After three days of testimony, an Oklahoma jury has found a man guilty of murdering three people, including a 7-year-old, before setting the Tulsa house they were in on fire.
A jury sentenced Keenan Burkhalter to life in prison without parole for each count of first-degree murder. They also sentenced Burkhalter to 35 years in prison for arson.
Formal sentencing is set for June 14.
On October 14, 2018, firefighters responded to a house fire around 5 a.m. near East Seminole Place and North Greenwood Avenue where they discovered two bodies in the living room and a third in a bedroom.
The victims were identified as 27-year-old Hosea Fletcher, 7-year-old Maziah Brown and her father 27-year-old Marquis Brown. All three victims had gunshot wounds to the head, but the medical examiner said Maziah and her father also had carbon monoxide in their systems, leading them to believe they were alive when the house was set on fire.
The jury heard from over a dozen witnesses in the case, including codefendant Andrew Conard. Conard, who took the stand in a black and white jumpsuit and shackles, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and arson.
The state said Conard was an accomplice who drove Burkhalter to and from the crime scene and hung out with him after.
Conard testified he had sold the murder weapon to Burkhalter months before the crime. The weapon wasn’t found until 2020 in connection to a different crime.
The defense argued Conard is the sole person responsible for the three deaths. They pointed to video evidence showing Conard buying lighter fluid and snacks at QuikTrip that night, adding there’s no video of Burkhalter doing anything in the crime.
Conard testified Burkhalter asked him to pick up lighter fluid and the snacks. Conard said the lighter fluid never left his car that night.
Jared Lieser, who works in the Tulsa Police Department’s forensic lab, testified there were no ignitable fluids found at the crime scene.
Conard told jurors he was hoping to get a plea deal from the prosecutor’s office in exchange for his testimony.
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