ADAIR COUNTY — On May 30, investigators say Ryan Stephens was beaten with a sledgehammer on a rural Adair County Road outside of Westville. He suffered an injury that required a visit to the emergency room and several staples in his head.
Alan Becker is charged with the beating. After the alleged attack, Becker also shot and killed Stephens’ stepdad, Carl Hutchinson.
Becker told 911 Hutchinson threatened his family. Court documents state Hutchinson was unarmed, inside his truck, and blocked by Becker in his driveway when he was shot.
Local News
'We are not a TV show': Family fights for justice in deadly Adair Co. shooting
Tulsa County prosecutors, assigned to the case after the Adair County district attorney recused, declined to file charges for the shooting, allegedly telling family it was a case that can not be won in a rural area.
Family members brought in attorney and advocate Rachel Dallis to fight for a murder charge because, as Dallis says, that is what a jury trial is for.
“You’re never in complete agreement over how a crime occurred,” she said. “That’s literally the job.”
Not only that, Dallis is advocating for an efficient investigation into four other alleged participants named in Becker’s affidavit. 2 News is told that they are tribal members and the cases were supposed to be turned over to the Cherokee Nation Attorney General’s Office.
WATCH: 1 charged in Adair Co. sledgehammer attack, what about 4 other suspects?
While Dallis says she has been repeatedly told they have not, 2 News is getting confusing answers.
Citing transparency, the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office shared a copy of an email that confirms the office sent some kind of report to the Cherokee Nation. It was sent four weeks after the crime, on June 26. Coincidence unknown, it also happened to be sent hours after 2 News called requesting an interview about the case.
On June 30, Cherokee Nation sent this statement:
“We have received a referral related to this incident and are working with our law enforcement partners as we review the case.” – Cherokee Nation Attorney General’s Office
After hearing once again that the reports were not in the hands of the Cherokee Nation, 2 News asked in two emails to four staff members for clarification on the statement. We asked whether that means the reports had been sent, but did not hear back.
We also checked the Cherokee Nation’s court records. As of this publishing, none of the alleged participants have been charged.
We contacted the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation for details on their communication with the Cherokee Nation on this case. The spokesperson cited an ongoing investigation and would not comment.
“I am greatly disappointed in how this is being handled,” said Dallis. “I think the Hutchinsons deserve a fair shot at getting justice for Carl and that is why I am here.”
The names of the four additional suspects are public record in court documents. 2 News is choosing not to name them in our broadcast or in this article because they have not been charged with a crime.
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