ROGERS COUNTY, Okla. - Painful court proceedings are on hold for one Green Country family waiting for the person accused of murdering their daughter to be punished.
Jim Hendrix was at work last year on August 22 while police tape was tied in a bow on a tree outside of his daughter's home.
He got a call from his son.
“Told me that the cops were there but that he didn’t really know why they were there," he said.
He rushed over to receive horrifying news.
His daughter, 38-year-old Laura Hendrix was dead inside.
“I pulled my phone out [and said] she texted me 20 minutes ago and said good morning. You’ve got the wrong person.”
Then, 14-year-old Koalten Orr, her step son, admitted to police he shot her that day claiming she sexually abused him and he was tired of it.
“He was just a spoiled kid who didn’t want to be there.”
Jim said he has ideas about what actually happened, but neighbors were baffled.
"What would ever possess a 14-year-old to shoot their mom? It's crazy," one said.
But what was baffling for Jim were Orr's court proceedings.
A judge finding him a youthful offender, which by law prevents him from being tried as an adult in court.
“He needs to do some serious time, 20 or 30 years.”
The Rogers County District Attorney appealing the decision, arguing he in fact should be treated like an adult.
2 Works for You's Attorney Adam said the youthful offender program allows minors to "get a chance to get their lives back together, but if they don't it's on their record forever."
This court believing Orr deserves that chance despite his "poor coping skills, anger management problems and low empathy/remorse for his actions."
Documents saying he's a moderate risk to "violently reoffend."
“He killed her because he didn’t want to stay at the house, so what happens when he gets in trouble at school?" Hendrix said.
He said proof of the contrary is in his loss.
“38 years on my hip and then gone in a second. Just like that.”
But he's not counting on a court to tell him how valuable Laura was to him.
“Her life’s worth what it was worth if he gets to walk out today, or if he gets 100 years, it doesn’t matter. Her life’s still what it was. Still worth as much as it always was.”
Monday, Orr's scheduled arraignment was passed just as all other scheduled proceedings will be until the D.A. gets to argue his appeal in December.
However, past court proceedings show Orr's sexual abuse allegations were not credible.
Orr's attorney did not return requests for comment.
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