ALSO ...
Co-defendant in murder case shuns deal, refuses to testify
A man facing two possible life sentences rejected a plea offer this week by refusing to testify against a co-defendant in a murder case.
Oklahoma County prosecutors had offered a 20-year prison sentence to Willie Jerome Boyd, 35, of Oklahoma City, in exchange for his testimony in the trial of Geary Lynn Birdine.
Birdine, 34, of Oklahoma City, was acquitted by a jury Friday of first-degree murder in the March 30, 2011, shooting death of Christopher Bryan Robinson, 25, outside a residence in the 2600 block of SW 38.
Under Oklahoma's felony murder law, a person committing a felony can be charged with first-degree murder if an accomplice dies during the crime.
Boyd also is a defendant in a drug trafficking case and faces life in prison if convicted, Assistant District Attorney Dan Gridley told the judge in the murder case Thursday.
Boyd is awaiting trial in both cases.
Gridley said he wanted Boyd to be aware of the “consequences” of refusing to take the witness stand after previously agreeing to do so.
Gridley declined to comment about the outcome of Birdine's trial.
TIM WILLERT, Staff Writer
