Town keeps alive memory of slain teen
VELMA — In the days, weeks and months since the slaying of Braylee Rae Henry crushed so many hearts and shocked the town of Velma, her family, friends and the community have kept her memory, spirit and smile alive.
A section of the trophy case at Velma-Alma High School is set aside to honor the 16-year-old’s life. The gym floor, where she played basketball for the Lady Comets, has logos of basketballs with purple wings in her honor. Turquoise was her favorite color.
A street in town has been renamed Braylee’s Way. Henry’s mother, Renee Henson, started a Facebook page in her daughter’s memory. It includes photos of her daughter — smiling widely in nearly all of them — and posts of prayers and thoughts from many.
The page is mostly about Henry’s life, but it also speaks to her death, saying she went to a convenience store on June 6, 2012, to get some candy and snacks, and was brutally murdered.
Miles Sterling Bench, now 22, is charged with first-degree murder with deliberate intent in connection with Henry’s death. But further court proceedings are on hold pending a hearing set for Aug. 19 to determine whether Bench is competent to stand trial.
Velma Mayor Shawn Enloe said the town of about 650 people, where many folks know each other by their first, last and middle names, has pulled together to cope with the tragedy. And more in Henry’s memory will be done, he said.
“We don’t want to keep the pain around,” Enloe said. “But we understand something terrible was done to a young lady in Velma and until justice is done, we’re not going to let it rest.”
Bench has been held without bond in the Stephens County jail since he was arrested hours after Henry’s death.
About the suspect
Authorities accuse Bench, who was working as a clerk at the Tee Pee Totem convenience store in Velma, of killing the teen there on the night of June 6. Her body was found in a pasture near the rural home of Bench’s grandparents east of Velma. Bench was arrested after he was pulled over driving Henry’s car near Weatherford.
Officers found a pool of blood in the back room of the store. The cause of death was ruled as blunt force trauma to the head and neck.
Stephens County District Attorney Jason Hicks cannot comment on specifics of the case.
Bench’s defense attorneys, Gary Henry and Bobby Lewis, work for the Capital Division of the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System. That division handles death-penalty cases. The defense attorneys also cannot comment on specifics of the case.
No formal arraignment on the murder charge has been held, so no plea of guilt or innocence has been entered.
That’s because the state and defense are at odds on whether Bench is competent to stand trial — whether he is mentally capable of understanding the proceedings and helping in his own defense.
In court documents, defense attorneys contend Bench does not understand even the simplest discussion topics about his defense, and say he has a history of treatment for mental illness.
A competency evaluation was done Jan. 9 by someone at the Community Mental Health Center in Lawton, but the state objected to the report, saying it was not done by a psychiatrist, psychologist or other qualified person.
Another evaluation was done at the Forensic Center in Vinita. Findings in both reports are under seal.
If the case proceeds in Stephens County District Court on Aug. 19 as expected, a jury of six will be chosen to hear arguments and determine whether Bench is competent to stand trial. The decision does not have to be unanimous either way, just a majority vote of the jury.
If the jury decides he is not competent, Bench will be taken to Eastern State Hospital in Vinita for treatment. Typically, defendants in such criminal cases are restored to a level of competency where they can stand trial.
But there is no guarantee of that, and regardless, treatment could take months or longer.
In the meantime, life in Velma goes on. But scars remain. Mike Thompson, principal at Velma-Alma High School, said some students are still getting counseling to help them cope. As long as the need is there, help will be there, he said.
“There has been some healing with time,” Thompson said, but, “It’s not anything that has ended.”