Accused Good Friday shooters plead not guilty
| Updated: 4/16/2012 5:20 pm |
Published: 4/16/2012 9:10 am
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TULSA, Okla. (AP) - An Oklahoma judge has entered pleas of not guilty for two men accused of killing three people and wounding two others during a racially-motivated shooting spree this month.
Defendants Jake England and Alvin Watts were arraigned via closed circuit television Monday in Tulsa County District Court and assigned Watts a lawyer. The judge entered not guilty pleas for both to charges of first-degree murder, shooting with the intent to kill and malicious harassment in the April 6 attacks in Tulsa.
The harassment counts imply the victims were targeted because they are black. Authorities say the suspects are white and have speculated that the shootings were done to avenge the death of England's father, whom authorities say was fatally shot in self-defense during a struggle with a black man in 2010.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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