3 Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, KOCO 5 Advertisement Thomas, 54, shot himself during the May 31 Zoom after being on the call for about 45 minutes, his shocked attorney Ed Blau told The Oklahoman. 'The phone landed right by his head, so we got to hear him die, hear the death rattle,' the attorney said Tuesday. 'It was as shocking and horrific as you can imagine.' Thomas, who took the call from a wooded area outside a Kansas casino, was being questioned as part of the investigation into the murder of Mitchell, who was beaten to death in the bedroom of her Oklahoma City home in November 2010. Her 13-month-old baby was discovered unharmed right by her bludgeoned body. Advertisement Police found Mitchell's body in the master bedroom closet. Approximately $30,000 was missing from a closet safe, according to The Oklahoman. Thomas — whose company checkbook was found at Mitchell's home after her death — had been a person of interest in the case for years, and was interviewed by police at least five or six times, his lawyer told KOCO 5. When investigators wanted to question him again this week, Thomas agreed – but on one condition, the station reported. He insisted that the meeting not be in person. Advertisement 3 Julie Mitchell was beaten to death in her Oklahoma City home in 2010. 'Beggars can't always be choosers, and this is somebody we wanted to talk to, we needed to talk to. There were questions we needed to have answered by him,' Master Sgt. Gary Knight with the Oklahoma City Police Department told KOCO. So Thomas, Blau and Oklahoma City detectives arranged for a Zoom call on May 31 that Thomas was going to take out of the state. 'He had agreed to be interviewed by detectives, but only on the stipulation that he wasn't going to be at the same location. He wanted to be in a manner like a Zoom call,' Knight added. Advertisement Oklahoma City Police Detective Bryn Carter told News 9 that Thomas dominated the conversation. 'He didn't give me an opportunity to ask him any questions,' Carter said. 'He controlled the conversation from start to finish.' 3 Michael Thomas shot himself in the head during police questioning on Zoom. KOCO 5 About 45 minutes into the call, in the middle of questioning, Thomas took out a gun and shot himself in the head, according to reports. The cops on the call said they had never experienced anything that shocking before during an interview. 'I don't remember in my time here, 35 years here, someone killing themselves during an interview,' Knight told KOCO. 'In 31 years on the police department doing hundreds of hundreds of interviews, I've never had anyone commit suicide in front of me,' Carter echoed. Over the years and rounds of questioning, Thomas — who reportedly owed a gambling debt to Mitchell's bookie husband — repeatedly denied having anything to do with the fatal beating of Mitchell. Advertisement 'I — 100% — did not,' he told The Oklahoman in 2012. 'That's for sure.' Cops are continuing to investigate the cold case.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How OKC Thunder gave Denver Nuggets hope in Game 6, 'most dangerous thing' in NBA Playoffs
DENVER — Those sounds: the clamoring from a thirsty Denver crowd, the roars of exhilaration from Jamal Murray's motivated lips. Those looks: the smirk that escaped the otherwise stiff Nikola Jokic during his exit to the tunnel, the loss of color and life from Jalen Williams' expression. Those are the signs of what Alex Caruso was fearful of. Giving the Nuggets hope. Advertisement 'You don't wanna give a team fighting for their life any hope or belief,' Caruso warned hours before Game 6, ahead 3-2 in the Western Conference semifinals then. 'Probably the most dangerous thing you can do.' Invoke danger the Thunder did. Ball Arena was sent into a frenzy by an equal dose of hope and belief. Hope that a Game 7 was possible. Belief that it could stomp the Thunder, 119-107, to unlock it. 'Yeah, I said 'give them hope,'' Caruso recalled to The Oklahoman Thursday night. 'It's not up to us. They have (a) championship mindset. They were always going to come out and throw punches and haymakers tonight. Jamal Murray flexing to the crowd — you can see the emotion and energy that they were playing with.' The door of hope was thrust open as soon as the second quarter. Advertisement MUSSATTO: OKC Thunder needs more from Jalen Williams to oust Nuggets from NBA Playoffs in Game 7 DENVER, COLORADO - MAY 15: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets greets fans after defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 119-107 in Game Six of the Western Conference Second Round NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena on May 15, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. Inside the period, Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams each picked up their third foul. