Appeals Court Upholds Conviction For Tulsa Murder Suspect

The Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has upheld the first-degree murder conviction of a 21-year-old man sentenced to life in prison for a fatal shooting in Tulsa three years ago.

The appellate court handed down the ruling Thursday in the case of Lawrence Jamere Taylor. Taylor was convicted of murder in the shooting death of 22-year-old Joe Thomas Gomez on April 28, 2008.

5/5/2008 Related Story: Teen Charged With Murder

Taylor also convicted of shooting with intent to kill for wounding a second man, Anthony Baltazar.

The victims were shot in the head while they sat in a car near a Tulsa apartment complex where Taylor lived. Police reported the assailant had approached the victims and demanded money.

Taylor was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on the murder charge.