Oklahoma
Suspect in multiple Oklahoma, Alabama killings arrested in Arkansas
OKLAHOMA CITY — A man who was linked to multiple homicides in Oklahoma and Alabama was arrested Thursday after a nearly two-day manhunt, authorities said.
Stacy Lee Drake, 50, was taken into custody without incident at about 10 a.m. in a wooded area south of an intersection in Morrilton, Arkansas, according to the Arkansas Department of Public Safety. He was wanted in connection with the slayings of three people in Oklahoma and a fourth in Alabama, authorities said.
“Drake is wanted in connection with homicides and carjackings in Oklahoma and is wanted on other felony warrants from multiple jurisdictions, with charges including aggravated robbery, carjacking, and murder,” the Arkansas Department of Public Safety said in a news release.
The Arkansas Department of Public Safety had warned residents in the area of Morrilton, about 50 miles northwest of Little Rock, to be on alert after he was spotted outside a motel in the city. Prior to his arrest, authorities said Wednesday that Drake was known to have purchased camping gear that indicated that he was still in the area.
Drake, who has an extensive criminal history, was described by law enforcement as armed and dangerous.
“If you look at his criminal history, he was continuously escalating his violent behavior,” Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Capt. Jack Kennedy said at a news conference Thursday. “He is now at least responsible for three, possibly four homicides that we know about in the last two months. So, I would not be surprised if there’s other homicides out there that are unsolved in other jurisdictions.”
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Suspect tied to at least 3 killings in Oklahoma, 1 in Alabama
On Tuesday, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation was asked for assistance in a homicide investigation in Gans, a town in Sequoyah County near the Oklahoma-Arkansas state line. The agency said Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office deputies had responded to a report regarding two deceased individuals around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
When deputies arrived at the scene, they found an adult male and female dead inside a propane business, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
The man and woman, identified as Taylor Sharp and Tara Underwood, had been shot to death, the agency said in a court affidavit. Sharp and Underwood were employees of LaFerry’s Propane.
Authorities identified Drake as a person of interest after reviewing the surveillance video. The video showed him driving away in Underwood’s 2016 GMC Acadia after exiting the business, according to the affidavit. The vehicle was later located in Morrilton late Tuesday night.
Drake is also suspected of killing a man in El Reno, a city just west of Oklahoma City. Shortly after his arrest on Thursday, the El Reno Police Department confirmed to local television station KOCO 5 that Drake was identified as a suspect in a June 14 murder.
The man, identified as 56-year-old Phillip Emerson, was found dead in a home and his vehicle was presumed stolen by the suspect, according to KOCO 5.
In Alabama, Kennedy said Drake is suspected of killing Alcoholics Anonymous counselor Russell Andrews, 62, on or about May 14. Police had responded to the Alcoholics Anonymous Club in downtown Tuscaloosa after Andrews was discovered dead inside the building.
Surveillance video showed Andrew’s vehicle missing from the scene and presumed stolen by the suspect, according to Kennedy. The vehicle was then located several hours later near the Oklahoma-Arkansas state line.
Who is Stacy Lee Drake?
Authorities previously said Drake was from Birmingham, Alabama, but Kennedy noted Thursday that the suspect was not from the state.
“(Drake), at one time, was arrested in Alabama 15 years ago… for multiple, numerous violent felony crimes,” Kennedy said, adding that Drake was linked to a Birmingham address that “may have been involved with him being in a homeless shelter there.”
Drake had only been in Tuscaloosa for about a week or two, Kennedy said. He described Drake as a “transient” who had no fixed address and an extensive criminal history in multiple states.
Based on background investigations, Kennedy said investigators believe Drake spent a lot of time in Oklahoma and Arizona. Drake was also a federal inmate at “different points in his career” and there were outstanding pending federal charges on him for violating his parole, according to Kennedy.
“He was utilizing a false name, and possibly dressing himself differently, including hats and glasses, at the time that he was in Tuscaloosa,” Kennedy said. “It appears that he was traveling the country in this lifestyle, utilizing false names, in an attempt to keep from being incarcerated.”
Oklahoma
How to watch LA Lakers vs Oklahoma City Thunder: TV, live stream info for tonight’s NBA playoff game
Coverage of the 2026 NBA playoffs continues tonight on NBC and Peacock with a star-studded doubleheader. The action tips off at 7:00 PM ET, when Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers take on Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons. Then, at 8:30 PM ET, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers go head-to-head with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Peacock. Live coverage begins at 6:00 PM with NBA Showtime. See below for additional information on how to watch the 2026 NBA Playoffs on NBC and Peacock.
