GUILTY OK - Michelle Spence, 34, found strangled in her car, Tulsa, 20 March 2015

los2188

North Carolina Tar Heels..your NCCA Champs!!
Joined
May 21, 2012
Messages
15,534
Reaction score
687
Michelle Spence
Police_investigate_murder_of_east_Tulsa__2735560000_15321910_ver1.0_640_480.jpg

Police investigating homicide after children find mother, 34, dead in vehicle in east Tulsa
The Tulsa Police Department ruled the death of a 34-year-old woman a homicide Saturday morning, less than 12 hours after her sons found her body inside her sport utility vehicle at the parking lot of an east Tulsa apartment complex.

Officers received a call from a tenant at the Stonecrest Apartments, 4020 S. 130th East Ave., around 11:20 p.m. Friday after the boys, ages 10 and 14, told the tenant they found the body of their mother, Michelle Spence, in the back of her Mercedes SUV. Homicide Sgt. Dave Walker said in a release that Spence had not called her job or reported to work on Friday, but had called in sick Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The children began walking on 129th East Avenue to look for her Friday night after their father dropped them off, as they realized Spence wasn't at home, Walker said.

"The kids knew that the mother had friends in the apartment complexes at 4100 (S. 129th East Ave.)," he said. "They could not locate their mother inside the complex and eventually looked inside the vehicle."

Spence's body had some bruising, but "no obvious wounds" that would cause death, Walker said in the release. The Oklahoma State Medical Examiner's Office will make a final determination on how she died, he said.

"There are enough unusual circumstances for the homicide unit to conduct a homicide investigation," Walker said. "The victim did not have any purse or identification on her or in her car."

While police have not released information about any possible suspects, they confirmed she did not live at the apartment complex but instead lived in a home between one and two miles away. Barry, a tenant at the apartments who requested his last name not be published, said he called police when the boys told him their mother was dead in her vehicle.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/crim...cle_ecb86a28-cfd5-11e4-9b28-57e5f774b34c.html
http://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/two-children-find-their-mothers-body-inside-car032115
Two_kids_find_their_mother_dead_in_back__2735110000_15290598_ver1.0_640_480.jpg
7206440_G.jpg
 
So sad for those children to have found their mother deceased in the trunk of a car. How does a child get over that? They don't. Lord, grant them strength and support to manage this devastating loss.
 
So sad for those children to have found their mother deceased in the trunk of a car. How does a child get over that? They don't. Lord, grant them strength and support to manage this devastating loss.
It was a SUV ,no trunk. She was found in the back covered in blankets.. I'm a little confused as to why the kids didn't call the father after not finding their mother not home or call her cellphone. Must be more info not released.
 
I don't understand any adult who would drop kids off especially at night and not wait to see if they get inside where they are safe. There are conflicting reports of the person who dropped them off now and may not be the father (see comment section KOTV story). The boys should not have been walking the streets at that hour in search of an adult.

To me, it sounds like it is possible to be an overdose and someone moved her to the back of her SUV to avoid an investigation. She called in sick to work (by the way, stable job) for a couple of days and was seen on Friday. Looking at her FB page, it appears she does party a little. I can see this being a plausible scenario.

It does leave a tight window depending on what time she was seen on Friday until she was found Friday night at 11:30pm.

ETA: Correction
 
I don't understand any adult who would drop kids off especially at night and not wait to see if they get inside where they are safe. There are conflicting reports of the person who dropped them off now and may not be the father (see comment section KOTV story). The boys should not have been walking the streets at that hour in search of an adult.

To me, it sounds like it is possible to be an overdose and someone moved her to the back of her SUV to avoid an investigation. She called in sick to work (by the way, stable job) for a couple of days and was seen on Friday. Looking at her FB page, it appears she does party a little and it was the weekend without her kids. I can see this being a plausible scenario.

Here's the article SS is referencing: http://www.newson6.com/story/28578549/tulsa-police-children-find-their-mother-dead-in-suv

I'm not convinced this was a homicide.

Also, she was found Friday night, when her kids were dropped off. Doesn't sound like it was the weekend without her kids....just a couple of weekdays.
 
I don't understand any adult who would drop kids off especially at night and not wait to see if they get inside where they are safe. There are conflicting reports of the person who dropped them off now and may not be the father (see comment section KOTV story). The boys should not have been walking the streets at that hour in search of an adult.

To me, it sounds like it is possible to be an overdose and someone moved her to the back of her SUV to avoid an investigation. She called in sick to work (by the way, stable job) for a couple of days and was seen on Friday. Looking at her FB page, it appears she does party a little. I can see this being a plausible scenario.

It does leave a tight window depending on what time she was seen on Friday until she was found Friday night at 11:30pm.

