TULSA, Okla. — A former Tulsa police officer was charged with first degree murder in a federal court on Nov. 6th, according to U.S. Attorney Trent Shores.
Shannon Kepler, sentenced to 15 years in 2017, filed an appeal in July 2020 stating the state of Oklahoma does not have jurisdiction to convict him of a crime because it happened on tribal land. This is due to the Supreme Court's McGirt ruling that Oklahoma prosecutors lack the authority to pursue criminal cases in a large chunk of eastern Oklahoma that remains an American Indian reservation.
READ MORE: Kepler appeals conviction after Supreme Court tribal land ruling
Kepler was found guilty of first-degree manslaughter in 2017 for the death of his daughter's boyfriend. Officials said Kepler shot and killed Jeremey Lake in August 2014.
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