In January of 2015, the quiet life of 70-year-old Gerald Hail of Inola, Oklahoma, came to a tragic and unexpected end. A Silver Alert had been issued for Hail out of Rogers County, a measure taken when a senior citizen is believed to be in danger. The search for the missing man concluded grimly when his body was discovered by a maid inside a Tulsa motel room on January 21, 2015.
It was soon clear that Hail had been the victim of a homicide.
Investigators quickly turned their attention to the motel's surveillance footage. The video revealed Hail in the company of another man, 26-year-old Mathew Hannah. Further investigation uncovered that Hail's pickup truck was missing from the motel. The vehicle was later found abandoned behind a church at the intersection of Latimer and Sheridan in Tulsa. The discovery of the truck, coupled with the evidence from the motel, intensified the focus on Hannah as the primary suspect.
The Tulsa Police Homicide Detectives wasted no time in locating and apprehending Mathew Hannah in north Tulsa later that same day. Following his arrest, it was reported that Hannah confessed to the shooting and killing of Gerald Hail. He was subsequently jailed in connection with the murder, bringing a swift, though somber, resolution to the search for who was responsible for the death of Gerald Hail.