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander picked up his fourth. In all non-Game 2 performances this series — when he played 30 minutes in a blowout Thunder win — SGA has played at least 38 minutes. He played 35 on Thursday. Contact and time were his greatest enemies, a 32-point, six-assist night on 11-of-16 shooting to show for it. His fourth whistle was preventable, a swipe at Jokic after losing the ball. A handful of Jaylin Williams and Hartenstein's fouls stemmed from jumping near Jokic — who finished with an efficient 29 points and 14 boards, attempting 12 free throws — while he made his way to the rim in slow motion. Advertisement SGA and Hartenstein opened the half seemingly avoiding drivers underneath the rim like they were attempting to dodge a laser security system. 'We had some dumb fouls that we could've prevented,' Jaylin Williams told The Oklahoman. 'Nothing really changed. We just gotta be smarter with our contact.' And yet, OKC still found itself in the driver's seat after that: a 12-point lead with two minutes to play in the first half in a game where that kind of deficit felt worth a fortune. That lead was erased in those two minutes. With a pair of Christian Braun 3-pointers. With a steady flow of rim attempts from Denver. Advertisement CARLSON: OKC Thunder falls into cauldron of a Game 7 after failing to eliminate Denver Nuggets Belief seemingly coursed through Murray's bloodstream before Mucinex ever got the chance to. He began Thursday listed as questionable with an illness, something coach David Adelman apparently caught wind of earlier that morning. Murray finished the night with 27 points, seven assists and eight rebounds. He dazzled with marvelous shotmaking, without a jumper worth sneezing at. Perhaps the sideline was contaminated when he nearly crowd surfed at the end of the third quarter; he flexed and grimaced in their air space after a 10-second sequence saw him score a fastbreak layup and draw a pivotal foul to swing the end of the third. He wore the emotions of Denver's Game 6 push. But they all floated to the top with the way the Nuggets closed that third quarter. Advertisement If potential elimination games call for an unsung hero, Nuggets guard Julian Strawther was that. Twice in this series, Strawther played less than five minutes. Once he picked up a DNP. But Thursday, he pumped air into Denver's season. In just over a minute, he scored eight points: two 3s and a funky lob. Arson-worthy for the Denver faithful, migraine-inducing for a Thunder squad aiming to wipe its hands with this round. The Nuggets' lead went from three. To five. To eight. To 10. All in lung-crushing time. 'When halftime ends, you get 24 minutes to play your best, regardless of what just happened,' Daigneault said. 'We had that opportunity. So did they. They outplayed us in the second half.' Advertisement 5 TAKEAWAYS: OKC Thunder fails to close out Denver Nuggets, sending series to Game 7 DENVER, COLORADO - MAY 15: Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets reacts as Jalen Williams #8 of the Oklahoma City Thunder looks on during the third quarter in Game Six of the Western Conference Second Round NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena on May 15, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. Despite Oklahoma City's most recent couple closes, and despite Gilgeous-Alexander's gradual control over his performance in the series, the comeback didn't happen. OKC entered its past three fourth quarters with at least a six-point deficit. The Thunder shot just 38% in Thursday's second half, missing all but two of its fourth-quarter 3-point attempts. Jalen Williams, the Thunder's rightful second All-Star, finished 3 of 16 for a series-low six points. It capped off a 10-of-43 stretch in his past three games. He refused to excuse his wrist. He sat hidden behind his Thunder teammates while the final seconds dwindled, his towel wrapped over his head, his stare stuck on his process. Advertisement The Nuggets won and cheered, the Thunder swallowed defeat and filed to the back halls — all while Williams remained glued to the bench. Unsatisfied. Stuck like stone. 'I just hurt us tonight not making shots,' he said postgame. Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder couldn't outplay hope. Now it's all they have. About as much as they can count on. The Thunder can scrape together three Game 7s between this core. Its eventful, historically great, record-shattering season depends on appearing as competent Sunday as it had through those 82 games. On shoving the idea that they're too prepubescent for the moment, the bright lights, down the throats of their detractors. Advertisement That's all they can believe in Sunday. 