Teen arrested after body found in burned vehicle

A 17-year-old has been arrested in connection with a Saturday homicide after a body was found inside a burned vehicle, police said.

Taylor Lawrence, of Oklahoma City, was arrested after officers found a body about 12:05 a.m. Saturday in the 12500 block of Clarence Court.

Oklahoma City police had responded to a car fire, but as the fire was extinguished, a body was found inside the vehicle. The body had preexisting trauma indicating the victim was killed before the fire, police said.

Witnesses told police they had seen the victim in the front driver’s seat of the vehicle and another person, identified as Lawrence, in the back seat, according to an affidavit filed Monday. The victim and Lawrence had been discussing trading guns, and the victim refused to make a trade, the witnesses stated.

“Both witnesses were reading information on their phones when they heard a gunshot,” investigator Cris Conningham wrote in the affidavit. “The witnesses saw the victim’s head fall forward.”

The witnesses said Lawrence later confessed to them he shot the victim and set the victim’s vehicle on fire, police said.

Lawrence was booked into the Oklahoma County jail on a homicide complaint.

Once the victim has been positively identified and relatives are notified, the victim’s name will be released, police said.

Taylor Lawrence