Robbery suspect tied to 4 killings
A man who was arrested last year in connection with a string of robberies may also be connected to four killings committed in 2017, Oklahoma City police say.
Mario Normore, 27, was arrested Oct. 27 in connection with two bank robberies and eight robberies at businesses around Oklahoma City.
Since then, investigators say they have tied Normore, a known Rollin’ 20s gang member, to four homicides committed in 2017.
Among other killings, investigators think Normore was involved in the slayings of Bashar Burks, 27, and Ashley Easton, 30, in July 2017.
During the investigation, police discovered a text message stating “the sender had done something that would cause them to ‘get the needle’ if they were to be found out,” according to an affidavit.
“This text message is in reference to one of the murders Mario Normore is suspected of,” police reported.
What was initially thought to be a fatal car wreck quickly turned into a double-homicide investigation after Burks was found dead on July 10, 2017, and Easton’s body was recovered the following day in northeast Oklahoma City.
Just before 5:10 p.m. on July 10, 2017, police and fire crews responded to an accident reported at Wilshire and Air Depot boulevards. A car was on fire and an officer reported he was unable to pull out a passenger, who was later identified as Burks.
The state medical examiner’s office said Burks died before the car fire from injuries that were considered suspicious. About 7:35 a.m. the next day, police were called back to the scene after a body was reportedly found in a ditch.
A passerby said he was driving in the area and glanced over at a ditch where he saw a body, later identified as Easton. An officer noted in a police report that she had “blood on her head and face” and that a purse was found in between her legs.
Easton’s ex-boyfriend told The Oklahoman at the time that he had spoken to her the day she was killed. The ex-boyfriend said Easton had last said she was on her way to pick up Burks.
Police said Burks and Normore had worked together. Easton was Burks’ girlfriend at the time of their deaths, police said.
Normore is also suspected in the killing of Searra Howe, 21, who had been reported missing for months before her body was found in a field.
About 10:40 a.m. Oct. 25, Oklahoma City police were tipped off about a body in the 7800 block of N Oak Avenue. At the scene, officers recovered Howe’s body, which showed signs of trauma consistent with a homicide.
At the time Howe’s body was found, Oklahoma City police Capt. Bo Mathews said it appeared she had been in the field for some time.
Midwest City police said Howe had been reported missing by her mother on Aug. 19, 2017, and that police later found her vehicle abandoned in Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma City police said Howe and Normore were reported to be friends before she died.
Investigators also suspect Normore was involved in the killing of James Knowles, who went missing Oct. 3. Knowles’ body has never been found.
Knowles was reported missing by his wife, who said they had been separated and weren’t living together at the time of his disappearance. Knowles’ roommate at the time, Quiana McCloud, 37, was thought to be one of the last people to have seen him, according to a police report.
Friday morning, McCloud, of Oklahoma City, told The Oklahoman that Knowles offered her a room to rent at the Carva Apartments, 1121 N St. Charles Ave., where Knowles was the maintenance man.
Knowles was an easygoing man who liked to help people in the apartments buy groceries when he could, McCloud said. On the night of Oct. 3, McCloud went to the store sometime after 7 p.m. When she came back, Knowles was gone.
The next morning, the roommate reported Knowles’ cellphone, house keys and cigarettes were all still in the apartment. McCloud told police Knowles “would never leave the house without those items,” according to the report.
McCloud said she had feared Knowles met with foul play. She hopes Knowles’ killer will help authorities locate his body.
McCloud said she did not know Normore, who police said lived at the apartments.
“I hope that whoever committed this crime confesses to everything so that the body can be located for the family so they find closure and move on,” McCloud said.
The investigation
Since July 2017, police detectives have been investigating Normore and his cousin, Brandon Butler, in relation to the robberies and killings. An unidentified witness told detectives that Normore confessed to committing the crimes, police reported in a search warrant affidavit.
“The witness gave specific details about several of the robberies and murders. These details matched the details from specific robberies and murders that occurred from July 2017 through October 2017,” according to the affidavit.
Normore was released from prison May 10, 2017, after being convicted in 2011 of a robbery offense.
After his release, Normore was involved in the 10 robberies, nine of which occurred over the span of little more than a month, according to investigators. He was arrested Oct. 27 on nine robbery complaints. Butler also was arrested that day on firearm and drug complaints, police reported.
Normore is charged in Oklahoma County District Court in two felony cases related to the 10 robberies.
Police reported the robber often was “heavily covered and masked, and armed with a handgun.” The robber frequently wore industrial safety glasses over a ski mask and brought his own bag. The suspect also wore the same black shoes with a white bottom and white stripe in several robberies, police reported.
The robber typically got away with a few hundred dollars after pointing a handgun at employees and demanding money. Normore is accused of robbing two banks and eight businesses between Aug. 8, 2017, and Oct. 15, 2017. Two businesses were robbed twice, police reported. Butler is charged in three of the robberies.
On Aug. 18, 2017, the robber entered the MidFirst Bank at 2225 N May Ave. wielding two pistols, one in each hand. The suspect brought a plastic grocery bag and demanded money. The robber got away with several hundred dollars, including a stack of $2 bills, police reported.
Police officials said the investigation is ongoing and anyone with information about any of the killings is asked to call the homicide tip line at 2971200.
The witness gave specific details about several of the robberies and murders. These details matched the details from specific robberies and murders that occurred from July 2017 through October 2017. Search warrant affidavit