News9.com - Oklahoma City, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports | Girl Accused of Shooting Foster Parent Recently Released from Psychiatric Care

Girl Accused of Shooting Foster Parent Recently Released from Psychiatric Care

By Kirsten McIntyre, NEWS 9

WOODWARD, Oklahoma – An Oklahoma teenager, accused of shooting her foster parent, was recently released from a psychiatric hospital.

NEWS 9 learned the young girl had been back home in foster care for only seven days when the alleged murder plot unfolded.

It was last Friday in a Woodward home where police say Ashley and another foster daughter, 15-year-old Kelsey Beams, carried out a plot to kill Robert Parker and his wife Barbara.

Robert Parker still has the bullet in his chest, the one police say his foster daughter, 16-year-old Ashley Jewell, put there when she fired a 360 pistol.

“It hit me on the lower rib and then jumped up and broke some ribs up here,” Parker said. “I never thought she wanted to kill me."

Just a week earlier, Ashley had been released after two months from Shadow Mountain, a psychiatric hospital in Tulsa.

“I'm frustrated with the fact that Shadow Mountain let her go...had to let her go, because the health system would not let them have her any longer. They refused to pay any more,” Robert Parker said.

As a DHS foster child, the Parkers say Ashley received medical benefits through the Oklahoma Health Care Authority.

“Luckily it's very rare these kinds of things happen,” said Debbie Spaeth, the Director of Behavior Services for the Oklahoma Health Care Authority.

Spaeth said by law, she can't discuss the case but said children are rarely denied medical coverage, especially those needing in-patient treatment.

“It's below 1 percent. Our goal is if a child needs services, that we're going to work with a provider and decide what the level of services they need and let's get them to what services they need,” Spaeth said.

But the Parkers believe someone failed Ashley and them.

“The counselor said there could be other episodes with Ashley. She's learned some skills and tools on how to cope and process, but she said 'I want you to know there could be other episodes.' Well this was quite an episode as far as I'm concerned,” said Barbara Parker.

Ashley and Kelsey have been charged with shooting with intent to kill and conspiracy to commit murder.

Due to federal privacy laws, Shadow Mountain couldn't comment on the situation.

More on News9.com: Police: Foster Children Plotted to Kill Foster Parents