Law enforcement officials are investigating the mass shooting that took place in the rural town of Henryetta, Oklahoma, on November 9, in which Jeremie McFadden, a convicted rapist and sex offender, killed six people, including his wife and three of her children along with two other visiting teenagers. McFadden then turned the gun on himself. The incident has raised questions about why McFadden, who was released from prison early despite pending sexual offense charges against him, was allowed to roam free.
McFadden, who was sentenced to 20 years in 2003 for first-degree rape against a 17-year-old, was released three years early, in part for good behavior, despite facing new charges that he used a contraband cellphone in 2016 to trade nude photos with a 16-year-old girl. Prosecutors objected to his early release from prison, noting the brutal nature of his crime and how he had cut the victim’s shirt off and raped her at knifepoint. Family members of the victims now want answers about how McFadden was able to obtain firearms given his criminal history and pending charges.
According to local reports, McFadden had left a series of ominous messages to his accuser, a young girl he had allegedly groomed while in prison. In the messages, he announced that he was having a successful marketing career and making great money but that his “great life” had gotten ruined because of sex charges, and warned “I told you that I wouldn’t go back.”
Republican state Rep. Justin Humphrey has expressed his alarm over the circumstances, stating that he’s working with another lawmaker on legislation that would “stop tragedies of this nature from happening again.”
The killings occurred on the day McFadden was due to stand trial on charges relating to soliciting nude images from a teenager. All victims, including the two visiting teens, 14-year-old Ivy Webster and 16-year-old Brittany Brewer, were found dead and shot in the head in four areas near McFadden’s house.
This incident has once again brought up questions about the early release of sex offenders. It marks the latest in a spate of violent incidents associated with Oklahoma’s burgeoning legal marijuana industry.
Meanwhile, McFadden’s case raises important questions on who should be held accountable for the release of potentially dangerous individuals and what steps need to be taken to ensure public safety. The community is now grappling with the aftermath of this horrific event, and the families of the victims are left to mourn their tragic loss.
