The Norman Transcript

Local news

Discussion

January 17, 2013

Man sentenced to life

Reed pleads guilty to first-degree murder

By Jessica Bruha The Norman Transcript

NORMAN — A Norman man, charged with first-degree murder in the death of an 80-year-old resident in southwest Norman, pleaded guilty and received a life prison sentence on Wednesday in Cleveland County District Court.

Brandon Ke Reed, 20, was convicted of killing Norman resident Clair Owen Pollard, 80, on Nov. 20, 2011, conjointly with Billy Battenfield, 59. A trial for Reed was not set before he made his guilty plea. District Judge Lori Walkley sentenced Reed.

Battenfield was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole in September. Prosecutors originally sought the death penalty for Battenfield because of his criminal history.

He was convicted of three murders in the late 1970s and has served time in New Mexico and Texas. Battenfield was living in Oklahoma after he was released from prison and was on parole out of Texas when Pollard was killed.

Reed waived his right to a preliminary hearing and jury trial in June, making a deal with prosecutors to testify against Battenfield. Battenfield’s preliminary hearing in July was stopped short when Reed admitted to “hallucinating” during testimony.

During cross examination, Reed told Battenfield’s attorney that his alter ego, “Max,” was an entity in which he is “constantly arguing.” He compared “Max” to a cartoon devil, which Reed said “never has anything good to say.”

Reed also admitted that “Max” was waiting for him at home the night he and Battenfield killed Pollard. Pollard, who had befriended Reed several years before the incident, died of multiple stab wounds in his southwest Norman home.

In August, Reed had a hearing to review his mental health and was found fit to stand trial.

Jessica Bruha

366-3540

jbruha@normantranscript.com

 

For local news and more, subscribe to The Norman Transcript Smart Edition, or our print edition.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Local news
  • JD McCarty Camp ClapHans kicks off at McCarty

    Excitement filled the hot afternoon air on Sunday as families began dropping their children off for a unique summer camp experience. Camp ClapHans, an outreach project of the J.D. McCarty Center, has been in the works for some time now ...

    June 10, 2013 1 Photo

  • Norman fire chief says public storm facilities don’t offer adequate protection

    Oklahomans are always going to need a safe place to take cover when severe weather hits, as it so often does during the spring and summer months, but officials have found many problems tied to public shelters....

    June 18, 2013

  • NPS budget anticipates $91M revenue

    The Norman Board of Education approved a Fiscal Year 2014 budget Monday that exceeds expected revenue by $3.1 million....

    June 18, 2013

  • Medical witness says Bransby could not have survived gunshot wound

    Evidence presented Monday during Day 4 of a manslaughter trial in Cleveland County District Court indicates that victim Kelsey Bransby was shot at close range. Bransby, 19, was found unconscious a few hours after being shot in the head on ...

    June 18, 2013

  • Schools need better shelters during storms

    Analysis and improvement of schools’ storm procedures is nothing new for scholars like Stephanie Hoekstra, whose master’s thesis was based on this topic in 2011....

    June 18, 2013

  • Almost business as usual for Moore City Council

    The Moore City Council returned to normal business at Monday night’s meeting, dealing with zoning change requests and appointments to the parks board. The majority of city business, however, continues to deal with tornado recovery and ...

    June 18, 2013

  • Prescription drug round-up scheduled

    The Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office has scheduled their quarterly prescription drug round-up at the end of the month....

    June 18, 2013

  • Jury trial moved again

    The jury trial for former OU professor Dwain Pellebon was pushed back again in Cleveland County District Court this week. District Judge Tracy Schumacher’s bailiff said the trial, which was supposed to begin this week, has been postponed ...

    June 18, 2013

  • Oklahoma Tornado Reagan Elementary providing a blueprint for safety

    Editor’s Note: This is the second story in a week-long series focusing on storm shelters A $200 per child investment could put tornado safe rooms in future Oklahoma schools. That $200 represents the extra cost — extrapolated over the ...

    June 17, 2013 1 Photo

  • State ranks poorly in dental health

    Removing teeth is routine for dentist Randi Hobbs. At least once a month, she removes a full set of decayed teeth and replaces them with dentures....

    June 17, 2013