ETA: Correction


Quasi judgemental post. The older boy was 14. I was out at night when I was 14. I wandered the streets of my neighbourhood at 11 pm. My folks trusted me enough to drop me off places without holding my hand as I went inside. 11 pm isn't all that late if you are 14.

People parent differently. Some kids live on their own when they are 14. These kids lives in an apartment complex and probably figured they would just find mom at her friends house.

Not to sound rude but not everyone has a tight leash on their kids


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
It was a SUV ,no trunk. She was found in the back covered in blankets.. I'm a little confused as to why the kids didn't call the father after not finding their mother not home or call her cellphone. Must be more info not released.

Not all parents are equally approachable.
 
Quasi judgemental post. The older boy was 14. I was out at night when I was 14. I wandered the streets of my neighbourhood at 11 pm. My folks trusted me enough to drop me off places without holding my hand as I went inside. 11 pm isn't all that late if you are 14.

People parent differently. Some kids live on their own when they are 14. These kids lives in an apartment complex and probably figured they would just find mom at her friends house.

Not to sound rude but not everyone has a tight leash on their kids


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Nothing against 14 year olds, but I wouldn't allow mine to be out running around, particularly in that area, at 11:30pm on a Friday night. People need to be responsible for their children's safety and for their activities. 14 year old gang bangers are becoming common place.

I don't know if you are familiar with Tulsa, OK, but the gang violence is a real problem. Also in Tulsa, OK...there is a curfew for children under the age of 18 years old. Curfew is: 11:00pm - 6:00am Sun-Thurs. and 12:01am - 6:00am Sat. & Sunday. So not only is it a bad idea, it is actually against the law.
 
But the boys did not live in the apartment complex. They were dropped off at their home 1-2 miles away at night and could not get in the house. They walked to the apartments where their mom had "friends." That is where they discovered their mom's dead body in the back of her SUV. They found an adult at the apartment complex to call 911.

I cannot find where she was seen Friday alive, either.
 
From November:

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/cour...cle_918f89f5-c642-5669-b1e9-a13d2c4d54d2.html

A Tulsa man will stand trial in the death of a woman whose sons found her body inside her vehicle at an east Tulsa apartment complex in March, a judge decided Monday.

Renese Bramlett, 45, was charged Aug. 13 with first-degree murder on accusations he strangled Michelle Lynn Spence, his on-and-off girlfriend, before fleeing the state...

One of Spence’s sons told detectives his mother was in a relationship with Bramlett, and Spence’s sister reported Bramlett had been abusive toward Spence in 2013, according to the affidavit. Homicide Sgt. Dave Walker said in August that Bramlett had left his job and apartment without warning, and that his car was found parked at a bus station.
 
Thank you, OkieGranny! This case really bothered me for some reason. I guess I felt horrible for her kids. I grew up near that part of town.
 
From September:

Jury Finds Tulsa Man Guilty Of Killing Ex-Girlfriend

http://www.newson6.com/story/33113148/jury-to-decide-if-tulsa-man-is-guilty-of-killing-ex-girlfriend

After four hours of deliberation, a jury found a Tulsa man guilty of strangling his ex-girlfriend Friday afternoon. They recommended a sentence of life without parole.

Prosecutors say that Facebook, phone tracking and geo-data solved the case.

Prosecutors do not have Renese Bramlett's DNA on his ex-girlfriend, Michelle Spence. Nor do they have a single fingerprint that ties him to the scene.

They don't even know for sure, where the murder happened; but they say they do have a trail of digital evidence that tracked Bramlett's every move that night.

The judge ended up sentencing Renese to life without parole.

http://docapp065p.doc.state.ok.us/servlet/page?_pageid=394&_dad=portal30&_schema=PORTAL30&doc_num=438854&offender_book_id=272337
 
Tulsa man set for resentencing in 2015 strangulation death of ex-girlfriend after appellate court rebukes prosecutors' comments in closing arguments
A transcript from the trial, referenced in an appellate brief from Assistant Public Defender Stuart Southerland, states then-Assistant District Attorney Ben Fu — who left the agency last year and is running for District Attorney — told jurors during the sentencing stage of Bramlett’s trial that, if given the chance for parole, “he will be paroled” if he successfully serves 38 years and three months in prison.

A life sentence, for purposes of parole eligibility calculations, is considered 45 years, of which a person must serve at least 85 percent, or 38 years and three months, before he or she can have a parole review. However, there is no legal guarantee of release from prison at any time before or after the 45-year mark is reached.

“... the prosecutors’ argument flatly misstated the law’s intent and effect and encouraged jurors to misapply the law in considering an appropriate punishment,” the opinion written by Judge Scott Rowland states, although he acknowledged the state’s appellate counsel conceded there were misstatements during the trial.
 

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
196
Guests online
1,970
Total visitors
2,166

Forum statistics

Threads
589,170
Messages
17,914,928
Members
227,742
Latest member
Snugglebear
Back
Top