Judge Rules Kevin Sweat Will Stand Trial

A man accused of murdering his fiancee will stand trial for the deaths of two girls from Weleetka.  A judge ruled there was enough evidence to send Kevin Sweat to trial for the June 2008 killings.

Cell phone records, DNA evidence and bullet casings all place Kevin Sweat at the scene where two little girls were murdered according to testimony by lead agent Kurt Titsworth of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

Titsworth was the first witness on day two of the the hearing that will determine if Sweat will go to trial to face two murder charges.  Agent Titsworth's testimony revealed the OSBI obtained records of all the cell phones that used a tower near the murder site in June of 2008.  On that Sunday, Sweat's phone was recorded hitting the tower three separate times just after 5:00 in the evening.  That's around the time Taylor Placker's grandfather says she and her best friend Skyla Whitaker went for a walk down the rural road to visit "Bad Creek Bridge."  

Agent Titsworth said he first became aware of Kevin Sweat in 2009 when tracking down owners of Glock weapons in the area.  A police officer told the OSBI he had sold a Glock .40 caliber to a man in Henryetta.  

The OSBI interviewed Sweat in January of 2010.  At that point Sweat said he sold a gun to a girl named "Megan" who worked at the nearby KFC restaurant.  Agent Titsworth said after getting the names of all the "Megans" who worked at KFC during the time, he was able to track them down.  Neither girl said they knew Sweat or bought a gun during the time period Sweat said he sold it.

The OSBI would not interview Sweat again until after his fiancee disappeared in the summer of 2011.  

During  later investigation Titsworth testified the OSBI recovered bullets from the room Kevin lived in at his mother's home in Henryetta.  Both .40 caliber and .22 caliber bullets were found in a metal can.  The .40 caliber bullets were the same brand as ones recovered from the crime scene.  The OSBI found a box of these same bullets in the home of Sweat's aunt among his other belongings.  

Prosecutors and defense attorney argued over whether or not the court should allow a recorded interrogation with Sweat as evidence.   The interrogation after Sweat was already facing charges for the death of his fiancee, Ashley Taylor.  

During the interrogation Agent Titsworth made it clear he was not discussing the Taylor murder case, but instead focused on the Weleetka case.  He told Sweat they had forensic evidence and DNA linking him to the crime scene.  During cross examination Agent Titsworth admitted no such DNA evidence existed.

Sweat admitted he was in the area on the day the murders happened.  He said he was visiting his grandparents who lived nearby.  His story later included the admission he saw an ambulance go by and he drove down to the crime scene tape and looked, but turned around when he realized he couldn't get through.

Agent Titsworth told Sweat he was there to get his side of the story.  The repeated accusations eventually led to Sweat saying that he and Taylor had dabbled in "Wicca."  He said they got scared because they were concerned they were getting too involved with demons.  He told the OSBI he and Taylor went to a local pastor for "cleansing."  Though Sweat said that it was possible he was under demonic control the day the girls were murdered in Weleetka.

The interrogation lasted more than two hours.  At one point Sweat told the investigator "I was pulled over to the side and taking a leak and the next thing I knew, I saw them and they were coming at me and i panicked."  Sweat told the agent he saw monsters and shot them.  He said they kept coming at him so he shot with a .22 semiautomatic pistol and drove off."  

Immediately after this so-called confession, Sweat told Agent Titsworth the story was just that and that even he didn't believe it.  He said anything he said would be a lie because he didn't know the truth.  

Sweat said the only details he knew of the crime came from his conversations with Linda Placker, Taylor's sister.  Sweat said they worked together and she told him how the bodies were found and the types of guns used in the murders.  

However Linda Placker testified saying she never told Sweat anything about the case.  She said they worked together for a few months in 2010 and Sweat would try to press her for specifics on the case.  She says she never told anyone she worked with details about her family's tragedy.  

Judge David Marin ruled Sweat's interrogation did not violate his constitutional right and should be admitted.  Judge Martin then ruled there was enough evidence to send Sweat to trial for the murders.  In his closing remarks, Martin said "This is one of the saddest cases I've had in a long time and tragedy has visited our county."
Judge Rules Kevin Sweat Will Stand Trial

Posted: Tuesday, January 29 2013, 10:07 PM CST