Jury Finds Patterson Guilty for Killing Stepdaughter

Friday, February 4th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

A Tulsa jury returned a guilty verdict against Oscar Patterson Friday afternoon for the murder of his 15-year-old stepdaughter, Tiffiany Beverly. The case had went to the jury about 3:00 PM Friday.

The court heard from two final witnesses before the judge handed the case to the jury for a decision. Called to the stand to testify Friday was a detective and a woman who said she saw Beverly in a truck near Woodland Hills Mall, the day Patterson says he dropped her off.

The witness said the girl appeared to be struggling with a large light-skinned man and that is what caught her attention. The defense claims Patterson dropped Beverly off at the mall and never saw her again.

But the state told jurors in their closing arguments that they have DNA proof that Patterson raped his stepdaughter. Prosecutors say he then hit her in the head three times with a tire tool, killing her that day in May 1997.

Throughout the trial, Beatrice Patterson, Beverlyâ€™s mother, has been in the courtroom.
She still stands by her husband, saying that he is innocent. â€œIn the beginning, he cooperated with the police and told them everything they needed to know,â€ she said. â€œNow his life is on the line for something that they botched up. They botched up this investigation, we didn't. I still don't believe that the remains they found were Tiffianyâ€™s. I still say that he is innocent," Mrs. Patterson continued.

Stay with the News on Six for the latest on the sentencing phase of the trial.