Sheriff: Roommate Confessed To Killing Chouteau Woman

The Mayes County sheriff says the roommate of a woman found dead in her Chouteau home early Monday has confessed to killing her.

Sheriff Mike Reed says Jeremy Sappington, 37, has been charged with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm after former conviction of a felony. He's being held in the Mayes County Jail without bond.

The sheriff identified the victim as Verna Sarten.

He says dispatchers received a 911 call at about 1 a.m. about a woman at the home not breathing. The home is located near the intersection of Jones and Iroquois. Deputies arrived to find the woman dead. Reed says the deputies saw some blood next to the body and called investigators.

Reed asked the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to assist his investigators.

He says at about 8 a.m. law enforcement found Sappington driving the victim's car. The sheriff says Sappington confessed to shooting Sarten and they have the firearm he says he used.

According to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, Sappington has multiple convictions for larceny of an automobile and attempted larceny of an automobile, as well as two convictions for robbery with a dangerous weapon.

Sarten's brother, Floyd Sarten, said that he has lost his family but that friends are helping him. He also said that his sister's boyfriend was living at the home as well, but was out of town working.