Oklahoma appeals court OKs life sentence in beating death

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has affirmed the life prison sentence of a man convicted of beating his roommate to death with a baseball bat.

The court handed down the decision Wednesday to 32-year-old Joel Robert Giefer, who was convicted of first-degree murder by a jury in Tulsa County in the Dec. 1, 2014, beating death of 31-year-old Ted Kissel.

Police discovered the victim’s body after responding to reports that a man had been threatening his roommate over rent money at the residence Kissel shared with Giefer.

Police found a pool of blood near a baseball bat next to an open bedroom door. Authorities say Kissel’s body was found beneath a mattress in the bedroom.

Giefer’s defense attorney, Lisbeth McCarty, did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.