Man Charged In Fiancee's Murder May Be Linked To Weleetka Murders

Havonnah Johnson, News On 6

UNDATED -- An Oklahoma father believes a man already in jail is connected to the state's most infamous unsolved murders.

Someone gunned down Skyla Whitaker and Taylor Placker on a rural road outside Weleetka three years ago.

Kevin Sweat is charged with killing his fiancée Ashley Taylor this past July. The victim's family says Sweat admitted to owning the gun that killed the two girls. They also believe Ashley was killed because she knew too much.

08/15/2011 Related Story: Okmulgee Man Charged With Murder In Fiancee's Death

Kevin Sweat and Ashley Taylor dated for three years and were planning to get married. At first glance the Taylors thought Kevin was clean cut and respectful.

"They were showing an enormous amount of affection for another," said Faye Taylor, Ashley's stepmother.

But Faye says when she looked closer at Kevin, she saw a glimpse of a dangerous man.

The last time the Taylors saw Ashley was July 6, 2011, eleven days before she was brutally murdered.

The family says they found Ashley's ashes at her fiancée's father's apartment. When they questioned their soon to be son-in-law about Ashley's disappearance, his response raised eyebrows.

"His response was, ‘I suppose I'm going to get blamed for this like I did the Weleetka girls,'" said Mike Taylor, Ashley's step-father. "Past memories that he told me, led me to believe that he killed those girls."

The Taylors say the night they found Ashley's remains, Kevin admitted he had been questioned by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

He told the family he owned the gun used in the murders prior to the 2008 killings. Sweat told them he sold the gun before the girls were murdered.

Sweat claims he slit Ashley's throat. The motive? The victim's family says to keep her quiet.

The family believes authorities should have warned them Sweat was being questioned in connection with the murders of Taylor Placker and Skyla Whitaker.

Authorities say for the past three years anyone who has committed a violent crime in the region has been investigated for the Weleetka murders.

Right now, the OSBI is trying to track down the gun it says was used in the Weleetka murders.

It's a Glock .40 caliber model 22, serial number EKG-463-US.  The OSBI says someone possibly bought the weapon at a gun show in Tulsa in March.

If you have any information, call the OSBI at 1-800-522-8017.

10/14/2011 Related Story: How Are Investigators Tracking The Gun Used In Weleetka Murders?