Tulsa felon sentenced to life in prison for beating man to death
BY BILL BRAUN World Staff Writer
Friday, March 15, 2013
3/15/13 at 5:31 AM
A previously convicted felon who was accused of beating a man to death with a hammer has received a no-parole life prison sentence.
Tulsa County jurors found Gary Phenix guilty of first-degree murder on Wednesday and imposed a sentence of life without the possibility of parole for the April 3 death of Marqus Tomas Jackson.
The body was found in the back seat of a parked car at the Pomery Park Apartments near 71st Street and Lewis Avenue, where Phenix lived, according to police.
It appeared that the body had been moved to that location, Phenix's arrest report says.
Homicide detectives found drag marks in the grass and possible blood near Phenix's apartment, according to the report.
Evidence indicated that Phenix, 49, hit Jackson, 33, repeatedly in the head with a hammer, Assistant District Attorney Nalani Ching said.
Phenix told police that he had let Jackson sleep in the defendant's apartment. Phenix claimed that he was awakened by "the victim poking him in the face with his penis," according to an arrest report.
Ching said there is no evidence to corroborate that claim.
Court records indicate that Phenix picked up five robbery-related felony convictions in Texas in 1989.
He has been in the Tulsa Jail since April 3.
Original Print Headline: Felon handed life term for beating man to death
Bill Braun 918-581-8455
bill.braun@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Gary Phenix: Evidence shows that he beat the victim in the head with a hammer
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