Oklahoma cops have arrested a man that they believe murdered three elderly people during a crime spree Wednesday.
Richard Dewayne Chambers, 42, of Oklahoma City, was captured near Non, a community in southern Hughes County – approximately 100 miles southeast of Oklahoma City – at around 8:15 a.m. on December 19 following a frantic overnight manhunt, according to the Hughes County Sheriff’s Office.
The assailant is being held on suspicion of gunning down 84-year-old Robert Peliti and 70-year-old Jackie Peliti, of County Road 1512, Allen at 11:30 p.m. Tuesday.
But in a shocking revelation, only discovered upon finding the deceased elderly pair, police suspect Chambers unleashed a fatal attack on 62-year-old Annie Brown in Midwest City, hours before he killed the Pelitis in Pontotoc County.
The killings began when he reportedly shot and murdered Brown – whose backyard he had been living in – stole her car and drove towards the Pottawatomie and Pontotoc counties.
Upon arrival, he began knocking on doors and asking local residents for gas for Brown’s vehicle said Pontotoc County Undersheriff Arnold Scott to The Ada News.
He eventually stopped at a woman’s home in Ada at around 9 p.m to ask for fuel, said initial reports. But the woman – who wished to remain anonymous – claimed she didn’t have any and encouraged Chambers to ask her neighbors who were more likely to have some – the Pelitis.
However, little did she know that they would become his next victims, said Scott.
As her concerns mounted, the woman who lived by herself alerted her boyfriend – who also lives in Ada. He then reportedly traveled to the Pelitis home and encountered Chambers, said police.
The boyfriend reportedly attempted to blockade Chambers’ vehicle but he managed to escape and fled east along Oklahoma’s State Highway 1.
It was at this time when Pontotoc County sheriff’s deputies were called to the brutal scene where they discovered the Peliti couple gravely injured and bloodied with gunshot wounds, reported The Ada News.
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Public Information manager Hunter McKee told the outlet: “[Jackie Peliti] was pronounced dead at the scene. [Robert Peliti] was transported to a local hospital, where he later passed away.”
It remains unclear how but police were able to connect Chamber’s vehicle registration details with the owner Annie Brown – prompting calls to the Midwest City Police Department to request a welfare check.
This is when Midwest police officers reportedly discovered Brown’s dead body with “what appeared to be a gunshot wound”, said Midwest City police to Ada News.
As the night unfolded, Chambers was quickly discovered by Hughes County sheriff’s deputies parked on the shoulder of a highway but managed to flee again on foot into a wooded area, said Scott.
A manhunt ensued near Non and he was eventually found hiding in a barn.
Multiple law enforcement officers were involved in the multicounty operation.
Chambers was arrested and taken to Pontotoc County jail for the pending charges, said the Hughes County Sheriff’s Office.
Pontotoc County District Attorney Erik Johnson is reportedly planning to file murder charges for his alleged crimes, reports Ada News.
The Independent contacted Midwest City police and Pontotoc County Sheriff’s Office for information.
