Hearing Scheduled For A Sapulpa Man Accused In 1986 Killing

SAPULPA, Okla. (AP) -- A preliminary hearing is set today for a Sapulpa man charged with first-degree murder in the death of a Tulsa prostitute 20 years ago.<br/><br/>The hearing for 41-year-old John Pingleton

Monday, August 21st 2006, 6:09 am

By: News On 6

SAPULPA, Okla. (AP) -- A preliminary hearing is set today for a Sapulpa man charged with first-degree murder in the death of a Tulsa prostitute 20 years ago.

The hearing for 41-year-old John Pingleton was rescheduled after defense attorneys requested a competency examination for their client.

Pingleton faces a murder charge in the August 1986 death of 27-year-old Rhonda Hardway. Police say Hardway was found shot to death on the upper end of Lake Sahoma. She had been shot in the head.

Police say Pingleton came to Sapulpa police headquarters last January and confessed to the shooting. Before that, the investigation into Hardway's death had been dormant for years.

Detectives say they hope DNA evidence gathered at the crime scene two decades ago will collaborate Pingleton's account of what happened.