In Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 4, 2014, the life of 27-year-old Charles Rapheal Dews was tragically cut short. A male, his body was discovered by his first cousin in a field just outside his home on East Ute Street. He had sustained fatal gunshot wounds to his neck and the back of his head. The discovery set in motion an investigation that would uncover a story of a friendship turned fatal.
Investigators learned that Dews had reconnected with a childhood friend, Kevin Warrior, while both
were incarcerated for unrelated offenses. Their reunion, however, was not a happy one. After Warrior was paroled in April 2014, tensions between the two men began to escalate. The conflict was fueled by personal disputes involving mutual friends and family members. On the day of his death, Dews had confided in his cousin that he had been threatened by Warrior. Further complicating the events of that night, Dews had also been involved in an argument with the mother of his child.
Within 24 hours of the discovery of Dews' body, police arrested 23-year-old Kevin Warrior. He was subsequently charged with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a felon. Although Warrior denied any involvement in the killing, the evidence presented during his trial in March 2016 told a different story. The case against him was built on a foundation of circumstantial evidence, including the testimony of multiple witnesses who spoke of the growing animosity and threats made by Warrior. Phone records also played a crucial role, as the last calls made from Dews' cell phone were traced to a number registered to the Warrior family.
Another individual was briefly considered a suspect, but it was determined that his firearm was not the weapon used in the crime. Ultimately, the jury found Kevin Warrior guilty of the first-degree murder of Charles Rapheal Dews. He was sentenced to life in prison for the crime. The tragic end of Charles Dews' life served as a somber conclusion to a complex web of personal conflicts and relationships that had taken a violent turn.
