US District Judge Accepts Guilty Plea For Man Charged With 2nd Degree Murder In 2016 Shooting

A Broken Arrow man on Friday pleaded guilty to killing his father back in 2016.

A jury found him guilty before, but, because Jacob Krafft is a Cherokee Nation citizen and the crime happened on tribal land, the case was re-filed in federal court. Jacob’s sister spoke in court Friday, saying the murder of their father, Eric Krafft, has divided the family and wrecked her life.

Jacob told the court on Friday he was in "fear for his life" the night he shot Eric in their Broken Arrow home. Jacob was the one who called 911 that October night in 2016, telling police he just shot his father, according to court records. Court records also show Jacob told investigators he was trying to "disable" his dad, "not kill him," and shot him in the leg.

Friday, a federal judge accepted Jacob’s guilty plea to Second Degree Murder in Indian Country.

His sister, Erica Celeste Krafft-Tolbert, said five years after her father's death, she is heartbroken, telling the court, "I have a mother who hates me. I have my father's ashes in my closet. I have so many questions I'll never get answers to."

Erica said their childhood "wasn't perfect," but it "wasn't kill-worthy."

She said she wants the court to know that "Eric Krafft was a strange man" who was "rough around the edges," but that he loved his family and "loved his wife more than he loved himself. Nothing is the same."

Jacob had an emotional reaction in the courtroom, crying, with his head down while his sister was talking.

The next step will be Krafft's sentencing, where he could face up to life in prison. That court date is set for next February.