Oklahoma beheading: ‘Highly likely’ suspect will face death penalty

Authorities in Oklahoma have filed charges against a man they say beheaded a coworker and tried to decapitate another before he was stopped by the bullet of an off-duty sheriff’s deputy.

Alton Nolen, 30, faces charges of murder, assault and battery with a deadly weapon, and assault with a deadly weapon, said Cleveland County Dist. Atty. Greg Mashburn.

If convicted, Nolen could face the death penalty for the murder charge and life in prison for each of the assault charges, Mashburn said.

Mashburn said it was “highly likely� that his office would pursue the death penalty but that he would make a final decision after speaking to the victim’s family.

Nolen is accused of beheading Colleen Hufford, 54, and then attacking Traci Johnson, 43, during a revenge-fueled rampage Thursday at the Vaughan Foods processing plant in Moore, Okla.

Johnson and Nolen had apparently had a heated exchange earlier in the day based on racial remarks Nolen reportedly made.

Nolen was ultimately fired that day for the racial comments, according to Moore police. He went home and came back to the plant with a knife, prosecutors say.

Nolen was allegedly trying to behead Johnson when he was shot by a company executive.

Mark Vaughan, the company’s chief operating officer and a reserve deputy for the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Department, fired three shots, prosecutors say. He hit Nolen with a single bullet that traveled through his arm and hit his abdomen, stopping the attack before police arrived, Mashburn said.

Despite reports from witnesses that Nolen had tried to convert several co-workers to Islam, Mashburn said Tuesday that the dispute that led to his suspension “had more to do with race than it did him trying to convert anyone.�

According to Mashburn, Johnson had complained that day to the company’s human resources department that Nolen had made some statements earlier Thursday about “not liking white people.�

Authorities said that after his firing, an enraged Nolen drove home, retrieved a large kitchen knife and came back to the front office to find “certain people he felt responsible� for his job loss.

Hufford was standing in a doorway when Nolen grabbed her from behind and decapitated her, according to an affidavit from the district attorney’s office. Prosecutors say it does not seem Nolen was intentionally targeting Hufford.

Authorities say Nolen then turned to Johnson, stabbing her neck and face with the knife and uttering phrases in Arabic as he attacked.

Several other employees tried to intervene, throwing chairs at Nolen and trying to kick him and distract him from the two victims, prosecutors said. “They were just trying to help their co-worker,� Mashburn told reporters.

Prosecutors say Vaughan retrieved a rifle, which he keeps at the business, and shot Nolen as the suspect charged at him with the knife.

Nolen is still recovering in the hospital but spoke to investigators Friday after undergoing surgery, at which time he confessed to the crimes, Mashburn said. Nolen was coherent and able to give a detailed account of the events, according to authorities.

The district attorney said Nolen had three targets in mind, one of whom was Johnson, and that they were of different sexes and races.

Mashburn called the attack an “isolated incident� triggered by Nolen’s firing.

Johnson was released from the hospital over the weekend after being treated for the cuts to her neck and face, authorities said.

The FBI is assisting in the investigation, looking into Nolen’s background and whether he has any ties to terrorist organizations. Mashburn said posts on a Facebook page police say belongs to Nolen suggest he had an “infatuation with beheadings.�

The Facebook account, on which Nolen uses the name Jah’Keem Yisrael, and which has since been deleted, included numerous postings about Islam, a photo of men holding a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and a machine gun, and a photo of a beheading, police said.

But it remains unclear his religious beliefs played any role in the attack. In the aftermath of the attack, and following reactions from Republican politicians in Oklahoma, Muslim groups have publicly denounced the violence, offering condolences to the victims’ families.

Prosecutors expect Nolen to be arraigned as soon as he is released from the hospital. Nolen could face additional charges as the investigation continues, Mashburn said.

“Right now, I have a murder charge that we will vigorously prosecute,� he said.

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