© 2026 Public Radio Tulsa
800 South Tucker Drive
Tulsa, OK 74104
(918) 631-2577

A listener-supported service of The University of Tulsa
classical 88.7 | public radio 89.5
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Prosecutor Seeks Death Penalty in Death of Oklahoma Rancher

File photo

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (AP) — A prosecutor is seeking the death penalty for two men accused in the shooting death of a Cherokee County rancher during a home invasion.

District Attorney Brian Kuester filed a court document requesting the death penalty on Thursday.

Twenty-five-year-old Paul Newberry and 23-year-old Cheyenne Watts are charged with first-degree murder in the July death of 88-year-old Charley Kirk. Kirk's body was found in his home in Keys.

Investigators have said that they believe he was killed when he interrupted a burglary at his home.

Both men also face additional charges of robbery with a weapon, first-degree attempted arson, larceny of an automobile and third-degree arson.

Attorneys listed for Newberry and Watts did not immediately return calls from The Associated Press.