In the early morning hours of an autumn day in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the unusual sight of a Jeep parked on the inside shoulder of U.S. 169 near 31st Street drew the attention of passersby. Some had noticed the vehicle as early as 3:45 a.m. By 5:15 a.m., first responders were at the scene, where they made a grim discovery. Inside the stationary vehicle sat the lifeless body of a 38-year-old man, Jason Harris.
It was immediately apparent that his death was not from natural causes; he had been shot.
The initial investigation into what was Tulsa's 68th homicide of the year quickly gained momentum. The Jeep, investigators learned, had been recently sold for cash by its previous owner. This transaction led them to 29-year-old Dustin Baker of Claremore, who was identified as the new owner and the individual driving the vehicle at the time of the murder. His arrest was swift.
As detectives delved deeper into the circumstances surrounding Harris's death, another name surfaced: 25-year-old Dillon Rose, also known as Ray Benson. He was identified as a person of interest in the shooting. The investigation would eventually unravel a sinister plot connected to a notorious prison-based gang. Both Rose and Baker were members of the Universal Aryan Brotherhood. The kidnapping, robbery, and murder of Jason Harris were acts committed as part of the gang's widespread criminal enterprise.
In a significant development, Dillon Rose pleaded guilty to conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise. As part of his plea, he admitted to his role in the 2017 murder of Jason Harris. This admission was part of a larger federal indictment against numerous members and associates of the Universal Aryan Brotherhood, a group involved in a host of violent crimes, including murder, kidnapping, and drug trafficking. Rose's guilty plea brought a measure of resolution to the tragic and violent end of Jason Harris's life, a man whose final moments were spent at the mercy of a brutal criminal organization.