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LA Lakers vs Oklahoma City Thunder Game Preview:
The No. 4 Lakers defeated the No. 5 Rockets in six games to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals. Los Angeles opened the series with a 3-0 lead, dropped Games 4 and 5, then bounced back with a 98-78 road win in Game 6. The win marked JJ Redick’s first playoff series victory since he took over as head coach ahead of last season.
Meanwhile, the top-seeded Thunder defeated the No. 8 Phoenix Suns 4-0, completing a First Round sweep for the third straight season. The Thunder look to become the first team to win consecutive NBA titles since the Golden State Warriors (2016-2017, 2017-18).
The Lakers and Thunder will both be without key players tonight. Luka Doncic has missed the last 11 games due to a grade 2 hamstring strain sustained on April 2 against Oklahoma City, while Jalen Williams missed the last two games for the Thunder with a grade 1 hamstring strain. Both players are considered week-to-week.
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2026 NBA Playoffs: Bracket, schedule, scores, matchups for conference semifinals, including 76ers vs. Knicks
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All the games — times, dates, where to watch — in one easy-to-check-out location.
How to watch LA Lakers vs Oklahoma City Thunder:
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When: Tonight, Tuesday, May 5
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Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
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Pistons vs Cavaliers Game 1 NBA Playoffs – predictions: Odds, recent stats, trends and best bets for May 5
How to watch the NBA on NBC and Peacock:
NBC Sports will present up to 23 games in the First Round and 11 games in the Conference Semifinals across either NBC and Peacock, or Peacock and NBCSN. Playoff programming concludes with exclusive coverage of the Western Conference Finals on NBC and Peacock
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Which playoff rounds will be available on Peacock?
Peacock’s NBA Playoffs coverage spans multiple rounds, including Round 1, the Conference Semifinals, and the Western Conference Finals, with coverage evolving as the postseason progresses.
Will Peacock show both Eastern and Western Conference playoff games?
Yes. During earlier rounds such as Round 1 and the Conference Semifinals, Peacock will carry a mix of Eastern and Western Conference playoff games.
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OKLAHOMA CITY (KSWO) – African American educator F.D. Moon was born 130 years ago on May 4, 1896, in what is now Lincoln County.
He began teaching in 1921 and in 1940 moved to Oklahoma City, where he became principal of Douglass High School.
Widely known as the “Dean” of African American education, Moon was elected to the Oklahoma City Board of Education in 1972, then became its first African American president in 1974.
He served during federally mandated desegregation in Oklahoma City Public Schools and died in 1975.
Copyright 2026 KSWO. All rights reserved.
OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond is pressing federal regulators to make clear that states — not the federal government — have authority over sports-related prediction markets, arguing the platforms function like sportsbooks without state oversight.
Drummond and 40 other state attorneys general filed a formal comment Thursday with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, urging the agency to reaffirm that it does not have jurisdiction over sports-related contracts offered through prediction markets. The coalition said prediction markets have effectively become unregulated sportsbooks.
Prediction markets, including Kalshi and Polymarket, allow users to trade contracts tied to the outcome of future events. Drummond said sports-related contracts on those platforms amount to gambling and should be regulated by states.
“This is unequivocally gambling, which means it belongs under State authority,” Drummond said. “States have long had the right and responsibility to protect their own citizens from the dangers of gambling, and that should continue to hold true whether bets take place on a prediction market or inside a traditional casino.”
In their letter, the attorneys general said users can make the same types of wagers on prediction markets as they can at traditional sportsbooks. “Any distinction between sportsbook bets and prediction-market bets is illusory,” they wrote.
The coalition said prediction market users can wager on game winners, point spreads and player statistics, while bypassing consumer protections and tax requirements mandated by state gambling laws. The attorneys general argued the contracts are entertainment-based gambling rather than tools for financial risk management, placing them outside the CFTC’s jurisdiction.
The attorneys general also warned that sports gambling poses risks to public health and financial security.
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They said states are best positioned to protect residents from those harms and asked the CFTC to confirm through rulemaking that it lacks jurisdiction over sports-related contracts, leaving states with the power to regulate or prohibit sports gambling.
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