Vinita woman charged in husband's fatal shooting
BY SHEILA STOGSDILL World Correspondent
Friday, August 17, 2012
12/28/12 at 3:49 AM
VINITA — A Vinita felon with a history of domestic violence has been charged with murder in connection with her husband’s death, Craig County First Assistant District Attorney Bryce Lair said Friday.
Glendora Beisley, 48, is accused of fatally shooting her 65-year-old husband, John W. Beisley, on July 27. She was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder or, in the alternative, second-degree felony murder.
A jury will have the option of finding Beisley guilty of either charge, Lair said.
Felony murder can apply when a death occurs during the commission of a felony crime. Lair said that charge was offered as an alternative because Glendora Beisley had a gun, which as a felon she was not permitted to have.
Beisley was convicted in 2005 of assaulting her husband, John Beisley, with a 45-caliber handgun, he said.
She is being held in lieu of $800,000 bail in the Craig County jail, Lair said.
The slaying happened at the couple’s rural Craig County home northwest of Vinita, he said. Investigators believe that a rifle was used in the shooting, he said.
Lair said he does not anticipate seeking the death penalty against Beisley.
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agents were notified of the shooting around 4:40 a.m. July 28 but believe that John Beisley died before midnight, said Jessica Brown, agency spokeswoman.
After the shooting, Glendora Beisley drove herself to the Muskogee 911 Center, where Craig County authorities were called, Brown said.
John Beisley was charged in May 2005 with domestic assault and battery, a misdemeanor. That charge was dropped in December, court records show.
Glendora Beisley was charged with assault with a deadly weapon in April 2010, but the charge was dismissed in October 2010 after a witness failed to appear in court, records show.
