Appeals Court Reverses Decision In Woodward County Killing

An Oklahoma appeals court has reversed a judge’s decision to suppress evidence against two Guatemalan brothers charged with first-degree murder in Woodward County.

The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals handed down the ruling Wednesday in the case against Julio Juarez Ramos and Isidro Juarez Ramos. The brothers are accused of strangling Antonio Velasquez with a rope and dumping his body in a rural area in May 2009.

The appeals court decision says the men gave statements to police shortly after their arrest in which they confessed to killing the victim. But District Judge Ray Dean Linder granted defense motions to suppress the statements because authorities did not first contact the Guatemalan consulate as required by international guidelines.

The appeal court says the statements can be used at the men’s trial.