Man found not guilty of fire that claimed 15-month-old
BY BILL BRAUN World Staff Writer
Friday, January 25, 2013
1/25/13 at 4:47 PM
A Tulsa County jury acquitted a man Friday on three felony charges in connection with a deadly fire.
Jeffery Wayne McBride was found not guilty on counts of felony murder, first-degree arson and manufacturing a controlled dangerous substance.
In the murder count, prosecutors had alleged that McBride, while acting in concert with two co-defendants, caused the death of Ayden Jennings - who was not quite 15 months old - by committing arson and causing the fire by cooking methamphetamine.
The two co-defendants, Jacob A. Bell and Jennifer Michelle Jennings, also are charged with the murder, arson and manufacturing counts, plus one count each of child neglect involving Bell's 5-year-old son, who was also in the duplex at the time, according to testimony.
Ayden was Jennings' son, and Bell and Jennings are boyfriend and girlfriend, according to testimony. Bell and Jennings testified as prosecution witnesses against McBride this week.
McBride indicated in a video-recorded statement played Thursday that he cooked meth on a regular basis but not on the morning of Nov. 10, 2011, at Jacob Bell's duplex in the 1400 block of West Admiral Boulevard.
The jury heard the case in District Judge Kurt Glassco's court.
Ayden was found dead in a bedroom. A medical examiner determined that his death was caused by complications of smoke inhalation and thermal injuries.
Testimony has established that all three defendants used meth before the fire.
McBride remains in jail on a 25-year sentence in a separate case.
Associated Images:
Jeffery Wayne McBride
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