Victim's Brother Speaks Out After Sister's Accused Killed Granted New Trial

A man sentenced to life in prison for murdering his girlfriend in 2016 in Tulsa will get a second chance.

Alonzo Kelly has a new trial after winning his appeal because a judge said he should have been allowed to represent himself. 

The victim's brother Richard DeBerry says he's getting mentally prepared to go through this again.

DeBerry said the day Kelly was sentenced to life in prison was the day his sister Charletta Thomas got justice. He felt relieved that no one would ever be hurt by Kelly again.

Not a day goes by that DeBerry doesn't think about his little sister.

"I miss her smile, her playfulness, her just being there, you know? She was my baby sister, you know, loved her to death," DeBerry said.

Charletta Thomas was shot and killed seven years ago in 2016 in Tulsa. Her boyfriend Alonzo Kelly was arrested in 2018 in Oregon. Kelly was convicted of murdering Thomas in 2021.

"It was rough because it seemed like it was a setback every time. It was COVID then the antics, you know, that he was pulling from trying to get the right as far as an attorney for him," said DeBerry.

During Kelly's trial, he asked the judge to represent himself and was denied. Last month The Criminal Court of Appeals ruled he had the right to represent himself and that's why Kelly got a new trial.

DeBerry says it's not fair his family has to go through another trial.

"People shouldn't have to go through that type of basic trauma everyday, you know, that really tears at you," said DeBerry.

"Maybe some evidence that was left out that actually wasn't presented or something that could really seal his fate...hopefully this time its life without parole instead of life with parole," said DeBerry.

He hopes the second time around will uncover new details and a new sentence.

DeBerry said he will go through it all again for Thomas's two daughters.

"When you go through something like this it makes you strong," said DeBerry.

The Tulsa County District Attorney's office gave a statement on Kelly's retrial that said "The court's decision has nothing to do with the prosecution of the case and allows us to retry it. It's related to the representation of the defense whether the defendant can represent himself or not. We intend to fully prosecute this case until its conclusion."