Oklahoma Court Upholds Tulsa Man's Murder Conviction

The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has upheld the murder conviction of a Tulsa man.

Edwin Donald Jones Jr. had appealed his 2012 conviction on the grounds of insufficient evidence. Jones was sentenced to life in prison for the December 2010 shooting death of Anthony Devon Payne.

Jones said he shot Payne in self-defense after Payne hit him from behind and put him in a choke hold.

The court rejected the appeal -- noting that a witness saw Jones shoot Payne three times in the back of the head while Payne was lying face-down on a city street and that a forensic pathologist testified that Payne was shot seven times -- including five times in the back or head and two more times in the left side of his head.

3/27/2012 Related Story: Tulsa Man Sentenced To Life In Prison For 2010 Murder