Sentencing hearing starts for teen

TULSA, Okla. (AP) – A sentencing hearing has begun for an Oklahoma teenager who was accused of killing a schoolteacher and raping an 81-year-old woman.

A three-day hearing began in Tulsa Tuesday for 18-year-old Deonte Green, who pleaded guilty in March to first-degree murder and 19 other counts in a blind plea, meaning it was entered without a sentencing agreement with prosecutors.

Following the sentencing hearing, District Judge Kelly Greenough will have discretion in determining a sentence for Green, who faces up to life in prison without parole. The hearing is expected to include evidence of Green’s age and likelihood of rehabilitation.

Green was 16 when he was accused of shooting Broken Arrow middle school teacher Shane Anderson to death and raping an 81-year-old woman in a separate incident.