Homeless Couple Arrested In West Tulsa Homicide

Deputies located Sarah Francis and Brandon Garrison in a car in the 2300 block of Southwest Boulevard Monday night and booked them into the Tulsa County jail on first-degree murder complaints.

The case began when someone found a man's body near a detached garage in the 4400 block of West 56th Street last Thursday afternoon, September 4, 2014. Detectives used fingerprints to identify the body as 35-year-old Jon Smitter.

9/5/2014 Related Story: Sheriff's Office Trying To Identify Body Found In West Tulsa

According to jail records, Smitter had a large tattoo and was wearing only underpants. Deputies found no other clothing or property at the scene. 

Detectives went to the Interstate Inn hotel in the 5500 block of south 48th West Avenue on Monday, September 8, 2014 where a witness told them she'd recently seen a man with a similar tattoo. The witness told them she'd seen the man with a woman who was staying at the hotel. Detectives learned that woman was registered as Sarah Francis, 20, but had checked out the previous day. 

Detectives learned Francis was driving a 1992 Chevrolet Lumina and its tag number and found the car late Monday night. They made a traffic stop at the QuikTrip at 2300 Southwest Boulevard and arrested Francis and Brandon Garrison, 23, who were both inside.

The jail records say a witness told detectives Francis had told her Francis was dating an abusive man and that she better "get him before he gets her." The witness told them Francis said she stabbed him with a pocket knife in a motel in Town West and that Garrison helped her "finish him off," according to the records.

The witness told detectives Francis picked her up in her Lumina sometime in the last three days and the witness noticed a strong odor coming from the car. When she asked Francis about it, the witness said Francis told her, "Oh girl that's not throw up," the records say.

When Francis spoke to her again later, Francis told the witness, "I think I just got away with murder," according to the report. 

Another witness told detectives he had a conversation with Francis and Garrison in which Francis mentioned killing a man nicknamed "Wicked," and that Francis and Garrison discussed putting the man's body in the car, but never discussed what they did with it after that. 

According to jail records, Garrison told detectives Francis had called him asking for help in cleaning a room. He told detectives he used bleach and "409" carpet cleaner to help clean the room.

According to court documents, Francis and Garrison were convicted of stabbing a man on October 7, 2012 in Tulsa. The documents show Francis -- also known as "Country" -- and Garrison -- also known as "Smurf" -- stabbed the man because Francis believed the man had raped another woman. The man survived. Judge James Caputo sentenced each of them to six years in prison in that case. 

A year later, the records show Judge Caputo reviewed the case and changed the sentences to two years in prison with four years suspended and credit for time served.  

Francis got out of prison on November 15, 2013, according to Oklahoma Department of Corrections records. 

The same records show Garrison was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to second degree burglary and concealing stolen property on August 19, 2013 in Noble County. A spokesman for the Department of Corrections said Judge Caputo discharged that case at the same time he reduced Garrison's sentence for the Tulsa County stabbing and DOC released him.