Alabama man faces a third murder charge in Oklahoma

By KEN MILLER OKLAHOMA CITY

(AP) — A third Oklahoma murder charge has been filed against an Alabama man who was arrested in Arkansas, according to a prosecutor.

Stacy Lee Drake, 50, was charged on Wednesday with murder in the June 14th shooting death of Phillip Emerson at his home in El Reno, according to a statement from Sequoyah County District Attorney Jack Thorp.

Drake, whose first name is spelled Stacey in some court documents, was previously charged with murder in the June 18th shooting deaths of Tara Huber Underwood and Taylor Sharp at a business in Gans.

“This man’s senseless and violent actions have affected people across this state,” Thorp said. “Those victims and their families deserve justice.”

An attorney for Drake declined comment on Thursday.

Drake faces additional charges of robbery, possession of a stolen vehicle, and committing a pattern of criminal offenses, which allows Sequoyah County prosecutors to charge him for the slaying in El Reno in Canadian County.

Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Sheriff’s Capt. Jack Kennedy has said that Drake is wanted on a murder warrant in that state, but court records do not show the formal charge.

A telephone message seeking comment was left on Thursday for a Tuscaloosa County sheriff’s spokesperson.

An affidavit in the Oklahoma slayings alleges that Drake killed Emerson in El Reno, a western Oklahoma City suburb, and stole his truck. The vehicle was later found near the business in Gans, about 100 miles (161 kilometers) east of Oklahoma City.

Underwood’s vehicle, which was taken from Gans, was found on June 20th at a motel in Morrilton, Arkansas, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Little Rock. Drake was later arrested in a nearby wooded area.