Tahlequah Daily Press

Local News

Discussion

Add a comment on this story
October 12, 2012

Manslaughter case to move forward

By JOSH NEWTON Staff Writer

TAHLEQUAH — A Cherokee County woman accused of shooting and killing a Hulbert man has stipulated to her competency and is set for a preliminary hearing later this year.

Misty Coleen Richardson, 38, faces charges of first-degree manslaughter and desecration of a human corpse. She allegedly admitted to authorities she shot and killed Herbert Lee Potts earlier this year, then attempted to bury him on her property and hide his death by pouring muriatic acid and lye on his body.

Richardson’s attorney, Angela Jones, requested a competency determination last month and said in court documents she believed her client didn’t have the ability to understand the nature of the charges she faces.

Special District Judge Holli Wells temporarily suspended the criminal proceedings in the case and ordered Richardson to undergo a forensic evaluation in Vinita to determine whether she is competent to stand trial. A sealed report from the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health was filed this week.

Though the report was sealed, court documents show Richardson has now stipulated to her competency, and a preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 5 at 9 a.m. in front of Wells.

Prosecutors allege Richardson shot Potts in the “heat of passion.”

She was considered a suspect in Potts’ disappearance, according to authorities, and was arrested on unrelated matters in Tahlequah. During a subsequent interview, she reportedly confessed she’d killed Potts and later led investigators to his remains in the Lost City area.

She has pleaded not guilty and is jailed on a $35,000 bond.

Text Only
Local News
  • ts Cemetery main.tif Grave circumstances

    Cemeteries are often thought of with solemnity. If monuments are properly preserved, they can be a boon to genealogists and historians, and provide a place for generations of family to gather and remember lost loved ones.

    May 17, 2013 1 Photo

  • rf bike month.tif Bike trails will increase cycling interest

    One of the most unique uses for a stationary bicycle is to power a generator connected to a blender, making a juice drink in a tiny store in a jungle, as demonstrated on a Travel Channel show.

    May 17, 2013 1 Photo

  • Second Begay jury trial to begin

    Despite new DNA evidence introduced in the case, a district judge has decided to go ahead with a man’s second planned jury trial on child sex abuse charges.

    May 17, 2013

  • Lawns will need extra TLC this season

    Summer is almost here, and before the mercury hovers at the century mark, local residents are working to get the lawns in shape.

    May 17, 2013

  • ts Freewheel.tif Wheelin’ our way

    Freewheel representatives were in Tahlequah Wednesday, scouting their upcoming route.

    May 16, 2013 1 Photo

  • Rock gets 17 years for burning baby

    A Cherokee County mother charged with using an iron to burn her 14-month-old baby last year will spend 17 years in prison as part of a plea agreement on child-abuse charges.

    May 16, 2013

  • Anti-smoking bill draws mixed reactions

    Anti-tobacco legislation recently signed into law by Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin has some local residents expressing concern over what they view is another liberty lost, while others are pleased with measures they believe will protect public health.

    May 16, 2013

  • Two snared after taking marijuana

    Two people were arrested this week after authorities found them to be in possession of marijuana.

    May 16, 2013

  • Two hurt in attack at apartment

    Two people were hospitalized and a third was arrested Wednesday morning after an attack at Pleasant View Apartments.

    May 16, 2013

  • Feds mull lowering blood-alcohol cutoff to .05

    Federal safety investigators are encouraging all states to lower the existing blood-alcohol content cutoff of .08 to .05, and local authorities have varying opinions on the request.

    May 16, 2013

Poll

What do you think of Sen. McCain's proposal to allow cable TV channels to be sold a la carte (individually, rather than in bundles with a lot of channels no one wants)? Bear in mind some less popular channels could go by the wayside with no bundling support, and that while overall packages should theoretically decrease in cost, individual channels might cost more.

Strongly in favor of a la carte.
Somewhat in favor of a la carte.
Somewhat opposed to a la carte.
Strongly opposed to a la carte.
Undecided
     View Results
Press Sports Twitter Updates
Follow us on twitter
Follow me on Twitter
AP Video
Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools $1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel? Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction Officials: Texas Tornado Likely Had 200 Mph Wind Brothers Arrested in NOLA Parade Shooting
Stocks
Bedlam