Third Suspect Convicted In SW OKC Deadly Home Invasion

After deliberations that lasted through the night, a jury finds a third and final suspect guilty.

Friday, September 19th 2014, 12:16 am

By: News 9

Third Suspect Convicted In SW OKC Deadly Home Invasion

A man stabbed to death inside his southwest Oklahoma City home, his teenage son tied up and his daughter hiding in a closet calling 911. After deliberations that lasted through the night, a jury finds a third and final suspect guilty.

The trial for the third suspect in the murder ended early Thursday morning as the jury deliberated well into the night.

In the end, they found 19-year-old Sebastian Shepherd guilty of murder, burglary and kidnapping.

"They deserve life," said Rose Reese. "They took a life; they've changed my kids' lives forever."

Two years after the father of Reese's two children was murdered, she hopes now, her family can have closure.

8/31/2012 Related Story: Father Dies After Being Stabbed During Home Invasion In SW OKC

"I and my kids and our whole family really appreciate everything that the jurors had to go through and do to bring this to an end for us," Reese said.

Suspects, Eddie Thompson, Loretta Hawks and Sebastian Shepherd were all convicted in the murder of 47-year-old Arthur Strozewski, inside his southwest Oklahoma City home in August 2012. It was during that home invasion Arthur's teenage son was tied up while his daughter called 911 from a closet.

"They're in my house, and in that room, and hurting my dad and looking through everything," Strozewski's daughter said.

Police said Strozewsk was stabbed several times.

"I don't know anything. I just woke up and looked out my door and saw people. The only thing I see is my brother is crying and them hurting my dad on the bed," she said.

Shepherd's attorney said he doesn't believe his client was involved in the murder.

"There's no physical evidence at all," said defense attorney David Smith. "There was some cell phone evidence, and he was pretty careless about the way he talked on some jail phone calls."

But a Cleveland County jury found Shepherd guilty.

“I mean you've got Ms. Hawks who instigated the whole thing and Mr. Thompson, who planned it and executed it, and both of them are in their 30s, and then you got Sebastian shepherd, who's 19 years old,” Smith said.

“Doesn't matter whose choice it was to start it. It ended up with all three," said Reese. "They all made an equal choice to do the damage that they've done to my whole family."

9/7/2012 Related Story: Suspect In OKC Deadly Home Invasion Claims Victim Raped Her

Hawks was previously sentenced to life with the possibility of parole. Shepherd will be sentenced on November 17, and Thompson will be sentenced at the end of the month.