Hominy Man Pleads Guilty to Second-Degree Murder in Indian Country

United States Attorney Thomas Scott Woodward announced that Steven Thompson Keeling pleaded guilty to murdering Edward Brown at Brown’s residence in Leonard, Oklahoma. The murder is in federal court based upon the deceased victim’s status as an Indian and the fact that the murder occurred in Indian Country.

Keeling, a non-Indian from Hominy, Oklahoma, pled guilty to second-degree murder, pursuant to a plea agreement with the government. Keeling admitted he shot and killed Edward Brown, a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, with a semi-automatic assault weapon at Brown’s residence in Leonard, Oklahoma, on January 17, 2011. Brown’s residential property is located on a restricted Indian allotment.

In the plea agreement, the parties agreed that 25 years’ imprisonment was an appropriate sentence in this matter. Parole has been abolished in the federal system. Sentencing has been set for September 15, 2011 at 2:30 p.m. before the Honorable Gregory K. Frizzell.

Keeling is also charged in Tulsa County with shooting with intent to kill another alleged victim, as a result of the same event. This allegation is in Tulsa County District Court based upon that alleged victim’s status as a non-Indian.

U.S. Attorney Woodward commented: “This case is an example of the United States Attorney’s Office continued commitment to aggressively prosecute violent crime in Indian Country. Thanks to the coordinated efforts of tribal, state, and federal law enforcement authorities, Ed Brown’s murderer was brought to justice.”

Assistant United States Attorneys R. Trent Shores and Clinton J. Johnson prosecuted of the case on behalf of the United States. The investigation was a coordinated effort of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Muscogee (Creek) Nation Lighthorse Tribal Police and Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office.