Man confesses to sword slaying, police say
CLAREMORE — After a man suffered at least eight wounds from a sword in a slaying Sunday in Claremore, the suspect who police say admitted to the fatal stabbing reportedly called a relative to help him dump the body in a lake.
The new details were included in an arrest and booking report for Michael Eugene Spears, 53, who was booked into Rogers County jail on complaints of firstdegree murder and robbery in the death of Mark McKinney, 51.
McKinney’s body was discovered about 6:30 a.m. Sunday in Spears' residence in the 500 block of North Dorothy Avenue, after officers were dispatched to a well-being check. He was found with at least eight stab wounds to his torso, neck and extremities.
Authorities said the attack occurred after an altercation between the two.
In the report, Spears reportedly told officers during an interview that McKinney attacked him in his bedroom and that he stabbed McKinney at least one time during the attack.
Spears told officers he blacked out and "did not know the extent of what he had done to McKinney," according to the report.
The report said Spears "recalled pulling the sword from McKinney's torso after the altercation because (he thought) McKinney did not deserve to have the sword left in him."
The report said Spears then called a friend, Larry Gene McCoy, and asked him to come to his residence sometime after McKinney was dead.
Spears told detectives that he suggested that McCoy check McKinney's pockets for money and that McCoy did so. McCoy was arrested on a complaint of conjoint robbery.
Spears allegedly admitted to being in possession of McKinney's cellphone but told officers he did not intend to steal the phone, according to the report.
The state Medical Examiner's Office determined the death was a homicide, according to the report.
The exact nature of the altercation between Spears and McKinney was not included in the report.
Spears allegedly admitted to detectives that he asked a relative to bring a vehicle to his home and help him transport the body to a lake for dumping. The relative was not identified in the report.
Spears and McCoy remained jailed on Monday.
The homicide was Claremore’s second of the year, police said.