Tulsaâ€™s 17th Homicide May Be Self-Defense

Monday, April 2nd 2007, 7:57 pm

By: News On 6

Bond is set at $50,000 for the man accused of stabbing a 15-year-old high school student to death. 23-year-old Erick Bishop is being held on a first-degree manslaughter complaint, but the News On 6â€™s Ashli Sims reports Bishop may have been acting in self-defense.

Tulsa Police say an altercation between acquaintances turned deadly early Sunday morning at a home near 3000 West 70th Street in west Tulsa.

"Once we arrived we found a 15-year-old male stabbed outside the residence. He was transported to St. Francis hospital where he succumbed to his wounds,â€ Tulsa Police Sergeant Michael Brown said.

Tulsa Police say Erick Bishop confessed to stabbing 15-year-old Kyle McQuarrie with a sword. He was arrested, accused of first degree manslaughter, but now investigators say they were told McQuarrie might have been on drugs, and was angry with Bishop over some money.

"He makes threats to the suspect and contacts him at his residents. It was there that the altercation takes place and the victim is fatally wounded," said Tulsa Police officer Scott Walton.

Officers say the stabbing might have been self-defense.

"The guidelines of the â€˜Make My Dayâ€™ statute are definitely something that needs to be explored here," Walton said.

Oklahoma's "Make My Day" law says everyone has a right to safety in their home, and they're allowed to protect themselves if they're afraid of imminent death or harm. Ultimately it's the district attorney's office that will decide whether the case falls under the "Make My Day" law and is dropped, or if Bishop will face manslaughter charges.

For now, the McQuarrie family is mourning the loss of their son, who they say was a "treasure to everyone he was involved with."

This is not Erick Bishop's first brush with law enforcement. He was convicted of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and drug possession in 2005. Bishop was sentenced to three years, which the judge suspended.

Related story:

4/1/2007 Stabbing Suspect Remains In Jail