In the fall of 2022, the life of 19-year-old Aliza Renea Crook was tragically cut short in Tulsa, Oklahoma. On the evening of Sunday, November 6, 2022, Aliza was a passenger in a vehicle at a gas station near 11th Street and Garnett Road. An argument broke out between the driver of the car she was in and another man, identified as 30-year-old Rahmon Lawrence Macon, Jr. As her vehicle drove away from the confrontation, Macon fired multiple shots at the car, striking Aliza in the head.
She was rushed to Saint Francis Hospital, where she was declared brain dead and passed away on November 7, 2022. In an act of profound generosity, her family chose to donate her organs, saving the lives of two people.
The investigation into Aliza's death involved the Tulsa Police Department, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Eyewitness testimony and video surveillance from the gas station were crucial in identifying Macon as the shooter. He was arrested on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. Authorities later revealed that after his arrest, Macon attempted to dissuade witnesses from cooperating with the investigation. He was a member of the Cherokee Nation, and due to his criminal history, the case was tried in federal court.
Rahmon Lawrence Macon, Jr. was charged with second-degree murder in Indian Country. He had been released from the Oklahoma Department of Corrections in May 2022, approximately six months before the fatal shooting of Aliza. In a plea deal, Macon pleaded guilty to the charge. In June 2024, he was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. The sentencing brought a measure of closure to Aliza's loved ones, who were praised for their courage throughout the legal proceedings.
