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June 15, 2012

Body found; woman jailed for murder

By JOSH NEWTON Staff Writer

TAHLEQUAH — A Cherokee County woman was booked for first-degree murder Thursday evening after leading investigators to a body believed to be that of a man reported missing last month.

Cherokee County Undersheriff Jason Chennault said Misty Coleen Richardson, 38, of Hulbert, was interviewed Thursday morning, and eventually admitted she shot and killed Herbert Lee Potts, 48, also of Hulbert.

Chennault said Richardson had been a suspect since Potts’ family reported him missing in May. He said Richardson had been telling people she killed Potts, but investigators had a hard time locating her because she hadn’t stayed on her property since the alleged altercation with Potts.

On Wednesday, Richardson was arrested by Tahlequah police for outstanding warrants. During an interview Thursday morning, Richardson allegedly admitted she killed Potts during a physical confrontation several months ago.

Richardson told investigators that she buried Potts’ body in a shallow grave covered with rocks on her Lost City property in northwestern Cherokee County.

Chennault said Richardson agreed to take investigators to Potts’ body. A search warrant was obtained and a body was discovered at about 3:30 p.m. by agents with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

Chennault said the body was sent to the Tulsa office of the state medical examiner for an autopsy and for positive identification.

Richardson was set to be booked at the Cherokee County Detention Center on the murder charges Thursday evening.

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