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April 20, 2009

Murder defense subpoenas Crime Stoppers

By Donna Hales

Attorneys for a man charged with first-degree murder subpoenaed a Crime Stoppers official Monday to try to determine whether police investigated all possible suspects.

Defense attorneys have tried to prove viable suspects in the death of Jerry Dewitt Raney’s stepdaughter were not investigated. Defense attorney John Echols also is trying to cast doubt as to whether Raney was the last person to see Sara Smart alive.

Brad Holt, in charge of the Muskogee Police Department’s Crime Stoppers was subpoenaed Monday as a defense witness in Raney’s first-degree murder preliminary hearing.

Echols said Muskogee Police Investigator Ginny Bemo couldn’t tell him how many tips the police got leading to people other than Raney after Smart turned up missing. Echols said Holt should have a record of all tips Crime Stoppers received.

Muskogee County Sheriff’s Office Chief Investigator, Faye Banks was on the stand until after 2 p.m. Monday. Echols and Banks have been going back and forth about what leads were followed by investigators and which weren’t and why they weren’t.

Bemo the first investigator on the case, was on the stand about 45 minutes Monday. Echols said she would be called again Friday and he expected it to take at least two days to interview her.

Many of Echols questions to witnesses are being objected to on the grounds of hearsay or relevance.

Muskogee County District Attorney Larry Moore told the judge Monday he questioned if Echols had the cognizant ability to understand some of the objections being made.

Reach Donna Hales at 684-2923 or dhales@muskogeephoenix.com.

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