Former Tulsa Police Officer Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison

A former Tulsa police officer convicted of killing his daughter’s boyfriend in 2014 was sentenced Monday morning to 15 years in prison and fined $10,000.

Shannon Kepler was found guilty of manslaughter October 18, 2017. The jury recommended a 15-year sentence and a $10,000 fine.

The judge says Kepler will have to serve 85 percent of that sentence before he's eligible for parole.

Before the sentencing, Jeremey Lake's father, Carl Morse, gave a statement to the court.

Morse said he forgives Kepler but believes he needs to pay for killing his son. 

At one point, he turned to face Kepler, who was sitting there in shackles.

"I was on that emotional rollercoaster like I said in the first trial when this happened and now, I get to look at you and say 'sir, you get to be on that emotional rollercoaster of your doing,'" Morse said. 

10/18/2017 Related Story: Former Tulsa Cop Shannon Kepler Found Guilty Of Manslaughter

Kepler admitted to shooting Jeremey Lake because he said he saw Lake pull a semi-automatic weapon from his pocket.

This was the fourth time Kepler was tried; the first three all ended in hung juries.

Kepler's attorney Richard O 'Carroll says the verdict and sentence were politically decided, saying Kepler being a white police officer was used against him.

"If it wasn't for the fact that he was a police officer and he was white and had so many people of color in jail, they would have never tried this case four times," he said. 

O'Carroll said they do plan to appeal.