In the summer of 2017, a grim discovery was made in Oklahoma City that would unravel a story of violence and tragedy. The charred remains of 27-year-old Bashar Burks were found inside a burning vehicle. The following day, the body of his girlfriend, 30-year-old Ashley Easton, was located in a nearby ditch. Investigators quickly determined that both individuals had been victims of homicide and that their deaths were connected.
The investigation revealed that Burks and Easton had given a ride to a 27-year-old man named Mario James Normore. During the car ride, an argument broke out between Normore and Burks. The situation escalated horrifically when Normore shot Burks in the head. He then turned the gun on Ashley Easton, shooting her in the neck and head.
After committing the murders, Normore set the vehicle on fire with Burks' body still inside. He then disposed of Easton's body in a ditch along North Air Depot Boulevard. The Oklahoma State Medical Examiner later confirmed that the cause of death for Easton was multiple gunshot wounds. The investigation led police to identify Mario Normore as the suspect, and he was subsequently arrested.
Normore was charged with four counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Bashar Burks and Ashley Easton. In March 2023, he pleaded guilty to all charges. To avoid the death penalty, Normore accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, bringing a legal conclusion to the tragic and violent end of two young lives.
