OHP trooper's death still felt two years later

LAWTON, Okla. (AP) _ It's been two years since Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper Nikky Joe Green was shot and killed on a rural Cotton County road. <br/><br/>Green was shot twice in the back of the head

Monday, December 26th 2005, 5:40 pm

By: News On 6

LAWTON, Okla. (AP) _ It's been two years since Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper Nikky Joe Green was shot and killed on a rural Cotton County road.

Green was shot twice in the back of the head with his own weapon. A former Duncan firefighter, Ricky Ray Malone, was convicted in May of first-degree murder in Green's December 26th, 2003, death. Malone was sentenced to death.

Authorities say Malone was operating a mobile methamphetamine lab in a car when Green approached. he lost his gun in a struggle.

Malone's capture, trial and incarceration have cost Oklahoma taxpayers more than $670,000.

Green's death prompted state lawmakers to pass landmark legislation to limit access to cold tablets that contain a key ingredient for methamphetamine manufacturing.