Former Tulsa Police Officer Seeks Manslaughter Conviction Dismissal Based On McGirt Ruling

A former Tulsa Police Officer convicted of first-degree manslaughter is asking the state Supreme Court to dismiss his conviction based the federal Supreme Court's McGirt v. Oklahoma ruling.

In an appeal filed in early July, lawyers for Shannon Kepler argued that the state lacked jurisdiction in the case against him per the McGirt v. Oklahoma ruling, which found that crimes committed on tribal lands are not the jurisdiction of the state.

Related Story: Former Tulsa Cop Shannon Kepler Found Guilty Of Manslaughter

Shannon Kepler was found guilty of manslaughter October 18, 2017. The jury recommended a 15-year sentence and a $10,000 fine. The judge said at the time that Kepler would have to serve 85 percent of that sentence before he's eligible for parole.

Kepler admitted to shooting Jeremy Lake because, he said, he saw Lake pull a semi-automatic weapon from his pocket.

This was the fourth time Kepler was tried; the first three all ended in hung juries.

Kepler's attorney Richard O 'Carroll told News On 6 in 2017 that the verdict and sentence were politically decided, saying Kepler being a white police officer was used against him.

"If it wasn't for the fact that he was a police officer and he was white and had so many people of color in jail, they would have never tried this case four times," he said.

The State Supreme Court has requested 60 days to respond to this most recent appeal.