Arrest Warrant Issued For Drumright Man In Wife's 2012 Dragging Death

Green Country investigators are searching for the man they say is responsible for his wife's death more than a year ago.

Friday, May 17th 2013, 11:27 pm



Green Country investigators are searching for the man they say is responsible for his wife's death more than a year ago.

Doug Graves was charged Friday with first-degree manslaughter and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Jana Graves was dragged to death beneath her husband's truck. Her husband, Doug, told police he didn't know his wife was being dragged behind his truck.

But prosecutors say that's not true, and they say they have a taped confession that shows Doug planning to pin the death on someone else.

2/20/2012 Related Story: Rogers County Investigators Seek Answers In Dragging Death

Court documents show that Jana and Doug Graves were visiting friends in Collinsville, back in February 2012, when the couple began arguing.

Investigators say Jana got angry and walked out.

The affidavit says Doug left telling his friends, "You guys deal with her, I'm outta of here. She's your trouble now. I'm going home."

Shortly after that, a friend of the couple's reported hearing a scream and dragging.

That friend says she told her husband, "that sounds like screaming, she's being drug under that trailer."

"There were also neighbors present, inside their house watching TV and the screams were so loud, they could actually hear the screams," said Rogers County Assistant District Attorney Sean McConnell.

Jana's body was found down the road from the house she was visiting. Her husband was gone.

An OHP trooper pulled Doug over near his home in Drumright and had him sit in the patrol car. When questioned by investigators, Doug denied hearing his wife's screams and said he didn't know she was being dragged by the trailer he was pulling.

But while he was sitting in that patrol car, Doug was recorded talking to himself.

"He's actually in the vehicle by himself, starts making statements about his wife dying, being dead and discusses, among himself, that he's pinning this on someone else, that he's blaming someone else," McConnell said.

Investigators say Doug didn't get any calls or make any call and there were no text messages, either.

They say there's only one way he could have known his wife was dead.

Three law enforcement agencies worked the case and prosecutors say a thorough investigation takes time, which is why first degree manslaughter charges were filed more than a year after Jana's death.

"Investigations don't always happen overnight, we do not really live in a CSI society, where in 45 minutes - or 30 minutes sometimes, depending on the show you're watching - can be solved," McConnell said.

Prosecutors say they're still not sure how Jana Graves ended up underneath that trailer.

And while they say they don't believe Doug killed her intentionally, they have no doubt he knew she was there.

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