Murderer planned killing to get attorney’s help, authorities say
A murderer in prison had one man beaten on video and plotted to kill another in an effort to get a defense attorney's help with his sentence, authorities allege.
The attorney, Winston Connor II, came under investigation last year after he was overheard talking to murderer Slint Tate on the phone.
"This will get me out but I got to kill one," Tate later texted his wife as the first man was being beaten on his orders, authorities reported.
The state narcotics bureau was monitoring Tate's cellphone calls in May 2016 because he was suspected of running a large drug ring from prison, court records show. More than two dozen people were later arrested for their alleged roles in the organization. Connor, 53, of Grove, told
The Oklahoman he never sought to have anyone beaten or killed. He has not been charged.
A prosecutor this week released recordings of Tate's calls and text messages to The
Oklahoman and other media. Kenny Wright, the district attorney for Delaware and Ottawa counties, said he has turned over the evidence to federal authorities and the state Attorney General's Office. He told The Oklahoman they have more resources to prosecute Connor if charges are filed.
"Now, probably, ultimately, if it turned out nobody else was willing to do it, then I would have to make that decision," Wright said.
The district attorney said he also has turned over the evidence to the Oklahoma Bar Association to determine whether Connor should be disciplined for professional misconduct.
Connor’s attorney, Stan Monroe, criticized the district attorney for making comments to the media. “Accusing Winston of criminal conduct is extraordinary inappropriate,” Monroe said.
Tate is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for fatally shooting a Delaware County reserve sheriff’s deputy in 1999. He was 16 at the time.
Because of recent court decisions on punishments for juveniles, Tate, now 35, could seek to have his punishment reduced.
Using a smuggled cellphone, Tate called Connor on May 4, 2016, records show. During the call, the attorney said, “I guess we need to do something to try to help your sentence sometime, don’t we?”
The two spent much of the phone call talking about a car taken by a man named Dakota. The attorney said the car belonged to a “punk” whose “baby mama” was his secretary. The attorney asked Tate to have the car returned.
“You’ll have it back today,” Tate said.
Near the end of the conversation, the attorney brought up a former death row inmate, Sterling B. Williams, who had just been resentenced in Tulsa to life without the possibility of parole.
Using a vulgarity, the attorney said Williams years ago tried to strangle a woman “I was seeing” in Tulsa and fatally stabbed her roommate. “My friend ... broke free and got away and ran,” Connor said.
“Just an FYI, brother,” Connor said.
“I got you, brother,” Tate replied.
Tate believed “Connor will get him out of prison and take the cases of his criminal organization if he beats up Dakota Brown, returns the vehicle and kills Sterling Williams,” the lead investigator for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control wrote in a court affidavit.
“The OBN wire monitor also understood that Williams was to be murdered and made emergency contact to prevent it,” agent Jimmy Ward wrote.
Williams, now 49, was placed in protective custody after he was returned to the state prison in Granite on May 11, 2016. Two weeks later, he was moved to another prison.
Brown was assaulted hours after the conversation with Connor ended. He later told investigators he was beaten by Tate’s crew, forced to return the car and then beaten again, according to court records.
“Knock that fool out,” Tate texted one of the assailants during the beating, according to the records.
“That was good one,” one of the participants later texted Tate, according to the records. Tate responded, “Awesome send me video.”
Investigators later found a video of the beating on a cellphone of one of the drug ring members, according to court records.
Tate is not facing any new charges out of the investigation into the drug ring. The district attorney said, “I can’t add to what’s he got. He’s already stuck there forever . ... And I would have the danger of having him in one of my county jails.”