Tulsa Police Investigate 28 Murders In 2013, 5 Still Open

Two more people were murdered over the weekend in Tulsa. Police made an arrest in one case, but the other remains open. Tulsa's had 28 homicides so far this year, and five of those are unsolved.

In three of the five open cases, detectives believe they know who did it and just need that one piece of the puzzle - a little bit more information - because knowing who did it and proving it are two different things.

The other two open cases are true whodunit mysteries that police need the public's help to solve.

Christopher Williams was killed on January 7, 2013, near 42nd Street and Garnett. He was shot in the back as he was clmbing the stairs outside his sister's apartment. Police believe the motive was a personal dispute between Williams and the killer, and say they are close to making an arrest.

"That investigation is within an eyelash of being solved. We know who probably did that. We've reached out and touched them a couple of times," Sergeant Dave Walker, Tulsa Police Department.

Gabby Bledsoe was the 18-year-old Rogers High School student who was stabbed to death March 2, 2013, in her home on North Atlanta Avenue. Her mother found her near the front door, the knife still in Gabby's neck.

3/2/2013 Related Story: Family Of North Tulsa Teenage Girl Devastated By Her Stabbing Death

That investigation is focused on one person, and detectives hope the answer is in forensics.

"We still have hopes there's gonna be something, a magic bullet that comes forward through the lab," Walker said.

Robert Sampson was found dead in his home on March 14, but police believe he had been killed two or three weeks before that. That case began as a missing persons case, and police say the motive appears to be personal. That investigation is also focused on one particular person.

"That person knows--we've talked to them and they know we know, so to speak," the homicide sergeant said.

Lawrence Tennyson was found dead on April 7, at 2900 North Martin Luther King Boulevard. Police say that murder is the farthest from being solved, with no person of interest. They're not sure if the motive was personal, drug- or gang-related.

"There was evidently a lot of people who had issues with Mr. Tennyson. Again, [we're] waiting for people with real, personal knowledge to come forward," said Tulsa Police Sergeant Dave Walker.

This weekend, Kevin Hawkins was murdered in the parking lot of the Lewiston Apartments at 51st Street and Lewis Avenue. Police say a man with a gun demanded property and Hawkins and a woman handed over their purse and a wallet. There was a struggle, and Hawkins was shot to death.

5/12/2013 Related Story: Police Identify Man Shot To Death In South Tulsa Apartment Parking Lot

They have no clear suspect, as of yet.

If anyone has information about these open cases, contact Crime Stoppers at 918-596-COPS.

Police say, even though 28 murders before the end of May is high, there is no one thing that's driving it. The homicides have been either the result of a domestic dispute, gang-related, personally motivated or robberies-gone-bad.

They don't believe the pace will continue. We had a total of 46 murders. in all. for 2012.