Homeless death leads to first-degree murder charge filed against two
Two people have been charged with first-degree murder in the death of a homeless man whose body was found Aug. 27 in Oklahoma City.
James Guillory, 20, and Sierra McCoy-Griffen, 19, made initial appearances Friday in Oklahoma County District Court. They were ordered to be held without bail.
Officers took the two into custody after being called to a homeless camp near Western Avenue and the Kilpatrick Turnpike by a witness who reported the victim had been hit on the head and hung in trees.
They found the victim in a wooded area. The dead man, identified in court records as Jeff Skrivanek, 51, had experienced "injuries consistent with homicide," police said.
Police said they were pointed toward Guillory and McCoy-Griffen by a witness.
A probable cause affidavit filed as part of the case states Guillory confessed to police that he had choked Skrivanek after the two had been involved in an altercation on Aug. 26.
"Guillory said after he released Skrivanek, he was still breathing so he continued to strangle him. After the second strangulation, Guillory wrapped a leash around Skrivanek's neck, drug him to a tree and tied the leash to a branch. Guillory stated he tied the leash in a manner which held Skrivankek's neck off the ground with the intention to ensure Skrivanek's death.
"Guillory stated he fled the scene with McCoy-Griffen, who had watched the entire incident," the affidavit reads.
In a search of a hotel room where the two defendants were staying, detectives recovered handwritten notes between Guillory and McCoy-Griffen where they allegedly plotted to kill the victim, court records show.
As part of the affidavit, police stated McCoy-Griffen confessed to writing the notes, but denied she meant what she had written. Guillory, meanwhile, told police that McCoy-Griffen had asked him to murder Skrivanek and that he had agreed, but also said the altercation that led to the man's death was unrelated to the premeditated plan.
It also states McCoy-Griffen and Guillory were involved in a romantic relationship, and that Skrivanek and McCoy-Griffen previously had dated.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Prosecutors charge two with first-degree murder in homeless man's death
