Charges have been filed against four people in connection with the deaths of two young Black men in Moore, Oklahoma, whose bodies were recovered from a lake.
According to Moore police, Alize and Jarron, both 21, were reported missing on April 14 after a shooting in the parking lot of a local grocery store. About two weeks later, police confirmed that two bodies found in a lake a few blocks from that location were the missing men.
Authorities say a 16 year old is charged with first degree murder, second degree murder, unlawful removal of a dead body, desecration of a human corpse, and possessing a firearm after a prior juvenile adjudication. Three adults from the same household are also charged. A 22 year old man faces counts of accessory after the fact and unlawful removal of a dead body. A 40 year old woman is charged with accessory after the fact. Her 43 year old boyfriend is charged with accessory after the fact, unlawful removal of a body and desecration of a human corpse. These are charges, and each person is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, detectives found the van seen at the shooting at the family’s home, along with cleaning products, a power washer, and what investigators described as dried blood on the ceiling of the van. The affidavit also says investigators found a bucket of water holding a chainsaw bar and several jigsaw blades. Police say that, according to statements made to investigators, the bodies were taken to the family’s home and later dumped in a lake with cinder blocks and chains attached.
Officials say the case is not being treated as a hate crime. On Twitter, journalist Shaun King called the killings a “modern day lynching.”
Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of both young men.
