Only murder charge to come from investigation into Aryan Brotherhood, disappearances has been dropped
SHAWNEE — Prosecutors on Thursday dropped the only murder case filed so far out of the hush-hush investigation of a white supremacist prison gang and a string of disappearances.
Jason Dean Cornett, 45, was accused of fatally shooting another man in 2021 at a house in McLoud, burning the body in a steel box outside and then scattering the remains elsewhere.
His preliminary hearing had been set for Friday. Prosecutors said in a court filing they were dismissing the case "pending further investigation."
"We're not shutting the door on it," Pottawatomie County District Attorney Adam Panter said.
Cornett was arrested March 1. He was living in Midwest City at the time.
So-called "no body" cases are rare in Oklahoma and harder to prove. The case against Cornett also was complicated by witness problems.
What to know about the prison gang investigation, the disappearances of 12 people
The investigation of the prison gang focused on 12 disappearances dating back to 2019, according to law enforcement records obtained by The Oklahoman.
At the center of the investigation is Mikell Patrick "Bulldog" Smith, a three-time convicted murderer once described as the most dangerous inmate at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary.
His wife was listed for two years as an owner of a semirural property in Logan County where burnt human bone fragments have been found.
Smith has been described as a shot-caller for the Universal Aryan Brotherhood, a gang known to have been involved in smuggling drugs from Mexico into Oklahoma.
He also is Cornett's uncle.
Cornett was charged with first-degree murder, unlawful removal of a dead body and desecration of a corpse.
In the murder charge, the victim was identified as David Orr.
He spoke to his father for the last time on Jan. 16, 2021, according to law enforcement records. He was 41.
Prosecutors alleged he was fatally shot that day or the next in the bedroom of the house in McLoud. He had been staying there with Cornett. Investigators believe his burnt remains were scattered at the semirural site in Logan County.
A key witness claimed Cornett admitted to the shooting. The witness said Orr "owed 'Bulldog' money and Jason was instructed to take care of the debt," an investigator reported in a court affidavit.
Orr's son and ex-wife told investigators Cornett warned them to quit looking into the disappearance "or it will happen to them as well," according to the affidavit.
Defense attorney Michael Johnson said Thursday there have always been doubts Orr was actually dead.
"We believe he's hiding out on a beach in Belize to avoid indictment on federal gun charges," the attorney said.
Charged in March as accessories to murder were Cornett's wife and nephew. Prosecutors are going forward only with the case against the wife, Elizabeth Dee Cornett, 45, of Midwest City.
The evidence against her includes security camera photos showing her using Orr's food stamp card in a grocery store in Harrah on Jan. 17, 2021.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Murder charge tied to white supremacist gang investigation dropped
