Hearing set for Lawton teen charged in deaths

By Associated Press - Monday, April 7, 2014

LAWTON, Okla. (AP) - A preliminary hearing is set for this week for a Lawton teenager accused in the deaths of his father and 14-year-old brother.

Thorsten Rushing, 18, is one of five teenagers charged in the Jan. 20 deaths of Uwe Rushing and his son, Stefan Rushing. Prosecutors charged Thorsten Rushing with first-degree murder and conspiracy, alleging that he shot his father and shot and suffocated his brother.

Prosecutors have not yet revealed a motive, but Comanche County Assistant District Attorney Mark Stoneman recently asked for records relating to Uwe Rushing’s employment at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, specifically “all documents related to survivor benefits.”

Stoneman declined to comment ahead of Wednesday’s preliminary hearing for Rushing and three other co-defendants, The Oklahoman (https://bit.ly/1gCWzEi ) reported. The fifth teen charged in the case has a preliminary hearing set for April 15.

An autopsy found that 14-year-old Stefan was shot three times and also had signs of suffocation. Uwe Rushing, 50, died of gunshots to the chest and head.

According to police, Thorsten Rushing called 911 after the shooting and reported that intruders had shot his father and brother. But police said evidence and bullet trajectories contradicted that claim, and arrested Rushing days after the fatal shootings.

Rushing’s attorney, Stephen Jones, said his office is reviewing 4,000 pages of discovery material and is preparing for the hearing. Jones, who was the lead defense attorney at Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh’s trial, his client will plead not guilty.