© 2024 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

Judge Pushes Back Trial For Man Charged In Shooting Death Of TPD Sergeant

A Tulsa County District Court judge on Friday approved a request to delay the trial of the man charged in the shooting of two Tulsa Police officers in June 2020.

David Ware's trial was scheduled to begin this June. Judge William Musseman granted his attorney's request to push that back. Attorney Kevin Adams said in a motion for continuance he has not had adequate time to prepare a defense for a trial where prosecutors will seek the death penalty compared to other capital cases in the state in the past decade.

"Most of the cases took between two and one-half to three years from the filing to the trial. The current trial setting for Mr. Ware is less than one year from the filing of charges against Mr. Ware," Adams wrote.

Police video shows Ware shooting Sgt. Craig Johnson and Ofc. Aurash Zarkeshan during a June 29, 2020, traffic stop in east Tulsa. Johnson died the next day. Zarkeshan was seriously wounded and has gone through months of rehabilitation.

Musseman set a status hearing in the case for Oct. 15. Ware has pleaded not guilty to all charges, including first-degree murder, shooting with intent to kill, and illegal possession of a firearm.

The trial is expected to take at least a month when it does begin. 

Ware's co-defendant, Matthew Hall, was sentenced to 24 years in prison last month on accessory charges after driving Ware from the scene of the shooting and getting rid of the gun. His attorney is appealing the sentence.

Matt Trotter joined KWGS as a reporter in 2013. Before coming to Public Radio Tulsa, he was the investigative producer at KJRH. His freelance work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and on MSNBC and CNN.
Related Content