Judge To Decide Fate Of Tulsa Murder Suspect

By Lori Fullbright, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- A man who stole a truck, then ran over the owner when confronted, has decided not to take his chances with a jury.

Instead, William Parris has decided to make a blind plea before a judge.

5/12/2010 Related Story: Tulsa Murder Suspect Pleads No Contest

Stephen Stewart was a 64-year-old father of six and grandfather, who worked for Metro Builders Supply for more than 30 years.

He came home last summer to find William Parris stealing Stewart's Metro delivery truck and confronted him.

Parris ran over Stewart, then took off and tried to steal two more vehicles before being arrested. He decided last week not to have a trial, but to plead no contest and let a judge decide his sentence.

Megan Spencer, Stewart's daughter, was in the courtroom.

"He isn't remorseful at all," she said. "He's just kind like whatever, no big deal."

Megan says Parris has never apologized or said he's sorry and she says, he admitted stealing her dad's truck for drug money.

She says her father was a totally innocent person who was just trying to stand up for what he thought was right.

"That's what hurt the most because it's like, this was a big part of my life, this person is my dad and you took him away from me," Spencer said.

Megan says marking her father's birthday, and then Thanksgiving and Christmas without her dad has been rough on all the kids and grandkids.

"When you have to take your kids out at Christmas to decorate a grave, it's hard," she said.

Parris could get life for the second degree murder charge and more years for the other seven felonies he faces.

The Stewart family hopes the judge piles on the years and has them run back to back.

"He doesn't need to be out on the streets," she said. "He'll just hurt somebody else."

Parris' sentencing is in June, one day after the Stewart family's first father's day without their father.

Parris had been out of prison eight months when he killed Stewart. He'd been serving time for driving a stolen car and slamming into a woman, causing her massive injuries.

Years before that, Parris ran over two pedestrians, killing one and putting the other in a wheelchair, but, no charges were filed in that case.