'Just gotta go for it,' Caruso said. 'There's no time to be timid. There's no time to second guess. You've gotta just throw your best punch and go for the win. That's probably gonna be our message. 'Do the things that we've done all year to be a great team and go for it.' Joel Lorenzi covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joel? He can be reached at jlorenzi@ or on X/Twitter at @joelxlorenzi. Support Joel's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at Advertisement REPORT CARD: Thunder vs Nuggets grades: Julian Strawther, foul trouble spell trouble for OKC in Game 6 Game 7: Thunder vs. Nuggets TIPOFF: 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Paycom Center (ABC) This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder gave Denver Nuggets 'most dangerous thing' in NBA Playoffs
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Ex-stepfather sentenced to 61 years in prison after sex abuse of stepson in Oklahoma County
(Editor's note: This article contains descriptions of child sexual abuse that some readers may find disturbing.) A 42-year-old man was sentenced to 61 years in prison after an Oklahoma County jury found him guilty of sexually abusing his former stepson when he was below the age of 16. Dusty Dean Kitchko was convicted April 23 of several felonies, including one count of first-degree rape, two counts of lewd acts with a child, two counts of forcible oral sodomy, and one count of a pattern of criminal offenses. Jurors recommended that Kitchko receive 25 years for each of the indecent counts, five years for the rape count, and two years for each of the other three counts. According to a pre-sentencing investigative report, Kitchko showed no remorse during interviews with police. He told investigators he was not guilty of the charges against him and that the accusations had been made by his ex-wife because of what he described as a bad breakup. "Kichko (sic) does not have a criminal background that reflects a pattern of sexual criminal behavior or a background of being sexually abused himself," an investigating officer wrote. "(He) was cooperative with the investigation and interview; however, (he) did not take accountability for the crimes in which he has been charged. He denied committing the crime and continued to state that it was because of his ex and their relationship ending badly." More: Shawnee church accused of covering up child sexual abuse, stalking In November 2022, the Edmond Police Department received a report of a possible rape, Emily Ward, a spokeswoman, told The Oklahoman. Ward also said further abuse was alleged to have occurred from 2015 to 2019. According to a probable cause affidavit written by an Edmond detective, the victim revealed information about physical and sexual abuse from his ex-stepfather, Kitchko, while he was receiving treatment at the Utah-based Eagle Ranch Academy, a therapeutic boarding school for troubled teens. Police in St. George, Utah, interviewed the boy in January 2023, where he detailed multiple incidents of abuse. These included a trip to Lake Texoma during which Kitchko allegedly touched the boy inappropriately and forced the boy to touch his body parts, as well, according to the affidavit. After arriving at the family lake cabin, Kitchko also allegedly raped the boy, as detailed in the affidavit. The stepson further alleged Kitchko also inappropriately touched him when they would ride around Oklahoma County, according to the affidavit. Investigators wrote that these incidents occurred when the stepson was between the ages of 8 and 10 years old. Kitchko did not return the Edmond detective's phone calls until April 2023. When questioned at the Edmond Police Department in May 2023, Kitchko admitted he took the boy to the lake cabin but denied the accusations against him, according to the affidavit. A week later, a polygraph examination of Kitchko indicated deception, the detective wrote. Michael Noland and Todd Adler, attorneys for Kitchko, had no comment after the jury found him guilty April 23. Kitchko was remanded into Oklahoma County sheriff custody and was formally sentenced May 29. Assistant District Attorneys Charlie DeWitt and Michele McElwee acknowledged the case had been difficult emotionally but said they appreciated the jury's verdict. "This was a really hard case, and we're really glad that we got justice for him," Dewitt told The Oklahoman. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Man found guilty by Oklahoma County jury in sexual abuse of stepson
