In the pre-dawn hours of October 14, 2018, the life of 27-year-old Hosea Fletcher was violently cut short in a tragic event that also claimed the lives of two others in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Fletcher was at his home with Ramon Marquis Brown, also 27, and Brown's seven-year-old daughter, Maziah Brown, when the unimaginable unfolded. A man named Keenan Sean Burkhalter went to the residence and shot all three individuals.
Following the shooting, Burkhalter deliberately set the house on fire in
an attempt to conceal the horrific crime. Investigators later determined the harrowing detail that both Ramon and Maziah Brown were still alive when the fire was started, having suffered from smoke inhalation in addition to their gunshot wounds. The act was described by the assistant district attorney as heinous, leaving the families of the victims to endure a long and painful wait for justice.
The investigation into the triple homicide led Tulsa police to two suspects. Within weeks, on October 31, 2018, authorities arrested 23-year-old Keenan Burkhalter and a second suspect, 20-year-old Andrew Conard. Both men were charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree arson.
In May 2022, a jury found Keenan Sean Burkhalter guilty on all charges. The jury recommended three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for the murders and an additional 35 years for the arson. The other suspect, Andrew Conard, who was also arrested in connection with the crime, testified against Burkhalter during the trial. Burkhalter was formally sentenced to three life sentences plus 35 years, ensuring he would spend the remainder of his life in prison for the deaths of Hosea Fletcher, Ramon Brown, and young Maziah Brown.
