Court Upholds Life Sentence For Man Convicted Of Murder In Tulsa

An Oklahoma appeals court has upheld the life prison sentence of a man convicted of first-degree murder in a fatal shooting in Tulsa.

The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals handed down the decision in the case of 38-year-old Dennis Rodriguez. Rodriguez is accused of killing 51-year-old Charles Homer Watson on September 12, 2009, at an apartment building.

9/14/2009 Related Story: Man Killed At Tulsa Apartment Complex Over The Weekend

Police said the men were fighting and reportedly drinking before witnesses told authorities Rodriguez shot Watson.

A Tulsa County jury found Rodriguez guilty of first-degree murder and recommended a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole.

Rodriguez appealed, but in a unanimous opinion, the five-member appeals court upheld his murder conviction and life sentence.