Jury recommends death for convicted killer

Thursday, February 17th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

CLAREMORE, Okla. (AP) -- A defense attorney could not convince a Rogers County jury to recommended life imprisonment without parole or life imprisonment for his client, a man convicted twice of murder.

The panel deliberated for more than three hours Wednesday before agreeing on the death penalty for Karl Lee Myers, who had been found guilty Monday of first-degree murder in the April 13, 1993, slaying of Shawn Marie Williams.

The 22-year-old Williams, whom authorities said Myers raped as well, was found three days after her murder in a recreational area along the Kerr-McClellan Navigational Channel. She had been shot five times.

Myers was also given the death sentence in 1998 for the asphyxiation death of Cindy Michelle Marzano, a Broken Arrow woman whose body was found in the same area. Her death, testimony that Myers admitted killing a Picher man in 1978 and other evidence was presented during the penalty phase.

Myers' attorney, David Autry, argued that Myers didn't have to be put to death to protect society. "I'm not telling you he's not responsible for the things he's done," Autry said. "He's responsible for all the bad things he's done that's brought him to this place."

But Autry asked for mercy. "Extend the hand of mercy to a man who didn't extend mercy himself" to his victims, "and stop this cycle of death," he said. In his final argument, District Attorney Gene Haynes said that showing Myers mercy might be the easy way out.