1981 Tulsa Homicides

Each link should be clickable with a detailed report on each case.

Until 1990 ended with 60 homicides, the year 1981 held record for the highest homicide count at end of year.

Note: Tulsa Homicide Database only goes back to 1989, so this is not the full list of homicides, only a partial list. Homicide Count: 57-68

Unsolved Homicides: 7/57-68

  • 4 Eddie Chatman.
  • 10 Johnny Fortenberry.
  • TBA Gertrude Blakey.
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    Tulsa Homicide Victims 1981 (Incomplete list); This list is ordered from the date the fatal homicidal injury occurred.

    (For example, a victim that is beaten 1/1, but dies 1/5, would still be ordered before any victim on the list that is killed 1/2 - 1/4).

    (Abbreviation key: OIS = Officer-Involved Shooting, IB = Innocent Bystander, CA = Child Abuse)

    Order Date Victim Age Area Motive Weapon Ruling
    #1 1/1 Blaine Shatto 26 South Argument Gun Murder charges
    #2 1/5 John Crooke 33 South Road rage Knife Murder charges
    #3 1/11 Henry Clifford Bechtold 56 Midtown Burglary Knife Murder charges
    #4 1/23 Eddie Chatman 32 North Unclear Gun Unsolved
    #5 1/24 Stephen Renti 19 North Transition Argument Gun Charges dropped
    #5 2/6 Dwight Pitts 28 Northish OIS (cause: wanted criminal) Gun Charges dropped
    #6 2/15 James Bockman 33 West Domestic Gun Murder charges
    #7 2/22 Edward Joe King 35 North Justified (rape attempt) Gun No charges filed
    #8 2/22 Paul Cotton 17 Northish Justified (robbery attempt) Gun Charges dropped
    #9 3/6 Johnny Fortenberry 23 North Unclear Knife Unsolved
    #10 3/6 Dennis Rowland 26 South Drugs Gun Charges dropped
    #11 3/15 Val Gene Rex 22 Northish Unclear Gun Murder charges
    #12 3/19 Wayne Jacobsen 34 South Domestic Gun Suspect died
    #13 3/22 Steven Bell 25 Northish Unclear Gun Murder charges
    #14 3/26 Alma Zabienski 82 Downtown Unclear Brick Murder charges
    #15 3/29 Tim Miles Hatfield 25 South OIS (rape attempt) Gun Charges dropped
    #16 4/1 Hazel Mary Walker 23 Downtown Unclear Hands No charges filed
    #17 4/3 L.C. Hurt 23 North Fight Gun Guilty
    #18 4/7 [injured 1/17/1980] Keisha Boxsley 2 North Domestic Fire Guilty of lesser charge
    #19 4/8 Mark Lowry 20 North Justified (rape attempt) Gun No charges filed
    #21 4/17 Billy Dean Haley 19 Midtown Unclear Unknown (beaten) Unsolved
    # 5/27 Roger Wheeler 55 South Convoluted Gun Solved years later
    # 7/18 William Jo Kennedy 71 Midtown Unclear Knife Unsolved
    # 10/13 Gertrude Blakey 73 Midtown Unclear Metal pipe(?) Unsolved
    # 10/26 Robin Anderson 16 Northish Fight [IB] (cause: gambling) Gun Murder charges
    # 11/17 Patricia Palmer 19 Midtown Rape Hands, water Unsolved
    # 12/10 Ronald Shelley 32 Midtown Unclear Unknown Unsolved
    #56 12/23 Edward Franks 33 North Domestic Steak knife No charges filed
    #57 12/27 David Smith 19 Midtown OIS (cause: burglary) Gun Charges dropped