Cody Wayne Adams, age 33, faced first-degree manslaughter charges in Stephens County on Friday. According to court documents, he was taken into custody and subsequently released on a bond set at US$100,000 ($149,375).
On Christmas Day, deputies from Stephens County responded to a call at a residence just north of Comanche. Sandra Phelps had been shot while sitting on the front porch with a child, as reported in a sheriff’s affidavit. Witnesses recounted that Phelps exclaimed “ouch” before collapsing.
The investigation revealed that Phelps sustained a gunshot wound, and she was declared deceased approximately 20 minutes after the emergency call was made, according to the affidavit.
Authorities reached out to Adams, who admitted to recently purchasing a .45-caliber handgun. He had been practicing shooting at a can in his yard, roughly 800 meters away from where Phelps was struck.
Upon learning that he was suspected in the shooting, Adams reportedly became visibly distressed and started crying, as noted by Stephens County Sheriff’s Captain Timothy Vann in the affidavit.
Efforts to reach Adams’ attorney, Carl Buckholts, for comment on Monday were unsuccessful, as the call was not returned.
Court records show Adams is scheduled to appear in court on February 25 and was ordered to have no contact with the victim’s family.
Oklahoma law defines first-degree manslaughter as a homicide that occurs when perpetrated without a “design to effect death” while a person is engaged in the commission of a misdemeanor.
It is punishable by up to life in prison. Charging documents allege Adams engaged in conduct with a firearm that demonstrated a “conscious disregard for the safety of others,” a misdemeanor crime in Oklahoma.
