Charley Kirk, 1926-2015. Photo from Tahlequah Funeral Home

A police officer from the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma helped arrest two suspects in connection with a murder that has shocked the local community.

Charley Kirk, 88, was shot and killed at his home on July 29. The well-known rancher and former auction house owner was the victim of a robbery.

"Everyone knew him - from here to there," Harold Thompson, who once worked for Kirk, told News on 6.

According to news reports, Paul Newberry, 24, and Cheyenne Watts, 22, have admitted they went to Kirk's home to burglarize it. But they are apparently blaming each other for the actual killing.

"Neither will admit to shooting; they lay it off on each other," Cherokee County Undersheriff Jason Chennault told The Tahlequah Daily Press.

Authorities spent Friday interviewing the two suspects after they were arrested on Thursday. A Choctaw Nation police officer called for backup after something was wrong when he came upon a vehicle outside of the tribal casino in McAlester.

“He ran the plates on the vehicle and it didn’t come back right,” Pittsburg County Sheriff Joel Kerns told The McAlester News-Capital.

Newberry is Native American, the paper reported. His tribal affiliation was not disclosed.

Chelsea Escoe, 21, also was in the vehicle with Newberry, is also Native American, the paper said. Due to their Indian status, neither Escoe nor Newberry are expected to face charges in Pittsburg County in connection with their arrest outside of the Choctaw casino.

“We will not be prosecuting them unless the U.S. attorney or the tribal court requests it.” District 18 Assistant District Attorney Adam Scharn told the News-Capital.

Newberry and Watts, however, will face extradition to Cherokee County after charges are filed in connection with Kirk's death. The murder presumably occurred outside of Indian Country so Newberry's Indian status would not be an issue.

A fourth person was in the vehicle with Newberry, Watts, and Escoe when they were arrested. Shauna Reasor, 25, is facing charges in Pittsburg County along with Watts, both who are presumably non-Indians.

Get the Story:
2 Confess To Murder Of Cherokee County Rancher As Community Mourns (News on 6 7/31)
Confessions made in rancher’s murder (The Tahlequah Daily Press 8/1)
Two men arrested in slaying of rancher (The Muskogee Phoenix 8/1)
McAlester arrests bring Cherokee County investigators (The McAlester News-Capital 8/2)