OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has upheld the first-degree murder conviction and life without parole sentence of a Tulsa man.
The court on Thursday rejected appeals by 25-year-old Stefon Donte Wytch in the December 2016 fatal shooting of Julius Templeton. Wytch was also convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison for pointing a weapon at his former girlfriend.
Prosecutors say Wytch shot Templeton when Templeton tried to intervene as Wytch pointed a gun at the woman.
Wytch claimed he shot in self-defense when Templeton reached for what appeared to be a black-handled object in his waistband. Prosecutors say no weapon was found on Templeton.
Wytch’s appeal claimed improper evidence, improper comments by the prosecutor and that the sentences are excessive.
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