Man Charged As Accessory In Tulsa Woman's Murder

Charges were filed Monday against the friend of a 17-year-old police say beat his mother to death last month.

Josiah Sklar, 19, is charged with accessory after the fact in the death of Linda Laird.

Investigators say Sklar told police he was there when Hank Laird beat his mother with the butt of a shotgun.

Linda Laird was found dead at the bottom of a staircase in the living room of her home on South Urbana, on the morning of January 22.

Police say Sklar told them Linda was still alive after the beating the night before, and he gave her a pillow, before going to sleep in a bedroom at the back of the house. Sklar then left the house with Hank Laird before the woman's body was discovered by another family member. After he was arrested, Sklar told police he was too afraid of Hank to turn him in.

Sklar remains in Tulsa County jail in lieu of a $50,000 bond. His next court date is set for March 14.

1/23/2013 Related Story: Police Arrest Teen Son, His Friend For Murder Of South Tulsa Woman