On a cool morning the day before Thanksgiving in 2014, tragedy struck in Tulsa, Oklahoma, shattering the holiday peace. Jennifer Lynn Sanders, a 37-year-old woman, was brutally shot and killed outside the Bristol Park Apartments where she lived. The violent ambush also claimed the life of her 26-year-old acquaintance, Amanda Douglas, who had been staying with her. The women were getting into a car in the apartment complex parking lot around 9:30 a.m.
on November 26, 2014, when they were ambushed. Douglas was pronounced dead at the scene, while Sanders was rushed to a nearby hospital where she succumbed to her injuries a short time later.
The initial investigation into the double homicide led police to search for a gray or gold 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix with Oklahoma license plate 231 GDS that was seen leaving the scene. Witnesses reported seeing a tall Black man in his late 20s fleeing in the vehicle. Surveillance footage from the apartment complex would prove crucial in the investigation. The case, which was featured on the television series 'The First 48,' unfolded into a complex web of conspiracy and violence.
Ultimately, investigators identified Quantell Alverson as the gunman. His DNA was found in the stolen getaway car. In 2016, Alverson was found guilty of the murders of both Jennifer Sanders and Amanda Douglas and was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. While Alverson was the one who pulled the trigger, authorities believe he did not act alone. Suspicion fell on Larry Douglas, the estranged husband of Amanda Douglas. It was believed that he had hired Alverson to carry out the killings. Despite surveillance footage showing the two men together before the murders and a strong motive, there was not enough evidence to charge Larry Douglas in connection with the deaths of his wife and Jennifer Sanders.
The investigation into the double homicide also uncovered a wider criminal enterprise. Larry Douglas was later convicted on federal charges of drug trafficking and witness intimidation and sentenced to 21 years in prison. He admitted to running a drug trafficking ring and ordering the 'taking care of' of an associate, Dale Childress, who was later found murdered. James Marshall was convicted in the death of Childress and sentenced to 16 years in prison. While justice was served for some of the crimes connected to this violent group, Larry Douglas was never formally charged with the murders of his estranged wife and Jennifer Sanders.
