Man Held In Death Of 7-Year-Old Girl

A 19-year-old man was behind bars Sunday accused of murdering a 7-year old girl and raping a 12-year old.<br><br>The incident happened Saturday night in Oilton, in Creek County.<br><br>Folks in Oilton

Sunday, August 20th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

A 19-year-old man was behind bars Sunday accused of murdering a 7-year old girl and raping a 12-year old.

The incident happened Saturday night in Oilton, in Creek County.

Folks in Oilton hugged each other Sunday when they found out what happened the previous night.

They say what they've heard is hard to believe.

After an extensive search Friday night, an Oilton police officer found seven-year-old Christi Blevins dead in an abandoned house. Her friend, and neighbor, a 12-year-old was with her, and police say she had been raped.

â€œThey were playing in their street, throwing rocks, typical playing in their street and they were abducted," says Kym Koch, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

Jeanette Barnett knew the two young victims fairly well; they came into the grocery store where she worked. It's right across the street from the girls' neighborhood.

"They always came over to get candy and run around the store. I'd play with them in the hallway. They are nice kids, so are their parents, their parents were just like me and you," says Barnett.

The 7-year-oldâ€™s mother had looked out her window at 8:35 and saw the children playing, ten minutes later, when she looked out again, they were gone.

"The parents called police, the police called the fire department, volunteers came out, families searched for the girls," says Koch.

Investigators say after a two-and-a-half hour search, an Oilton police officer found the girls with 19 year-old Robert Rotramel in the abandoned house.

Authorities say the 7-year-old Blevins was dead, and Rotramel was talking to the 12-year-old. Later, at the hospital, investigators say they found out she had been raped.

Investigators say Rotramel's father owns the store next to the abandoned house. The girls, who were neighbors, live a half-a-block away.

They don't know if or how well Rotramel knew the girls.
"I want to pray for their family and friends, I hope the guy who done it, I hope he gets what he deserves," says Barnett.

Oilton police officers booked Rotramel into the Drumright jail on a murder and rape complaint.

Investigators say his juvenile record cannot be released.

But since he moved back to Oilton a year ago, he doesn't have a record.

Investigators have not released the cause of Blevins death.