Oklahoma Double Murder Conviction Overturned

NewsOn6.com

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals overturned the murder convictions Phillip Summers, saying his right to a free trial had been violated. Summers was convicted in 2008 in Tulsa County for the first-degree murders of Ples and Shelly Vann in what were said to be a gang-related killings.

On Thursday, the judges ordered that Phillips be remanded for a new trial, ruling that he had not been able to present a complete defense. The ruling states that the prosecution's chief witnesses "have admittedly lied and broken the law as a matter of course in the past" and have "admitted personal motivations to testify falsely in the case."

Another witness, Cleon Johnson, did not testify in the 2008 trial which the court said violated Summers' right to a fair trial.

A Tulsa County jury convicted Summers in 2008 of first-degree murder and recommended death for the fatal shootings of Ples and Shelly Vann.

2/5/2008 Related Story: Tulsa Gang Member Receives Two Death Sentences

Prosecutors alleged that the couple was killed Feb. 23, 2004, because Hoover Crips gang members believed the Vanns' son, Lawrence Tennyson, was responsible for the death of one of Summers' brothers.

Summers' attorney, James L. Hankins, couldn't be reached for comment. Tulsa County District Attorney Tim Harris' office didn't return a call seeking comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.