Jurors acquit man of first-degree murder

Staff Writer kschwab@oklahoman.com

A former murder defendant has held his baby boy for the first time after being acquitted, his attorney said.

After serving a twoand-a-half-year stint in the Oklahoma County jail, Jonathan Cortez Peters, of Norman, was released Saturday — his 24th birthday.

“He was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” defense attorney Joi Miskel told The Oklahoman on Wednesday.

Peters had been charged with firstdegree murder and attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon. After a weeklong trial, the jury on Friday found him not guilty of both counts.

Prosecutors alleged Peters, along with codefendants, lured the victim, Jalen Ware, 23, to an area in northeast Oklahoma City on July 17, 2015, to rob him. Police reported the victim thought he would be selling codeine cough syrup during the meetup.

Prosecutors said the victim, who was sitting inside his vehicle, was shot during the meetup. The evidence was most consistent with Peters being the shooter, according to prosecutors.

Peters, though, testified at trial, telling jurors he was there but was unaware that a robbery or shooting was going to take place.

At trial, prosecutors called a witness who identified Peters as a person standing by the vehicle window before seeing flashes.

The witness, though, didn’t see Peters with a gun.

One co-defendant, Deangelo Eugene Brack, now 21, pleaded guilty last year to first-degree murder. As part of a plea deal, Brack was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

In plea paperwork, Brack stated he participated in the attempted robbery of Ware and the victim was killed.

Another co-defendant, Cordelo Montuse Adams, now 23, had his case dismissed by prosecutors in 2016, “pending further investigation.”