DENVER man returned to Colorado to face allegations he strangled a woman

<br>OKMULGEE, Okla. (AP) _ A Denver man has been returned to Colorado from Oklahoma to face allegations he strangled a woman in a motel room eight months ago. <br><br>Okmulgee Police Chief Ed Humphreys

Friday, August 17th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKMULGEE, Okla. (AP) _ A Denver man has been returned to Colorado from Oklahoma to face allegations he strangled a woman in a motel room eight months ago.

Okmulgee Police Chief Ed Humphreys said Thursday that a local pastor called him Aug. 10 and asked him to come to his church. There, Humphreys said he was introduced to Herschel Delone Biglow, who had been wanted on a second-degree murder warrant in Colorado.

``He (Biglow) said he just wanted to turn himself in to a smaller department,'' Humphreys said. ``He mentioned he wanted to try to get this thing over and done with. He also said he didn't do it.''

The body of Deletha Perry, 37, was found Jan. 14 in a Colorado Springs motel room that was registered to the 54-year-old Biglow, who is a carpet cleaner, an affidavit stated.

A shopping bag had been placed over Perry's head, and a curling iron cord was wrapped around her neck, records show. She died of suffocation and mechanical strangulation/asphyxiation, according to records from the El Paso County coroner.

A witness told police she remembered hearing a disturbance and a woman's scream for help coming from Biglow's room on Jan. 13, records show. Biglow told police he had been friends with Perry for about three months, but that he wasn't involved in or responsible for her death, documents show.

Biglow was member of the pastor's church when the latter had a congregation in Colorado, Humphreys said. Authorities were unsure how long Biglow had been in the Okmulgee area.

Biglow was unarmed but toting luggage when he was arrested. He was transported this week to El Paso County, Colo., Okmulgee County District Attorney Tom Giulioli said.