In pursuit of justice, winter 2009, v2. no.1

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V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1 P A G E 1
INSIDE:
Trial Results 2
Cases Filed 3
Juvenile
Trial Results
4
Prosecutor’s
Inspiration
5
Staying Safe
Online
7
Message From
DA Tim Harris
8
In Pursuit of Justice
V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1 W I N T E R 2 0 0 9
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"Let us realize
the arc of the
moral universe
is long but it
bends toward
justice.”
Martin Luther
King Jr.
See TRIALS Page 2
T I M H A R R I S
T U L S A C O U N T Y
D I S T R I C T A T T O R N E Y
78 Violent and Career Criminals Convicted
in 2008 Jury Trials in Tulsa County
In November, a jury handed
VICTOR CORNELL MILLER two
DEATH sentences for the FIRST-DEGREE
MURDER of a man and
woman in 1999. Testimony indi-cated
that MILLER and GEORGE
JOHN HANSON carjacked and
abducted MARY AGNES
BOWLES, 77, a retired banker,
from Tulsa Promenade Mall and
drove her to a secluded area in
north Tulsa County.
GERALD THURMAN, 44, an
Owasso trucking company owner,
was in the area and apparently
discovered the men and their
captive. Both BOWLES and
THURMAN were shot to death.
MILLER and HANSON have each
received two trials for the mur-
T he Tulsa County District
Attorney’s Office had
great success working
with law enforcement to take
violent criminals off the streets of
Tulsa County in 2008. Prosecu-tors
convinced juries to send 78
criminals to prison for crimes
including murder, rape, robbery,
shooting with intent to kill, and
sexual assault of a child.
With guilty pleas, a total of 2,060
offenders were sent to prison
from Tulsa County in 2008.
The office filed 6,362 felony cases
and 6,852 misdemeanors. In juve-nile
court, prosecutors filed 1,771
juvenile delinquent cases and 329
deprived (child neglect) petitions.
In 2008 jury trials, two murderers
were sentenced to DEATH, 14
offenders received sentences of
LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE, and 11
offenders were sentenced to LIFE
in prison.
ders. A 2002 jury convicted
MILLER of FIRST-DEGREE MUR-DER
in the deaths but the state
Court of Criminal Appeals over-turned
MILLER’S convictions and
ordered a new trial. In 2001,
another jury convicted co-defendant
HANSON of both
murders. The appeals court af-firmed
HANSON’S convictions,
but overturned his DEATH sen-tence.
At a 2006 resentencing
trial, a different jury again gave
HANSON a DEATH sentence for
murdering BOWLES. Prosecutors
in the November second trial for
MILLER were District Attorney
Tim Harris and Assistant District
Attorney Bill Musseman.
OFFENDERS SENT
TO PRISON FROM
TULSA COUNTY
2008 2,060
2007 1,961
2006 1,843
MARY BOWLES, 77 and GERALD THURMAN, 44, were shot to
death in 1999. A November trial was the second one for
defendant Victor Miller in the murders. The state Court of
Criminal Appeals overturned a 2002 jury’s conviction.