NORMAN — Three people charged with the murder of a Cleveland County man were formally arraigned Wednesday in Cleveland County District Court.
Eddie Thompson, 34, Loretta Hawks, 34, and Sebastian Shepherd, 18, all of Oklahoma City, are charged in the death of 47-year-old Arther Strozewski in his Oklahoma City home at 9305 Winston Way around 3:30 a.m. Aug. 31.
All three were charged with first-degree murder, first-degree burglary and two counts of kidnapping in September. District Judge Tom Lucas arraigned them on Wednesday. Not-guilty pleas were entered for all three defendants.
Judge Lucas has scheduled a jury call docket for the murder suspects for 9 a.m. May 6.
The trio allegedly broke into Strozewski’s home, restrained him and his 14-year-old son with duct tape and stabbed Strozewski multiple times. Strozewski’s 16-year-old daughter was also in the home during the incident.
The daughter told police she saw a suspect with long hair on top of her father and a second suspect in her brother’s room searching his closet. The son described the man who placed duct tape around his face as a male, possibly Hispanic, who had a thin build and was probably around 20 years old.
When police were responding to a possible assault in progress at the residence, officers found the front door of the house unlocked and slightly open. They also heard banging noises coming from inside the house and requested dispatch to have the calling party come downstairs, the affidavit stated.
While officers were waiting for the caller, they saw a white male with long hair, later identified as Thompson, with blood on his body and clothes, run from the upstairs down toward them and then out the west back yard.
Officers then learned Strozewski had been stabbed more than 20 times and was transported to the hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Thompson led officers on a foot chase but was caught by K-9 units. Shepherd was able to escape the residence before police were able to locate him. Detectives later found a bathroom window on the west side of the residence open and unlocked with blood on the window ledge and the toilet.
Strozewski’s children also told police that a white female, known only to them as Loretta, had been living in the house but had not been home during the assault.
Hawks admitted to Oklahoma City Police Department homicide detectives that she had been living with Strozewski but denied any involvement in his murder.
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